Los Angeles 2028

[sebastien1214]

And wait, imagine Istanbul 2036.

(and to think that every time I take a plane, I stopover in Istanbul... fortunately I'm not too unlucky at the moment)

[mr.bernham]

I felt the earthquake a little at home, but not much. 

America is so excited the games are coming home that we're literally shaking. 

On 8/11/2024 at 9:01 AM, sebastien1214 said:

https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/pour-ses-jo-de-2028-los-angeles-vise-des-jeux-sans-voitures-20240810

Well, good luck. If the Los Angeles games allow for a significant development of public transport, it would be a great legacy for the city. But with only 4 years to go until the Games, I have the feeling that it's going to be complicated. More complicated than cleaning the Seine?

LA's metro has been working on metro improvements since we were awarded the games back in 2017, so a lot of projects are well along by now and should be ready for the games (though sadly not all of them). 

I think it's important to keep in mind that by 2028, LA will have had more time to prepare for the games than any city in the movement's history. 

[sebastien1214]

1 minute ago, mr.bernham said:

I felt the earthquake a little at home, but not much. 

America is so excited the games are coming home that we're literally shaking. 

LA's metro has been working on metro improvements since we were awarded the games back in 2017, so a lot of projects are well along by now and should be ready for the games (though sadly not all of them). 

I think it's important to keep in mind that by 2028, LA will have had more time to prepare for the games than any city in the movement's history. 

Good. That said, given the size of Los Angeles, I hope you have a solid plan to complement the metro to address the "last mile" issue. This issue was not an issue for Paris given the exceptional density of metro stations (or in fact, you just had to walk 500m and that was it), but I imagine that in LA it will be more complicated.

That said, you don't have the record for the city that had the most time in history to prepare: Brisbane beats you (by 3 months)! On the other hand, surprisingly, we don't get the impression that these last few years have been useful for them.

[Bear]

lol the plane with the Oly flag was briefly put in a holding pattern (because of the earthquake I assume) according to Flight radar 24th - most LA welcome ever

[Bear]

Just now, Bear said:

Flight radar 24th

...that's supposed to be Flightradar24

[mr.bernham]

1 minute ago, sebastien1214 said:

Good. That said, given the size of Los Angeles, I hope you have a solid plan to complement the metro to address the "last mile" issue. This issue was not an issue for Paris given the exceptional density of metro stations (or in fact, you just had to walk 500m and that was it), but I imagine that in LA it will be more complicated.

That said, you don't have the record for the city that had the most time in history to prepare: Brisbane beats you (by 3 months)! On the other hand, surprisingly, we don't get the impression that these last few years have been useful for them.

Fair points all around. Definitely agree the "last mile" issue will be a complicating factor for us. I highly recommend this YT channel for LA Metro/Infrastructure updates: https://www.youtube.com/@nandert. He's super solid and uploads regularly, he's also very critical of Metro when it's necessary (which I appreciate). 

Here's a map of what the LA Metro system will look like come January 2030, so most of this will be finished by Games time:

 

As an aside, I'm excited to finally live in a host city and be able to provide my insights. Only hope I can match the quality of your's during Paris' spectacular games. 

[sebastien1214]

3 minutes ago, mr.bernham said:

Fair points all around. Definitely agree the "last mile" issue will be a complicating factor for us. I highly recommend this YT channel for LA Metro/Infrastructure updates: https://www.youtube.com/@nandert. He's super solid and uploads regularly, he's also very critical of Metro when it's necessary (which I appreciate). 

Here's a map of what the LA Metro system will look like come January 2030, so most of this will be finished by Games time:

 

As an aside, I'm excited to finally live in a host city and be able to provide my insights. Only hope I can match the quality of your's during Paris' spectacular games. 

Well, it looks like a rather interesting skeleton on which we can weave little branches that would come from this skeleton (bus lines, in other words)

I looked at the Wikipedia page, I have the impression that some of these lines have a little less capacity than the European metros. A sort of intermediary between a tram and a metro. And it talks about a frequency of 8 minutes at rush hour, which is really light I think. In any case, in Paris, we were more on an average of 5 minutes of frequency. We also have to see if Los Angeles, in addition to having a better developed network, will also be able to have enough trains and drivers. Because even if the inhabitants of Los Angeles are used to the car, many of the tourists who will come are more used to taking public transport.

