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SGV Connect

SGV Connect is Streetsblog Los Angeles' podcast that explores the people, places, projects and events that make up the changing face of transportation in the San Gabriel Valley. SGV Connect is hosted by Damien Newton and Kris Fortin. This feed also hosts SGV Connect's predecessor podcast, #DamienTalks.
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Now displaying: March, 2021
Mar 30, 2021

This week SGV Connect checks in on the community of Alta Dena in unincorporated Los Angeles County and on how changes at the California Transportation Commission are leading to big changes in how the state funds transportation projects.

First, Kris talks with Dorothy Wong, Altadena town council member about building partnerships and using tools like UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC Street Story to advance active transportation efforts in this unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. Street Story is free web-based community engagement tool that the public can use to “collect information about transportation collisions, near-misses, general hazards and safe locations to travel.”

In our second interview, Damien talks to Melanie Curry the editor of Streetsblog California. Curry listened in on last week's CTC meeting breaking news that the Commission is planning to ask for $2 billion to fund the Active Transportation Program in next year's budget. This would be a 1000% increase over the usual allocation that is roughly $200 million.

SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays

Catch past episodes of SGV Connect and #DamienTalks on LibSyn, iTunesGoogle Play, or Overcast.

Mar 16, 2021

On this week's SGV Connect, Kris interviews Dan Lafferty, Deputy Director and Paul Alva, Assistant Deputy Director at the L.A. County Department of Public Works about the Bassett High School Stormwater Capture Project.

Currently, DPW is reaching out to the community about the project and is encouraging residents and other stakeholders to complete a survey to help them best prioritize what the project will look like. 

In partnership with Bassett Unified School District (BUSD), the project will divert urban and stormwater runoff into infiltration galleries underneath Bassett High School athletic fields.  Other above ground improvements can be included such as low-impact-development features which will complement the Amigos de los Rios’ urban greening project.  In addition, a pocket park at the corner of the school athletic field is being proposed as a joint use feature with the community.

In our second interview, Damien talks with Diane Velez with Active SGV about Metro's fareless transit pilot program. In 2022, Metro will be offering fare-free transit to seniors, students and people with lesser income to test the impacts of not charging people n the LA region to use transit. The program could be expanded to cover more groups of people and more agencies.
 
Quick note: during the interview we discuss whether or not Foothill Transit is doing its own study. While they are not, Doran Barnes, the CEO of Foothill Transit is on the committee that will be reviewing and studying Metro's pilot project. 

SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays

Catch past episodes of SGV Connect and #DamienTalks on LibSyn, iTunesGoogle Play, or Overcast.

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