Local News in Brief : Aerospace Transit Group

The Rolling Hills Estates City Council has said it will join a group of South Bay cities that plan to provide commuter transportation service to the El Segundo aerospace complex near Los Angeles International Airport beginning Jan. 2.

The council, which is being asked to commit $15,000 a year for three years to the project, is expected to act on a formal agreement in two weeks.

Spearheaded by Rancho Palos Verdes, the project--called Commuter Transportation Implementation Plan (CTIP)--also includes El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lawndale and Torrance. Other cities have been asked to join.

As proposed, 18 vehicles holding 24 passengers each would carry riders to the El Segundo complex during morning and afternoon peak hours along three routes linking El Segundo with the Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro and the beach cities.

San Pedro-area Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores supports the plan, but Los Angeles has not yet joined. The plan is under consideration by Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Lomita. Costs, expected to be $600,467 during the first year, would be covered equally by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and participating cities through their Proposition A county transportation funds.

Fares, not yet determined, would range from $1 to $1.50 per trip, and there would be service every 20 minutes. About 1,000 daily boardings are anticipated, with service routes that would include Catalina and Manhattan avenues, Hawthorne Boulevard, Anza Avenue, Inglewood Avenue, Western Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard.