Gates to be latched full-time at Union Station subway entrances beginning today; here is the Source’s Q&A about the turnstiles and TAP

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Patrons at the Union Station Red/Purple Line station last week. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Patrons at the Union Station Red/Purple Line station last week. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

On Wednesday, the gates will be latched at all times at the two entrances of the Red/Purple Line subway at Union Station.

Gates at the 15 other Red/Purple Line subway stations will then be latched over the course of the summer. If Metro is satisfied with operations and results on the subway, gates at some Gold, Green and Blue line stations will be latched as early as this fall.

I know there is considerable interest in gate-latching and TAP among Source readers. My sense is that many readers of The Source believe it’s about time the gates are latched while others remain skeptical the program will benefit riders or the agency’s bottom line.

Click to see larger.

Click to see larger.

One thing that’s hard to argue: Metro Rail ridership has greatly increased in recent years and that hasn’t made the current way of checking fares any easier — especially at peak hours when there are a lot of people aboard trains and exiting and entering stations.

The following Q&A is intended to answer questions that many of you have about the program, as well as help new riders navigate the changes. As always, please feel free to comment and ask questions. We’ll do our best to get answers to the most salient questions.

Why does Metro say ‘latched’ instead of ‘locked?’

Locked implies that customers may be locked out, whereas latched implies customers will be able to pass through the gates. In other words, Metro feels like “latched” is a more accurate way of saying it.

What’s the goal of the gate-latching program?

Metro hopes to create a safer customer experience by reducing fare evasion. The agency also estimates that there will be an annual increase in revenue from the subway alone of $6 million to $9 million because more people riding the system will be paying fares. More on fare evasion below.

Can I ride Metro Rail without a TAP card?

No. You must have a TAP card from Metro or a TAP-enabled paper ticket from another agency.

Do I need to TAP the gates when exiting a station?

No.

That could change in the future if Metro adopts time-based ordistance-based fares.

Where do I get a TAP card? 

They can be purchased for $1 at ticket vending machines at Metro Rail stations. TAP cards can be purchased with a day pass when boarding buses for $6 — $5 for the day pass, $1 for the card.

Monthly (30 days), weekly (7 days), day passes and the regional monthly EZ Pass can be stored on TAP cards. You can also put different amounts of cash on the card (stored value) and use that money to purchase single fares or passes. The stored value is a great way for occasional riders to avoid having to deal with ticket machines every day they ride.

TAP cards are also available at 500 stores across Los Angeles County and can be ordered online at taptogo.net.

Is Metro doing anything about the taptogo.net website, which can be difficult to use?

Yes, it is being revamped and a newly designed website is expected to debut later this year. Booyah!

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Metro Research Quick Poll: Do you TAP on the bus? Plus, recent poll results!

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Gate latching is upon us!

Whether you love it or you hate it, we’re curious if gate latching is expanding the reach of TAP cards to bus rides.  Answer this quick poll, and view the results to see how other readers and patrons are using TAP cards on the bus.

For results from our last poll, continue reading.

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@Metrolosangeles Twitter Tuesday, June 18 edition

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Welcome to Twitter Tuesday, our roundup of the latest Metro related tweets. To get our attention, add the #MetroLosAngeles tag to your tweets and subscribe to our feed if you haven’t already. For specific complaints and customer service, please use the Customer Comment Form on metro.net.


One mile of new traffic lane added to the 405 project

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New traffic lane on I-405. Photo credit: Ned Racine

Metro, Caltrans and Kiewit have opened another one-mile section of new freeway lane on the I-405 between Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard, making good on a promise to continue opening parts of the freeway improvements project as soon as they’re ready for public use.

Just before the Memorial Day weekend, the project opened a 1.7-mile section of additional lane between the I-10 and Santa Monica Boulevard to help ease traffic flows for drivers navigating through the I-10/I-405 interchange. See this earlier Source post for details.

This latest lane opening now officially extends nearly three (3) miles – one-third of the overall 10-mile freeway widening project. The No. 1 lane closest to the freeway median will continue to operate as a general purpose lane until the contractor can later convert it to an HOV lane.

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How do they do that? Measure sound levels in stations

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How do they do that? is a series for The Source that explores the technology that helps keep Metro running and passengers and other commuters moving. Some of it applies directly to the trains, buses and freeways and some of it runs in the background — invisible to nearly everyone but essential to mobility in our region.

Sound monitoring microphone.

Sound monitoring microphone.

Buses, trains, cars and construction all make noise. That’s why Metro monitors sound levels at Metro properties and projects.

How do they do that?