[mr.bernham]

Biggest chokepoint I'm concerned with right now is Dodgers Stadium. 

I think LA can manage it (we did just fine in 1984 and that was pre-metro and pre-telework), organizers, the city, and Metro officials just need to be honest with how preparations are going. Frankly, that may prove our downfall. Cali politicians are some of the least honest and most political people imaginable, like Alistair Campbell on steroids. They spin more than the athletes who do Breaking. 

[Bear]

For my LA friends, NBC4 is now showing live coverage of the Olympic flag's arrival

[Bear]

Welcome back to LA, Olympic flag 🥲

[baron-pierreIV]

3 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

in addition to having a better developed network, will also be able to have enough trains and drivers. Because even if the inhabitants of Los Angeles are used to the car, many of the tourists who will come are more used to taking public transport.

They will.  FGS, this will actually be the 8th Olympic Games in the USA -- in 2028 -- 4 Winters and the 4th Summer Games.  Don't you think there will be a collective memory of how it was done before?  It's NOT like it's the first drive around the block, ya know?    Not only will United 2026 serve some up-to-date lessons in terms of crowd control and capacities --but many of the newer sports in newer venues will have their test events in 2027.  I don't know how many staffers LA28 sent to Paris as observers, but I wouldn't be surprised if they sent at least 75 personnel.  

With an 11-year lead time -- and 2 OGs behind it, LA28 will be the most prepared Olympic Games in our lifetimes! 

[sebastien1214]

Well, in the past, Atlanta 1996 had a lot of problems with public transport. And this year's Copa America showed quite a few organisational flaws; even if it had nothing to do with transport, but it shows that even countries that are used to having big events can have failures. (This is also what happened in our country with the 2022 Champions League final). And in itself, it was not me who announced an ambitious plan for 100% accessible Games by public transport, it was the mayor of LA. And everyone knows that these are objectives that are a little more complicated to achieve in American cities than in European cities. (That said, Germany also had some failures in this area with Euro 2024). I'm not saying at all that it will be chaotic, I'm just saying that there is clearly a lot of work to be done for that. That's not to say LA won't succeed. (And with 11 years of preparation, LA really has no excuse for a major failure. Same goes for Brisbane, but I have a feeling one of those two cities will fare much better when the time comes...)

[FYI]

6 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

Well, in the past, Atlanta 1996 had a lot of problems with public transport. And this year's Copa America showed quite a few organisational flaws; even if it had nothing to do with transport, but it shows that even countries that are used to having big events can have failures. 

Atlanta (which bit off more than it chew) & Miami are not L.A. though. Plus, the mess of the Copa America this year was much more the fault of CONCACAF than it was the City of Miami itself. There's already been lawsuits filed against that organization. 

9 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

(And with 11 years of preparation, LA really has no excuse for a major failure. Same goes for Brisbane, but I have a feeling one of those two cities will fare much better when the time comes...)

Yes, & I can bet which one of the two will definitely have much more difficulty, & it's the one that seems more like Atlanta than it does L.A. (which has already done this twice before).

[baron-pierreIV]

18 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

Well, in the past, Atlanta 1996 had a lot of problems with public transport. And this year's Copa America showed quite a few organisational flaws; even if it had nothing to do with transport, but it shows that even countries that are used to having big events can have failures. (This is also what happened in our country with the 2022 Champions League final). And in itself, it was not me who announced an ambitious plan for 100% accessible Games by public transport, it was the mayor of LA. And everyone knows that these are objectives that are a little more complicated to achieve in American cities than in European cities. (That said, Germany also had some failures in this area with Euro 2024). I'm not saying at all that it will be chaotic, I'm just saying that there is clearly a lot of work to be done for that. That's not to say LA won't succeed. (And with 11 years of preparation, LA really has no excuse for a major failure. Same goes for Brisbane, but I have a feeling one of those two cities will fare much better when the time comes...)

And certain people will always find . . . oh that light pole is NOT in the right place!   

Believe me -- I can sniff those muddah-phuckers out!! 

