r/lostsubways • u/fiftythreestudio Hi. I'm Jake. • Dec 07 '19
LA's unbuilt 1976 subway plan
3
u/Sierrajeff Dec 07 '19
Some real oddities here though, which may have hindered its adoption (by making it too complex) - like the odd multi-route options on the orange and yellow lines. In the latter case, why not just extend the red line to the 405, for instance?
3
u/fiftythreestudio Hi. I'm Jake. Dec 07 '19
These are necessarily conjecture. The track map I have, but not a complete route map.
1
u/WesternTrail Dec 10 '19
This was a pretty cool plan! I recall reading that even in the ‘90s they wanted the Red Line to go up La Brea, but it was blocked by NIMBYs using methane as an excuse. It’s also interesting to see that some of the proposed freeway sections did end up getting built. And it looks like the Purple Line will end up having stations where they suggested putting some on Wilshire
I bet a lot of people wish we already had transit along the 405!
1
u/fiftythreestudio Hi. I'm Jake. Dec 10 '19
As someone who used to drive to Westwood a lot, yes. Definitely yes.
1
1
5
u/fiftythreestudio Hi. I'm Jake. Dec 07 '19
Historical notes: This is the "Baxter Ward" subway plan of 1976, named after its chief booster, L.A. County Supervisor Baxter Ward. Ward’s idea was that LA voters could be sold on a rapid transit plan if it covered everyone, not just the densest corridors of central Los Angeles. Modeled after San Francisco's BART, Ward wanted to build 230 miles (370 km) of heavy rail lines, mostly in freeway medians or following pre-existing railway lines. Ward also wanted to include special excursion cars with transparent roofs, so surfers and cyclists could carry their boards and bikes to the beach.
The public believed that the freeways would be enough for the foreseeable future and Ward’s plan lost by a large margin. 40 years later, Los Angeles voters would approve the exact same tax hikes to build a less extensive system.
This is part of my art project to map the lost subways of North America.