Welcome the news about the MetroLink being included as part of the Traffic Planning.
Looks like Alternative A would fit with the MetroLink Plan. Not that all that traffic next to the New High School is a good thing. it isn't like Valley Blvd for Colton High School is a low use road...
Scary the predictions of traffic in the future.
Agency to gauge feasibility of Metrolink station in Highgrove
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
A proposal for a Metrolink station in Highgrove remains alive with an agreement by a regional planning agency to study the merits of building a commuter rail station in the unincorporated Riverside County community.
The San Bernardino Associated Governments commuter rail committee recommended Thursday that the county transportation planning agency take a wait-and-see approach while the Southern California Association of Governments conducts a feasibility study.
The six-county regional planning agency, SCAG, has agreed to undertake the study at the request of Grand Terrace Councilwoman Lee Ann Garcia, a member of both the SANBAG committee and the SCAG board of directors.
In January, the Riverside County Transportation Commission decided that it would not take part in building a $15 million station just south of the Riverside/San Bernardino county line.
SANBAG staff had advised the committee also to decline to take part. But if the committee's recommendation is adopted by the full board at its April 4 meeting, the agency will hold off on a final decision, said Tony Grasso, SANBAG executive director.
Highgrove, Riverside and Grand Terrace residents have pushed for the station, saying it would relieve congestion along Intestate 215 between the Riverside and San Bernardino stations.
Garcia said the study, expected to take six to 12 months, will allow the agencies to evaluate the project by looking at ridership projections and development in the area.
Both agencies have been skeptical of the project, saying they did not believe the station would generate enough riders. But Garcia said building it is about planning for the future.
"The development that's going to happen within five years is just tremendous," she said.
Without participation from Riverside County and a funding source, the project faces significant hurdles, Grasso said.
Garcia said she hopes the study results will encourage the Riverside County Transportation Commission to reconsider the station.
Reach Imran Ghori at 909-806-3061 or ighori@PE.com
Road-widening plan receives opposition
TRAFFIC JAMS: Pigeon Pass and Reche Canyon between Moreno Valley and Colton are targeted.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By PHIL PITCHFORD
The Press-Enterprise
Widening Pigeon Pass and Reche Canyon roads between Moreno Valley and Colton-Grand Terrace could help drivers avoid stifling congestion on Highway 60 through Riverside and along Interstate 215 just north of the 60/91/215 interchange.
But an effort under way in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties to study such a project already has drawn opposition from residents who say they moved to the area to get away from roads like those being proposed.
"Everybody says we need it, but nobody I know wants it," said Rick Mordoff, who has lived near Pigeon Pass Road north of Moreno Valley since 1989.
The road has been closed just north of his house for about two years as a result of work on a 1,500-home development and for the relocation of electricity transmission lines. When it was open, about 400 cars poured through the rural area during the morning and evening commutes, he said.
The road is one narrow lane in each direction, with no shoulder, and drop-offs that threaten to send cars tumbling down the side after the mattresses and appliances that already are there. The road is a mixture of pavement and dirt, and frequent switchbacks make driving it an adventure.
"This is not really a viable thoroughfare," Mordoff said. "But people get really desperate to find a shortcut."
A bit farther east, Reche Canyon Road is a favorite of drivers trying to get from the Colton-San Bernardino-Loma Linda areas into Moreno Valley. But it also lacks some of the safety improvements that would be standard on such a busy route built from scratch.
An agreement circulating among the cities that straddle the county line calls for cooperation in developing one or both corridors. Each agency would be responsible for building its chunk of the road, but the agreement calls for a consistent four-lane road with a landscaped median.
Even cities that approved the agreement, however, have concerns about the proposed project. Grand Terrace, for example, OK'd the deal mainly to have a voice in the process, City Manager Tom Schwab said.
Such an idea has been brought up before and shot down, Schwab said.
But, he said, traffic is so bad on Interstate 215 that residents are willing to consider all options.
Reach Phil Pitchford at 951-368-9475 or ppitchford@PE.com or visit his blog at beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/commuting/
Traffic planning changes direction
INLAND: A new focus is on unclogging north-south freeways and widening paths between counties.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By PHIL PITCHFORD
The Press-Enterprise
Interstate 215 between Riverside and San Bernardino, once a cakewalk compared with the perpetually congested Highway 91, is now anything but. Much like on Interstate 15 between Corona and Ontario, traffic moving north and south begins slowing to a crawl in the late afternoon and remains maddening for hours.
