Author Archives: Kim Upton

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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Nextrip for Metro Rail now available; please let us know what you think

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Nextrip on an iPhone. Click above to visit Nextrip’s desktop version for Metro Rail.

The Nextrip program that currently provides real-time arrival information for bus service has been expanded to include real-time arrivals for Metro Rail.

There are multiple ways to access the Nextrip real-time train arrival information. It can be viewed on the web, via smart phone browser, by texting a Metro bus stop ID number to 41411 and via telephone by dialing 511 and saying, “Nextrip.” (A Nextrip Rail app is in development.) And coming up soon, electronic signs on the train platforms will show real-time arrival information rather than the scheduled arrival times displayed now.

While the program continues to roll out, riders should give themselves extra time to ensure they don’t miss the train. The service is brand new and still being tweaked. As always, let us know what you think. Is it working for you?

If using a smart phone to access real-time rail info, remember to enable Nextrip to use your current location if it asks. The Nextrip mobile site also allows you how to look up arrival times at all rail stations: on a smartphone, click on “menu,” then “select specific stop” and then select “Los Angeles Rail” from the next list. At that point, select the Metro Rail line and then select a station.

Good food, Grand Park

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Photos by Kim Upton/Metro

Photos by Kim Upton/Metro

The great thing about the Grand Park Downtown Farmer’s Market is that the food is better than it needs to be. And it’s such a pleasant surprise to find smack in the middle of the downtown L.A., surrounded by the courts, the LA Times and beautiful City Hall.

Take the Metro Red or Purple Line to Civic Center Plaza (Temple Street exit) and walk down the hill. On Tuesdays the market is open between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It’s small, not fancy. There’s no one with a parrot on his head, like you might find at other markets. Most people are in suits. But it’s a nice place for lunch, a snack or a bag of cookies. Sweet Gourmet Nuts is there, selling delicious cinnamon-and-sugar pecans, walnuts and cashews. Delicious Starry Kitchen is there selling lemon grass tofu with garlic noodles, plus a meat entre or two. PopGram is there with upscale kettlecorn. And there’s a ton of fresh organic produce that is particularly wonderful this time of year.

What’s your favorite farmer’s market near Metro? Write us at sourcemetro@gmail.com. Put RIDE & DINE in the subject field so we don’t miss it and we’ll post on The Source or our Ride & Dine map. Or fill out an easy form.

Metro speaks … to your organization

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Fed up with traffic? Worried about smog and climate change? Wondering what you can do to help? Metro Speaks is an colaborative of Metro employees who are available to provide free presentations throughout Los Angeles County on a variety of transportation topics:

  • New ridesharing options such as carpools and vanpools
  • Rail and bus service
  • The latest advances in transit technology
  • How transit-oriented development is changing the face of Los Angeles
  • How smart roads save commuters time and money
  • Transportation and the local economy

Send requests to metrospeaks@metro.net

Downtown buses detouring for one more president today

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Run for the Valley … or be patient, make alternate travel plans and/or join the celebration. In addition to a Westside snarled by President Obama’s mid-day visit today, downtown L.A. will be a traffic mess this afternoon and evening when former President Bill Clinton and other celebs drop by Grand Park to attend Celebrate LA — last party in a series of heritage celebrations and also a farewell bash for outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa. (Anna Chen’s Go Metro Weekends has details.) The point here is that Spring Street, which runs north/south in front of City Hall, is closed. So just assume that any bus you might take through downtown L.A. will be detoured around the Grand Park/City Hall venue. The party runs 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. but the detours will be around until early tomorrow.

New video shows that L.A. River Ride this Sunday looks like fun

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Here’s a video teaser for the LA River Ride this Sunday, June 9, starting at 7 a.m. It could be a great day out. Start and finish are in Griffith Park near the Autry Center. Rides range from 100 miles to a little kids’ ride (no miles). Live music, food etc. But there’s a parking alert. Due to massive construction in Griffith Park, parking will be severaly limited. Metro Local Line 96 stops a short ride from the starting line. Why fight it when you can ride it?

Obama visit tomorrow sure to snarl traffic … that means buses, too

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Traffic will certainly take a hit tomorrow, as President Obama visits the Westside. Metro is advising riders traveling through the area that bus detours may be necessary but that these are subject to change — depending on traffic — and can’t be announced in advance because of security concerns for the President’s motorcade. The message is to avoid the area if possible or allow extra time.

LAPD is telling the public to avoid:
   — Centinela Avenue and West Olympic Boulevard, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
   — West Olympic Boulevard and Cloverfield Boulevard from 9:30 a.m. to
11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
   — 26th Street and San Vicente Boulevard in the Brentwood Park area,
from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Consider yourself warned.

How do they do that? Repair the seats on the buses

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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.

Photo by Kim Upton/Metro

Photo by Kim Upton/Metro

How much does Metro spend each year to repair and recover bus seats ruined by food, drink, gum and graffiti? In 2012, the cost was $865,000 in taxpayer dollars to replace stained, carved, graffitied or torn seat inserts. The covered inserts that fit into the back and bottom of Metro bus seats range in price from $10.44 to $23.46 each. In addition to the cost of the inserts, Metro bus divisions expended $1.5 million in labor, replacing both window guards and seat inserts.

The most common reason that a seat insert is changed? Graffiti.

Last year was not unusual. More than 55,000 seat inserts were replaced … or about one every nine minutes. Bus maintenance works constantly to keep up with seat damage so that the buses look good and we don’t have to sit on dirty or destroyed seats. It’s not easy to keep up.

