Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Phase 2B First/Last Mile Plan

Client: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)

The Arroyo Group is leading a team to prepare a First/Last Mile Plan for five new Metro Gold Line station areas located in five cities in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. The Plan seeks to improve access to the Gold Line stations for pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders and others by capitalizing on the unique character and built environment of each city. Many of the cities have historic downtown districts nearby which offer great potentials for linkages and the creation of intricate pedestrian networks linking stations to destinations through off-street pathways, alley walkways and paseos, mid-block crossings, etc. On the other hand, major destinations such as the L.A. County Fairplex, Bonelli Park and Raging Waters theme park, while not far from the stations, are located in relatively inaccessible areas for those not using a personal vehicle, creating interesting challenges.

The plan involves substantial and frequent multi-jurisdictional coordination involving Metro and the five cities. Through a creative dialogue process involving design sessions, tours to other locations, community walk audits, booths at community events, and special outreach to historically underrepresented populations, The Arroyo Group is facilitating the development of active transportation improvements that are effective in increasing active transportation and ridership, equitable in serving those with the greatest need, endorsed by the community and various stakeholders involved, and easily implementable before the 2026 opening of the line.

Key emphases of the plan’s direction involve the creation of safe bicycle pathways to stations, safe pedestrian crossings of arterial roadways and railways, linkage to downtowns, the creation of new pedestrian networks through new transit-oriented development, and the integration of a variety of modes of shared mobility and likely future developments in transportation technology.