On the Other Hand, You Might Be Unstuck in December

Our previous post noted the likelihood of being stuck in traffic around UCLA this afternoon.  From a longer-term perspective, at least for those in the San Fernando Valley, there may be some traffic relief in December.  A new rapid bus service to campus from the Valley running on the new carpool lane of the 405 is to be started in mid-December:

Transit officials continue to quietly connect the dots on the San Fernando Valley’s transportation grid and soon will add non-stop rush hour service between Van Nuys Orange Line stations and Westwood while making alterations to two other routes. The new rapid line, called 788, will feature 12 rapid buses in the morning and 13 during the evening, say officials at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Word of the change came late last month via a post on the blog of Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, an MTA board member. “Taking advantage of those brand-new 405 carpool lanes, Metro later this year will launch an express bus through the Sepulveda Pass, offering transit riders on both sides of the hill a speedier way through one of L.A.’s gnarliest commuting challenges,” he said in the blog. Yaroslosky could not be reached for further comment. The blog also quotes Jon Hillmer, Metro’s executive officer in charge of bus service planning and scheduling, as saying the new line will be a time-saver. “We’re being very conservative, but from end to end we are looking at 20-minute time savings in each direction,” Hiller told the supervisor...

Full story at http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20141005/mta-to-open-new-non-stop-line-from-van-nuys-to-westwood