[ejaycat]

22 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

Well, in the past, Atlanta 1996 had a lot of problems with public transport. And this year's Copa America showed quite a few organisational flaws; even if it had nothing to do with transport, but it shows that even countries that are used to having big events can have failures. (This is also what happened in our country with the 2022 Champions League final). And in itself, it was not me who announced an ambitious plan for 100% accessible Games by public transport, it was the mayor of LA. And everyone knows that these are objectives that are a little more complicated to achieve in American cities than in European cities. (That said, Germany also had some failures in this area with Euro 2024). I'm not saying at all that it will be chaotic, I'm just saying that there is clearly a lot of work to be done for that. That's not to say LA won't succeed. (And with 11 years of preparation, LA really has no excuse for a major failure. Same goes for Brisbane, but I have a feeling one of those two cities will fare much better when the time comes...)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Atlanta's transportation problems were with the athletes' transportation, with bus drivers not getting the athletes to their competitions on time (some drivers even getting lost!), and not the public transportation for everyone else in the city... and it happened within the first 4 days of competition or something.  

Edited August 13 by ejaycat

[baron-pierreIV]

5 minutes ago, ejaycat said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Atlanta's transportation problems were with the athletes' transportation, with bus drivers not getting the athletes to their competitions on time (some drivers even getting lost!), and not the public transportation for everyone else in the city... and it happened within the first 4 days of competition or something.  

You're correct.  A few athletes' buses and some press.  But even the small MARTA network helped with moving visitors very efficiently.  Unfortunately, and I only know it too well -- Atlanta was run by corporate people (AT&T executives in personnel, etc.) who were using corporate practices in hiring instead of people's passions to be part of the Games and serve in a capacity they really loved.  That was my main beef with the ACOG yokels!! 

[Sir Rols]

16 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

You're correct.  A few athletes' buses and some press.  But even the small MARTA network helped with moving visitors very efficiently.  Unfortunately, and I only know it too well -- Atlanta was run by corporate people (AT&T executives in personnel, etc.) who were using corporate practices in hiring instead of people's passions to be part of the Games and serve in a capacity they really loved.  That was my main beef with the ACOG yokels!! 

I remember sitting in my hotel watching CNN footage breathlessly covering a carriage full of passengers stuck on a MARTA track,, but that was the usual Games hunting for and jumping on any perceived stumble.

I have no real concerns about LA’s transport plans. Like Paris’ security and crowd management, it’s something they’re going to focus on strongly to make work. Any “flaws” will come from some aspect that nobody ever thinks to question till it happens. Like Paris’ providing too much vegetarians food.

Edited August 13 by Sir Rols

[baron-pierreIV]

/\/\  And the general populace of LA, Atlanta, Salt Lake City -- all understood their roles --for the most part-- and did their parts in ensuring an efficiently run- set of Games as possible.  (I hope the troubles at Gaza and elsewhere will have abated by 2026 and 2028.) 

[mr.bernham]

100% to all of this. Los Angeles still has volunteers AND organizers left around from 1984 and plenty of people still kicking after Atlanta. 

Not to mention, Los Angeles' infrastructure and public transit is:

1. More extensive than it was in 1984.
2. More extensive than Atlanta's is now (let alone in 1996). 

As Baron alluded to, ACOG hired a bunch of bus drivers who had no familiarity with Atlanta at all and they did a very poor job of training. Even then, the issues were resolved within the first four days. I don't foresee Los Angeles having this issue. 

I think a lot of folks like to portray traffic and transportation as a huge hurdle for American cities to overcome because we have a lot of highways, but transit wasn't an issue for LA in '84 or an issue for SLC in 2002. Likely won't be an issue in 2028. 

[FYI]

The only concern I have with LA28, for now, is it becoming another Atlanta 2.0 as far as the crass over-commercialism that we saw in 1996. Especially in corporate America where it's even worse now, where literally a ****!ng ad is being shoved down your throat every minute of every fricken day.

Unlike in other countries, the USOC & OCOG don't count on Federal money. They have to mainly rely on the private sector to get most of their funds. So that means ads, ads, & more ADS at a U.S. Games. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't like that this next time around.

[ejaycat]

15 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

I remember sitting in my hotel watching CNN footage breathlessly covering a carriage full of passengers stuck on a MARTA track,, but that was the usual Games hunting for and jumping on any perceived stumble.