"Fifteen years ago, unless there was an accident, there was no such thing as traffic coming to a stop on the 215, either north or south," Grand Terrace City Manager Tom Schwab said. "Now, it happens every day."
Transportation agencies in the Inland area are taking notice. After years of focusing on helping commuters drive east-west to employment centers outside Riverside and San Bernardino counties, planners are looking for more north-south traffic solutions within the Inland area.
The most recent effort involves developing ways for drivers to get from Moreno Valley to San Bernardino County without ever getting on Interstate 215. A recent round of state transportation funding also included money for north-south projects on Interstate 215 through Murrieta and through downtown San Bernardino.
One Riverside County supervisor, Bob Buster, is calling for a change in transportation priorities to reflect the needs of Inland-only commuting. He said too much attention has been given to getting San Bernardino County residents to Los Angeles County and Riverside County residents to Orange County.
"There hasn't been much, if any coordination between Riverside and San Bernardino counties," Buster said. "We need to come home here to the Inland Empire and invest here first. We need to shift gears."
Picture:
Many of the area's north-south routes are becoming increasingly congested as a result of job growth in Corona, Ontario, Chino and Rancho Cucamonga. Those areas are generating more jobs than residents can fill, a phenomenon that did not exist anywhere in the Inland area a decade ago, said John Husing, an economist who studies the region.
As a result, those areas have become commuting destinations within Riverside and San Bernardino counties, much like Orange County was for the entire Inland region in decades past, Husing said.
"That internal commute (within the Inland area) over time is going to get more and more important, and that external commute is going to be less and less important," Husing said. "That is already starting to happen."
The question is whether the transportation agencies in the two Inland counties can work closely enough to clear potential traffic snarls before they reach a crisis point, Buster said.
"We should understand San Bernardino's perspectives, and they should understand ours, intimately," Buster said. "Without that, all the rest of what we hope for here is going to be seriously hamstrung."
In recent history, however, Riverside County has appeared more aligned with Orange County than San Bernardino County. The Riverside-Orange counties collaboration has been driven largely by worsening congestion on Highway 91, the main artery between them.
Elected representatives from the two counties meet several times a year to hash out potential solutions on Highway 91. Transportation agencies in the two counties lobby together, plan together and spend money together.
For example, during a recent meeting in Irvine in which the state doled out $4.5 billion in congestion-relief funds, Riverside and Orange counties worked to funnel money to Highway 91 on both sides of the county line. When the ploy worked, it was hugs and handshakes all around.
San Bernardino County officials worked mainly among themselves in an effort to bring home more money for Interstate 10. When their effort failed, they filed out of the room in silence while officials from Riverside and Orange counties celebrated.
The heads of the transportation agencies in Riverside and San Bernardino counties said that, despite recent events, they always have worked together on behalf of commuters who stay in the area. For example, they are trying to improve access between Moreno Valley and the Colton-Grand Terrace area.
Eric Haley, executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, said his organization has worked closely with Orange County for about four years, since the two groups worked together to help Orange County buy the 91 Express Lanes from a private company.
But Riverside County's most important ally is San Bernardino County "today, tomorrow and 25 years from now," Haley said.
That cooperation is needed more now than ever, said Tony Grasso, executive director of San Bernardino Associated Governments. One project -- widening Interstate 215 between the 60/91/215 interchange and Interstate 10 -- would benefit from the kind of relationship that Riverside County has with Orange County.
"I don't think they (Riverside County officials) are looking for a different dance partner," Grasso said. "It's just that, right now, that (Highway 91 improvements) is the song that is playing. Hopefully they will dance with us when we get everything lined up on the 215."
Inland county Traffic
The number of vehicles moving within and between Riverside
From San Bernardino
County to Riverside
County
32,804 in 1990
52,016 in 2000
97,961 in 2010*
99,231 in 2020*
113,752 in 2030*
Within San Bernardino County
309,195 in 1990
456,568 in 2000
714,950 in 2010*
833,619 in 2020*
969,348 in 2030*
Within Riverside County
223,658 in 1990
417,137 in 2000
756,473 in 2010*
968,588 in 2020*
1,124,331 in 2030*
From Riverside County to San Bernardino County
39,565 in 1990
60,412 in 2000
135,302 in 2010*
181,510 in 2020*
188,407 in 2030*
*Estimated
Source: Southern California Association of Governments
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
A proposal for a Metrolink station in Highgrove remains alive with an agreement by a regional planning agency to study the merits of building a commuter rail station in the unincorporated Riverside County community.