Sound level measurements are taken throughout the Metro system … but not everywhere. The measuring can be part of routine maintenance. It can be in preparation for a construction project. Or it can be the result of a question or complaint from a patron or someone who lives or works near a Metro project or facility. Whatever the reason, the analysis is done pretty much the same way.

Typically an acoustical engineer measures noise levels with a microphone connected to a sound level meter or other sound recording device that collects the sounds for later analysis.

Sound level meter.

Sound level meter.

Noise levels measured at a moderately busy downtown bus stop generally are about 70 decibels. The highest noise levels collected at Metro stations are found at trains running down of the middle of a freeway. Those could be 85 to 90 decibels — by far the noisiest places in the system because of the surrounding vehicle traffic but still safe for human ears in part because the sound exposure doesn’t last long.

By comparison, the humming of a refrigerator is 45 decibels; normal conversation is approximately 60 decibels. Noise-induced hearing loss can result from short bursts of sound from firecrackers or small firearms emitting sounds of 120 to 150 decibels. But sounds of less than 75 decibels, even after long exposure, are unlikely to cause hearing loss, according to the National Institutes of Health. Since bus and train noise is brief and noise level takes into consideration duration as well as intensity, stops and stations are well below what would be considered harmful to the human ear. And that, of course, is what’s important. 

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Transportation headlines, Tuesday, June 18

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Transportation Headlines online newspaper, which you can also access via email subscription (visit the newspaper site) or RSS feed.

Regional Connector construction concerns (Downtown News) 

The editorial loves the project but has concerns about Metro’s request for construction permits that could potentially allow the agency to work around-the-clock. Metro, in turn, has said that it is seeking flexibility to help keep the project on schedule and on budget. My three cents: one reason the Connector project is so expensive ($1.36 billion) and work intensive is because Metro listened to downtown residents and workers and is building the project underground instead of mostly at street level.

Mayor Villaraigosa unveils new downtown L.A. park (L.A. Times) 

Goodbye parking lot, hello new 2/3-acre park along Spring Street. And more excellent news: the city of L.A. has purchased the plot of land along 1st Street between Spring and Broadway. It used to house a state office building, but has been empty and an eyesore since 1976. The mayor said it will become a park which makes sense given it’s adjacent to Grand Park. If the federal courthouse ever gets built and Related ever builds its Grand Avenue project, the Civic Center part of downtown may actually look like a…downtown. The Red/Purple Line already serves the area and the Regional Connector will have stations at both 2nd/Broadway and 2nd/Hope.

Can a Fairfax area trolley solve wall-to-wall congestion from the Grove? (CityWatch) 

The article suggests that it would be better to improve the pedestrian experience in the areas around the Grove so more people could walk there — perhaps from the future subway.

A train that flies (Global Rail News)

If they could clip a couple of Amtrak cars to a Southwest plane, I’d give it a try. It would solve my travel woes: I won’t take long-distance trains in the U.S. — pack mules are usually faster — and I don’t like to fly, because I don’t like waiting in lines and the concept of carry-on luggage makes my see red.

Summer CicLAvia takes place this Sunday, June 23

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Walk, bike or skate down six miles of Iconic Wilshire Boulevard this Sunday with CicLAvia! There are 5 Metro Purple Line stations along this summer’s route – 7th/Metro, Westlake/MacArthur Park, Wilshire/Vermont, Wilshire/Normandie and Wilshire Western – so whether you’re heading out or heading home, Metro can help you get there.

Also, if you’re going to CicLAvia, you’ll get the chance to view 2 of the locations where new stations will be built for the Purple Line Extenison – La Brea and Fairfax. Metro will have a mock-rail car at the Fairfax hub with info on the project and more, drop by to say hi!

Iconic Wilshire Boulevard will be car-free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Purple Line connects at 7th/Metro with the Red, Blue and Expo Line. Bicyclists who want to get to CicLAvia by Metro should review Metro’s bike rules. For those of you riding bikes from Union Station to Wilshire, here’s a downtown Los Angeles bike map. The gist of it: there are north-south bike lanes on Spring Street and then you can pick your way west toward Wilshire on 5th (one way going west), 7th (traffic in both directions) or 8th (one way west). Be safe!

Bus lines detouring for the event include: 20, 60, 206, 210, 460, 487, 720 and Metro Silver Line. Detours will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or when barricades are present. For more details, please check the Service Advisories page.

The Iconic Wilshire Boulevard route will connect One Wilshire in downtown Los Angeles to Fairfax Avenue along Miracle Mile. These two anchor hubs will feature pedestrian zones with performers, activities, food trucks and more. Additional hubs along the route include MacArthur Park, Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire. Have your TAP card handy and save 15% on CicLAvia T-shirts at the hubs along the route.