The L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority met with Redondo residents on Monday to gauge their preference for light rail, train service on freight lines or improved bus service in the area.

Light rail was the most popular option at the community meeting. But locals expressed concern about the noise, safety and crime that it might bring to residential areas.

The goal of the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension Project, still in the early stage of planning, is to serve commuters, tourists, or anyone else traveling between the Los Angeles International Airport and the South Bay.

"We're trying to improve mobility and connection in the South Bay," Metro Project Manager Randy Lamm said at the North Redondo Senior Center. "We're also seeking to provide alternatives to the 405 freeway." 

The first option would be to improve the existing bus system by improving the roads, adding synchronized signals, minor widening of roads, and other enhancements that would improve bus speeds. Under the freight train alternative, self-propelled trains would run on fuels. The light rail system would run on electricity from overhead wires.

Lamm said Metro is seriously considering eliminating the freight train alternative because research indicates that benefits of the system would not outweigh the costs to build and run a freight train system. 

Residents at the community meeting, one of a series in the South Bay, wondered why the light rail system couldn't run down a more commercial area of the South Bay. Councilman Pat Aust, who attended the meeting as a spectator, attempted to explain why the train wouldn't be able to run through Hawthorne Boulevard.

"Hawthorne Boulevard is one of the most busiest streets in our city, and it's one of the widest," said Aust. "So it's understandable why building an overhead light rail system running through it would be very cost prohibitive."

The Green Line extension project is partially funded by Measure R, a half-cent sales tax passed by Los Angeles County voters in November 2008. Measure R would provide approximately $272 million in funding. A light rail system extending all the way to Torrance would cost approximately $500 million. With the $272 million provided by Measure R, it would only run to the proposed South Bay Galleria station.

Construction would also not start until the year 2028 with it being finished in 2033 to 2035. However, with the Metro's 30/10 initiative, the project could start by 2014 and would be finished by 2018 by borrowing funds from the federal government.

Lamm said that a final analysis would be available in late 2011.