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| Angeles Chapter Transportation Committee Chair Darrell Clarke (Photo courtesy of Darrell Clarke) |
Darrell Clarke would never call himself Mr. Expo Line.
But we would, particularly on May 20 when the Expo Line extension opens to Santa Monica, creating a light rail line from downtown Los Angeles to the beach in the route of an old railway bed.
"I can take credit for coining the ‘Expo Line’ name," the Angeles Chapter's Transportation Committee chair said in a 2012 interview. "Originally I called it ‘Expo Rail’ and then later the Expo Line. It’s funny how some things stick."
Clarke, also a former Chapter chair and tireless public transit advocate, worked for decades with the Club and Friends 4 Expo Transit to do just that -- make light rail "stick."
The Expo Line extension opens May 20 with free fares for riders on May 20 and 21. Sierra Club is leading a special Wilshire Walk on May 22 for those who want to complete the historic walk and ride back to downtown on the Expo Line.
His work underscores the power of persistence and the power of believing in the idea -- a very unpopular one for some -- that you could somehow make public transit work in L.A. and get Angelenos out of their cars.
In an interview with Joel Epstein called "How the Expo Line Got to Santa Monica" that appears on the Huffington Post, Clarke explains the journey -- and why he never quit.
What is it like to tussle with the same people for so many years?
I have thought a lot about this. About fighting the opponents of Expo, I like to quote a friend, “Don’t tell me what you’re against; tell me what you’re FOR!”
Your enthusiasm for light rail on Exposition appears to have brought a lot of people into the ranks that would otherwise never have thought about supporting the project.
So much of this has been about a compelling vision that people shared. It’s about working for something badly needed in a positive way; stating the facts and correcting misinformation. To generalize, when you look at the larger political world you see a lot of people saying stuff that is just false. I’ve always tried to be accurate, factual and positive.
What has the project meant for you personally?
Working for Expo has taken me in the direction of co-lead for the Sierra Club’s national Beyond Oil campaign. It has helped me move from being a single-issue transit advocate to taking on a broader role and project.
Second, I think our bringing together this grassroots support for transit has inspired others to start their own efforts . . .
Read the whole interview at "How the Expo Line Got to Santa Monica."