The San Bernardino Associated Governments commuter rail committee recommended Thursday that the county transportation planning agency take a wait-and-see approach while the Southern California Association of Governments conducts a feasibility study.
The six-county regional planning agency, SCAG, has agreed to undertake the study at the request of Grand Terrace Councilwoman Lee Ann Garcia, a member of both the SANBAG committee and the SCAG board of directors.
In January, the Riverside County Transportation Commission decided that it would not take part in building a $15 million station just south of the Riverside/San Bernardino county line.
SANBAG staff had advised the committee also to decline to take part. But if the committee's recommendation is adopted by the full board at its April 4 meeting, the agency will hold off on a final decision, said Tony Grasso, SANBAG executive director.
Highgrove, Riverside and Grand Terrace residents have pushed for the station, saying it would relieve congestion along Intestate 215 between the Riverside and San Bernardino stations.
Garcia said the study, expected to take six to 12 months, will allow the agencies to evaluate the project by looking at ridership projections and development in the area.
Both agencies have been skeptical of the project, saying they did not believe the station would generate enough riders. But Garcia said building it is about planning for the future.
"The development that's going to happen within five years is just tremendous," she said.
Without participation from Riverside County and a funding source, the project faces significant hurdles, Grasso said.
Garcia said she hopes the study results will encourage the Riverside County Transportation Commission to reconsider the station.
Reach Imran Ghori at 909-806-3061 or ighori@PE.com
Road-widening plan receives opposition
TRAFFIC JAMS: Pigeon Pass and Reche Canyon between Moreno Valley and Colton are targeted.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By PHIL PITCHFORD
The Press-Enterprise
Widening Pigeon Pass and Reche Canyon roads between Moreno Valley and Colton-Grand Terrace could help drivers avoid stifling congestion on Highway 60 through Riverside and along Interstate 215 just north of the 60/91/215 interchange.
But an effort under way in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties to study such a project already has drawn opposition from residents who say they moved to the area to get away from roads like those being proposed.
"Everybody says we need it, but nobody I know wants it," said Rick Mordoff, who has lived near Pigeon Pass Road north of Moreno Valley since 1989.
The road has been closed just north of his house for about two years as a result of work on a 1,500-home development and for the relocation of electricity transmission lines. When it was open, about 400 cars poured through the rural area during the morning and evening commutes, he said.
The road is one narrow lane in each direction, with no shoulder, and drop-offs that threaten to send cars tumbling down the side after the mattresses and appliances that already are there. The road is a mixture of pavement and dirt, and frequent switchbacks make driving it an adventure.
"This is not really a viable thoroughfare," Mordoff said. "But people get really desperate to find a shortcut."
A bit farther east, Reche Canyon Road is a favorite of drivers trying to get from the Colton-San Bernardino-Loma Linda areas into Moreno Valley. But it also lacks some of the safety improvements that would be standard on such a busy route built from scratch.
An agreement circulating among the cities that straddle the county line calls for cooperation in developing one or both corridors. Each agency would be responsible for building its chunk of the road, but the agreement calls for a consistent four-lane road with a landscaped median.
Even cities that approved the agreement, however, have concerns about the proposed project. Grand Terrace, for example, OK'd the deal mainly to have a voice in the process, City Manager Tom Schwab said.
Such an idea has been brought up before and shot down, Schwab said.
But, he said, traffic is so bad on Interstate 215 that residents are willing to consider all options.
Reach Phil Pitchford at 951-368-9475 or ppitchford@PE.com or visit his blog at beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/commuting/
Traffic planning changes direction
INLAND: A new focus is on unclogging north-south freeways and widening paths between counties.
10:00 PM PDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
By PHIL PITCHFORD
The Press-Enterprise
Interstate 215 between Riverside and San Bernardino, once a cakewalk compared with the perpetually congested Highway 91, is now anything but. Much like on Interstate 15 between Corona and Ontario, traffic moving north and south begins slowing to a crawl in the late afternoon and remains maddening for hours.
