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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.
The above document was created by city of Boston planners when discussing the effectiveness of different kind of bus lanes. Metro, of course, has several potential bus lane projects in the works — the Wilshire peak lanes and the possibility of bus lanes on several north-south streets in the San Fernando Valley. The Wilshire lanes, by the way, are against the curb.
There’s hope for the planet (New York Times)
Thirteen of the warmest years on record for the planet have occurred since 1998. The “hope” in this opinion piece stems from the fact that many economies have responded with massive investments in clean energy. However, the support of the federal government for clean technologies in the form of tax breaks and subsidies is falling — from $44 billion in 2009 to $16 billion this year and $11 billion in 2014. Hmm. As I’ve said before, one way to combat climate change is take mass transit.
With transit investments, a surge of dividends across America (Welcome to the Fast Lane)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reviews some of the State of Good Repair grants the Federal Transit Administration made last week. The gist of it: a lot of old buses are coming off the road to be replaced by newer, cleaner ones. Metro received $10 million to purchase new 40-foot buses powered by compressed natural gas; the agency no longer has diesel buses in its fleet.
New York MTA to sell ad space on fare cards (New York Times)
Everything but the black magnetic stripe on the cards is fare game in a move to raise revenue for the (always) financially-challenged agency. In this article, an artist muses about some of the firms that might be interested in selling their wares to transit patrons. Check it out — it’s a good for a laugh.
Short distances ARE walkable, and depending on where you live, parking can take more time than the actual trip, and also cost more. Some people may not save initially, it really depends on where you work and live. I can not expect someone from Norwalk to feel the same way as someone in KoreaTown. Another problem I feel metro faces, is the fact that people in municipalities feel they can expect the same amount of service and denser area in L.A. The demand for Metro in Westchester is different than the demand for South Park. It really depends on how you live, where you work, and far you are willing to walk to get to your destinations. Unfortunately, many in L.A. will not walk further than a 1/4 mile to their destination.
Please stop arguing with Frank M, Steve P, etc…
These discussion usually end up in same place all the time, where the same talking points are repeated over and over again. In my opinion the fare debate has become more of a nuisance than something that should have been productive conversation.
Transit Rider,
You mentioned Westchester. Majority of people that live in the Westchester area have jobs in the immediate surrounding area; notably LAX that is about 5-10 mile radius. Employees have parking paid for by their employers so parking costs is not an issue.
With that in mind, is it financially economical for the Westchester resident to pay $900/yr in transit passes when the majority of the commuting transit needs for them are confined within a 5-10 mile radius? Or will Westchester residents just continue to drive or seek alternative methods to get to work other than public transit?
When I pass by LAX early in the morning, there are lot of motorcycles heading toward LAX. That’s a hint that people working near or at LAX aren’t ditching their cars for Metro, and instead, they are moving to motorcycles for commuting.
I can kinda see that Frank M. but I would still not use that as an indicator to more people wanting bikes. That would require much more market research to get accurate numbers, not just observation. Westchester has embraced the Crenshaw line for a reason. 1) It will connect to LAX. 2) It will connect with Downtown Los Angles. @Mospeada by no means am I “arguing”, but discussing issues and learning how others feel on the said issues. I speak from experience (29 years riding metro and never having a license). L.A. Metro is very doable, you just need to know how, where, and when it works best. Would you believe I make it from K-Town to LAX in about an hour, using two buses? Sometimes it can take longer, but mostly, its a short trip given the distance. So if I seem confident in what I say, it is because I know what I am talking about. Otherwise, I do not comment on subjects I do not fully understand.
I disagree Mospaeda.
There are a lot of The Source readers who are beginning to agree with what people like Frank M have been saying.
Before Frank M came along, we thought that no transit system in the world made any money. Turns out that’s not the case as there are profitable ones that can run on their own without any tax money support. And they showed us with valid proof that all these cities have the same thing in common: they run on a different fare structure than most transit agencies in the US.
And as even Steven P said, New York City, the best transit city in America and a metropolis with a dense population and anti-car friendly comparable to those success transit oriented cities around the world, also can’t figure out a way to make themselves free from taxpayer burden.
And it is very true that transit agencies in the US, Metro included, have no answers other than the usual higher taxes, higher fares, or service cuts answers. None of them are good ideas and no one wants to see any of them. If that’s the case, then clearly we need to start looking at better ideas and follow examples of what other cities around the world do instead of resorting to such measures.
It doesn’t take too much to put the two and two together to see what transit agencies like Metro are doing wrong. If there is a way to run mass transit without taxes, that’s a good thing and one less thing that we can burden ourselves with taxes with. If Metro can figure out a way to become 100% profitable on its own without tax support, that creates more room to put tax dollars to something more important like education, affordable health care and helping the homeless.
Just because you cannot give a good rebuttal doesn’t mean you can run away and say “don’t listen to them.” For all it’s worth, what you are doing is no better than Bill O’Reilly or those teabaggers who yell at townhall meetings silencing out their dissidents. Honestly, it’s beginning to look like that when you start saying things like what you just said because you can’t come up with a good and valid rebuttal.
Not all liberals follow the “just tax everything” mindset like you do. A lot of liberals are moderate and they follow what makes the most sense.
I see often in discussions that people favor the “magic bullet” theory of transit (or power generation, or green construction, or ….). There is no single thing that will fit or fix everything. For the locations that I commute from and to at the times that I travel, public transit is not an option nor is electric motorbike. For my work life, I must use vehicle that totes a carbon based fuel, there are -no- alternatives (public transit while I work is not an option). Just as lighting Dodger Stadium is not practical with LED’s (yet), nor are metal halide flashlights practical. Batteries, solar, wind, and other power sources all have their place, both now and in the future.
Rail, buses, powered 2 wheel, private 4 wheel (and more for freight), human propelled 2 wheel, and bipedal transport all have their place. It is not an either/or solution.