‘Why You Ride (or Don’t Ride)‘ is a series where you, our faithful readers, share your transportation routines in L.A. and your thoughts on how to make things better – read more about the concept here.
Want to share your story? Take the survey here if you ride transit regularly, or take this one if you don’t ride.
Who You Are:
Name: Jakub Kudlacz
Occupation: Software Engineer
Location: Marina Del Ray
Your Transportation Routine:
How often do you drive and for what purpose?
I drive to work five days a week.
Where are you typically traveling from and going to?
I drive from my house in Marina Del Rey to my office in Hollywood, one block away from the Red Line station at Hollywood/Highland.
How many vehicles do you or your family have?
2, one for me and the other for my Fiancée.
How long does your commute typically take?
My commute is on average 30 minutes each way, give or take five minutes depending on traffic conditions.
Briefly, how would you describe your typical driving experience? Love it, deal with it, or hate it?
I deal with it.
On average, what do you spend each month on transportation?
$50 – $100
Do you use any forms of alternative transportation?
Nope, Metro doesn’t offer better options.
Why do you drive?
It’s fast and convenient. If I choose to take Metro my commute would take an hour to 1 hour and 30 min.
Your Perspective:
Why can’t/don’t you take transit?
There are no viable transit options available for the Westside. If I choose to take a bus I would have to take two buses and it would take 1 hour and 30 min to get to work – one way only. That is if there is no traffic, accidents or any other issues.
Have you tried to use transit before? What was your experience?
Yes, I used to live in North Hollywood and take the Red Line to the Hollywood/Highland Station. My office was located in West Hollywood, but my company offered shuttle service to and from Red Line station.
What could local transit agencies do to encourage you to take transit more often?
Offer more and better options. I am very excited about the Expo Line, Purple Line Extension and the many other projects planned to be completed in next 30 years, but I think Metro could add a better bus system in a mean time, creating an express bus from Marina Del Rey, Venice, Santa Monica, etc.
How do you feel about buses?
I’d ride a bus if there was a route that served my needs.
How do you feel about rail?
I’d ride rail if it there was a route that served my needs.
Given limited funds, how would you address L.A.’s transportation issues?
Create a rapid bus system that uses highways. Create express bus routes that allows buses to travel faster and further.
Expand it and inform people about it. Push more on 10/30 Initiative. Offer wi-fi on buses and trains. Keep expanding system and make it smarter, ask what people need, encourage them to offer ideas – in other words, create a dialog.
You have polls on your website all the time, but I notice that only about 2-3 thousand people vote on them. In a city of 10 million people, that is a joke – it means that not enough people care or know about your site and know how to navigate it.Create interactive routes with maps and info. Make it something easy to use so people can map a route online.