"Fifteen years ago, unless there was an accident, there was no such thing as traffic coming to a stop on the 215, either north or south," Grand Terrace City Manager Tom Schwab said. "Now, it happens every day."
Transportation agencies in the Inland area are taking notice. After years of focusing on helping commuters drive east-west to employment centers outside Riverside and San Bernardino counties, planners are looking for more north-south traffic solutions within the Inland area.
The most recent effort involves developing ways for drivers to get from Moreno Valley to San Bernardino County without ever getting on Interstate 215. A recent round of state transportation funding also included money for north-south projects on Interstate 215 through Murrieta and through downtown San Bernardino.
One Riverside County supervisor, Bob Buster, is calling for a change in transportation priorities to reflect the needs of Inland-only commuting. He said too much attention has been given to getting San Bernardino County residents to Los Angeles County and Riverside County residents to Orange County.
"There hasn't been much, if any coordination between Riverside and San Bernardino counties," Buster said. "We need to come home here to the Inland Empire and invest here first. We need to shift gears."
Picture:
Many of the area's north-south routes are becoming increasingly congested as a result of job growth in Corona, Ontario, Chino and Rancho Cucamonga. Those areas are generating more jobs than residents can fill, a phenomenon that did not exist anywhere in the Inland area a decade ago, said John Husing, an economist who studies the region.
As a result, those areas have become commuting destinations within Riverside and San Bernardino counties, much like Orange County was for the entire Inland region in decades past, Husing said.
"That internal commute (within the Inland area) over time is going to get more and more important, and that external commute is going to be less and less important," Husing said. "That is already starting to happen."
The question is whether the transportation agencies in the two Inland counties can work closely enough to clear potential traffic snarls before they reach a crisis point, Buster said.
"We should understand San Bernardino's perspectives, and they should understand ours, intimately," Buster said. "Without that, all the rest of what we hope for here is going to be seriously hamstrung."
In recent history, however, Riverside County has appeared more aligned with Orange County than San Bernardino County. The Riverside-Orange counties collaboration has been driven largely by worsening congestion on Highway 91, the main artery between them.
Elected representatives from the two counties meet several times a year to hash out potential solutions on Highway 91. Transportation agencies in the two counties lobby together, plan together and spend money together.
For example, during a recent meeting in Irvine in which the state doled out $4.5 billion in congestion-relief funds, Riverside and Orange counties worked to funnel money to Highway 91 on both sides of the county line. When the ploy worked, it was hugs and handshakes all around.
San Bernardino County officials worked mainly among themselves in an effort to bring home more money for Interstate 10. When their effort failed, they filed out of the room in silence while officials from Riverside and Orange counties celebrated.
The heads of the transportation agencies in Riverside and San Bernardino counties said that, despite recent events, they always have worked together on behalf of commuters who stay in the area. For example, they are trying to improve access between Moreno Valley and the Colton-Grand Terrace area.
Eric Haley, executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, said his organization has worked closely with Orange County for about four years, since the two groups worked together to help Orange County buy the 91 Express Lanes from a private company.
But Riverside County's most important ally is San Bernardino County "today, tomorrow and 25 years from now," Haley said.
That cooperation is needed more now than ever, said Tony Grasso, executive director of San Bernardino Associated Governments. One project -- widening Interstate 215 between the 60/91/215 interchange and Interstate 10 -- would benefit from the kind of relationship that Riverside County has with Orange County.
"I don't think they (Riverside County officials) are looking for a different dance partner," Grasso said. "It's just that, right now, that (Highway 91 improvements) is the song that is playing. Hopefully they will dance with us when we get everything lined up on the 215."
Inland county Traffic
The number of vehicles moving within and between Riverside
From San Bernardino
County to Riverside
County
32,804 in 1990
52,016 in 2000
97,961 in 2010*
99,231 in 2020*
113,752 in 2030*
Within San Bernardino County
309,195 in 1990
456,568 in 2000
714,950 in 2010*
833,619 in 2020*
969,348 in 2030*
Within Riverside County
223,658 in 1990
417,137 in 2000
756,473 in 2010*
968,588 in 2020*
1,124,331 in 2030*
From Riverside County to San Bernardino County
39,565 in 1990
60,412 in 2000
135,302 in 2010*
181,510 in 2020*
188,407 in 2030*
*Estimated
Source: Southern California Association of Governments
