Wilshire Red Line Would Take Off Fast

As someone who lives and works along Wilshire Boulevard, I applaud the MTA for reviving its subway proposal (Oct. 2). Extending the Red Line down Wilshire Boulevard all the way to the ocean would include such popular destinations as the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Brentwood, the Federal Building and VA Center, Westwood Village and UCLA, the Century City Shopping Center, Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Center, the Grove and Farmers Market, the L.A. County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits (to say nothing of existing stations at Hollywood Boulevard, Universal Studios and Union Station). It would quickly become one of the most heavily used subway lines in the world, popular with tourists and locals alike.

Moreover, if the North Hollywood subway were extended to the Burbank Airport (and Metrolink), Westsiders, for the first time, would have a real alternative to LAX. When people see how much more easily and quickly they can get around town on the subway, they will leave their cars behind.

Greg Mantell

Santa Monica