I have no real concerns about LA’s transport plans. Like Paris’ security and crowd management, it’s something they’re going to focus on strongly to make work. Any “flaws” will come from some aspect that nobody ever thinks to question till it happens. Like Paris’ providing too much vegetarians food.

In regards to transportation with Paris, in the first few days after the Games started, some delegations had issues with the athlete transportation.  I read that some South Korean athletes decided to rent a hotel close to the venue because they were afraid they'd be late for their competition (I don't remember the venue or the sport), because the bus they took the previous day took well over an hour or something to get to the venue when it should have gotten there in 20 to thirty minutes or something.  There were also complaints of non-air conditioned buses.  But overall the Paris Games seem to have gone very well.  I figure there'll be some hiccups in the first few days of any kind of citywide/regional event, and then things will become smoothed out.  

[antiperspirant]

20 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

A sort of intermediary between a tram and a metro.

Yes, I think you’re exactly right on this one. And depending on the line (usually the older ones which serve the more busier venues like Staples Center), the station design more closely resembles tram. Given higher than expected ridership during the games, I fully expect overcrowding on the platforms, leading to longer wait times for people to clear the tracks, so I imagine difficulty in increasing frequency as well. Metro really needs to start thinking about crowd control, perhaps like closing adjacent roads and turning them into temporary waiting areas with canopies that people wait at so the platform is clear for arriving passengers.

Don’t even get me started on Sofi and The Forum, which aren’t even close to the nearest Metro and will require shuttle or a good walk. My hope is they close the streets leading to the park, and adorn it with cute decorations and activities to make the walk at least pleasant to pass the time.

[ejaycat]

47 minutes ago, antiperspirant said:

Yes, I think you’re exactly right on this one. And depending on the line (usually the older ones which serve the more busier venues like Staples Center), the station design more closely resembles tram. Given higher than expected ridership during the games, I fully expect overcrowding on the platforms, leading to longer wait times for people to clear the tracks, so I imagine difficulty in increasing frequency as well. Metro really needs to start thinking about crowd control, perhaps like closing adjacent roads and turning them into temporary waiting areas with canopies that people wait at so the platform is clear for arriving passengers.

They do this at the Memorial Park Station in Pasadena on New Year's Day for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game (waiting areas with canopies and crowd control).  And there are signs directing people to shuttles for the Rose Bowl.  They'll probably have a similar setup there during the Olympics.  Gold Line---errrr, A Line trains are usually packed to the gills on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day through/to Pasadena.   

[antiperspirant]

1 hour ago, ejaycat said:

They do this at the Memorial Park Station in Pasadena on New Year's Day for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game (waiting areas with canopies and crowd control).  And there are signs directing people to shuttles for the Rose Bowl.  They'll probably have a similar setup there during the Olympics.  Gold Line---errrr, A Line trains are usually packed to the gills on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day through/to Pasadena.   

Ok epic, glad to hear it! I was thinking about the spotty safety history along the Blue Line—errr A Line(?!?!?!) stations

[Olympics2028]

21 hours ago, FYI said:

The only concern I have with LA28, for now, is it becoming another Atlanta 2.0 as far as the crass over-commercialism that we saw in 1996.

 

The 1996 games had sponsor names on Olympic street banners, which was really cheesy.

Although Atlanta's OCC set a record in terms of attendance and the 2nd tightest budget over the past 50 years (after LA 1984), the judgment of people like head Billy Payne or Don Mischer wasn't as good as it could have been.

Operations are sometimes screwed up not because of a lack of time, money or technical ability, but because things aren't being rated better.

The 2016 games in Rio didn't win gold because of that more than a lack of enough money. However, the culture and economy of Rio affected attendance.

The 2028 games may not have as good attendance numbers as the 2024 games in Paris/Western Europe did because of ongoing competition in LA with a lot of yearly pro and college-level sports. The 2028 games will also draw on a smaller pool of potential spectators than the larger base of East Coast residents the 1996 games were able to tap into.

The 2028 games' top goal should be to keep its budget in the black. As for the games' Olympic village, it had better be more well managed than 2024's was, but attendance figures may be lower and the quality of its ceremonies may be similarly sus.