Each bus has between 40 and 57 seats, depending on the size and the style. And with just over 2,200 buses in the Metro system, that’s 88,000 and 125,400 seats that are targets for graffiti.

It takes less than 10 minutes to replace a bus seat insert but 1 1/2 hours to replace an entire seat section. An insert, which looks something like a seat float (see photo above), can be unscrewed from their metal supports, pulled out and the new insert pretty quickly added and screwed back in. But a seat section installation — replacement of the entire seat — is more complicated, requiring assembly of the seat supports and inserts before the whole thing can be carefully fastened back into the bus. Replacement of the entire seat is only done as a result of severe damage. In 2012 there were 79 seat installations — the whole seat including metal supports for the 2-to-3-passenger covered seats — on Metro buses. The cost, not including labor, was an additional $220,000.

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Take a trip around the world on Metro this weekend. All you need is a $5 day pass

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Korean barbecue at Taoe Galbi. Photo by Kim Upton/Metro

Korean barbecue at Taoe Galbi. Photo by Kim Upton/Metro

Planning a weekend away? Or with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon — maybe not planning one? Don’t despair. Metro can be your ticket to new countries, customs and cuisines. And the cost? Just $5 for an easy-to-use Metro Day Pass.

Like all truly international cities, Los Angeles is a rich blend of cultures that have produced variegated neighborhoods and world-class cuisines. You may have explored some neighborhoods but do you know them all?

Take Ethiopia. The Metro Local 217 Fairfax Avenue bus, which stops at the Metro Red Line Hollywood and Highland Station, cruises west on Hollywood then south on Fairfax. A  few blocks beyond Wilshire Boulevard is Little Ethiopia: a neighborhood of delicious restaurants (Meals by Genet) and lovely, colorful shops selling clothing in colors as bright as the African sun.

Or how about Cambodia? Admittedly, there’s neither jungle nor Angkor Wat in Long Beach but if you close your eyes just a little you can pretend to be in the steamy Southeast Asia country tucked between Thailand and Vietnam. It’s easy if you’re dining at one of the many restaurants (Sophy’s Fine Thai and Cambodian Cuisine) in Cambodia Town. So hop on the Metro Blue Line and hop off in what could be Phnom Penh — except for the great Southern California weather — and dine on grilled fish, rice, noodles and coconut soup prepared with fresh herbs and veggies.

What about Japan? Everyone knows that Little Tokyo is in downtown L.A., just a short walk from Union Station. But does everyone know that it’s possible to reach it easily aboard the Metro Gold Line to the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station? Not only are there dozens of good restaurants (Suehiro Café). There is great shopping for clothes, shoes, gifts, computer accessories and Asian foods of all kinds in one of the many markets. At night there’s karaoke for the brave of heart.

Then there’s Mexico, of course. There may well be hundreds of Mexican and Central American neighborhoods around Los Angeles and they are filled with shops and entertainment venues and supermarkets and restaurants. Along the Metro Gold Line in East L.A. there are many great places (Al & Bea’s Mexican Food for bean and cheese burritos and Cinco Puntos Mexican Foods for hand-made tamales). So find your way to Union Station and board the Metro Gold Line toward Atlantic Station. Nearly every station on the East Side Gold Line offers something delicious to eat.  

Or take the Metro Purple Line to Korea Town for barbecue. (Tahoe Galbi is a few blocks west of the Wilshire/Western Station.) Think of Korean barbecue as thin strips of beef, pork, chicken and seafood grilled at the table and served with half a dozen or more vegetable side dishes. Think of it as an excellent way to overeat.  

And what about Chinatown, just off the Metro Gold Line Chinatown Station. There are dozens of restaurants and shops selling goods from all over Asia, often at excellent prices. The restaurants are like that too, with Chinese and Vietnamese (Via Café) standing shoulder to shoulder for our dining pleasure.

Are you adventurous? The Metro Green Line to Norwalk connects with Metro Local bus 173 south to Artesia and Little India. Along several blocks there are restaurants and shops with authentic Indian goods and foods (Surati Farsan Mart). Samosa, puri, dosa, thali. It’s worth the ride.       

Have you explored Little Persia in Westwood? Don’t wait until the Metro Purple Line is completed in 2039. Hop on Metro Rapid 720 down Wilshire Boulevard to Westwood Boulevard. There are a number of shops and restaurants (Shamshiri) there to enjoy. And near the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Western Station — between Western and Normandie Avenue — there is Thai Town.

All this can be yours for the price of a $5 Metro Day Pass. And you don’t have to wait in line to clear airport security.

Ridley-Thomas tells crowds gathered at Leimert Park: ‘There’s a train a comin’

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Photos by Anna Chen/Metro

Lots of celebration this morning at Leimert Park, which the Metro Board voted yesterday to fully fund as a station on the Crenshaw/LAX light-rail line. L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Mel Wilson, all Metro Board members, joined other local dignitaries and residents of South Los Angeles to mark the occasion as singers chanted, “There’s a train a comin’. “

“It takes a village to get a train to stop in Leimert Park. We did it together and we ought to be proud of that,” Ridley-Thomas said to the gathered crowd of about 200. “And I’m delighted that the board has approved funding to make this historic community a train stop.”

As we posted yesterday the Metro Board approved a motion, co-sponsored by Ridley-Thomas, to commit $80 million for the station, which will be built in what is considered a historic enclave of black business and culture. The Board’s decision came a day after the L.A. City Council committed $40 million of the city’s share of Measure R local return funds to Leimert Park.

“This is a celebration of you,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Of a community that is vibrant, that has always been important to this town. As I ride into the sunset for a bit, I wanted to make sure we did this right … and I think we have.”