Jarrett Walker is an internationally renowned transit network planner currently working in Sydney, Australia as a Principal Consultant with McCormick Rankin Cagney.  At his professional blog Human Transit (a must-read), he has written dozens of articles about Los Angeles for a global audience, including one titled Los Angeles: The Next Great Transit Metropolis? During his recent trip to California, I had the opportunity to talk at length with Jarrett and he kindly offered to do an interview about Los Angeles for Los Angeles.  Since the interview is somewhat extensive, I broke it into two parts.  This is Part 1 of our interview; Part 2 is available here.

Walker believes the development of the Rapid bus by Metro was a great idea--but thinks it needs to continue to be refined and branded.

CR:  Compared to other places where you have done transit network consulting, what makes greater Los Angeles unique in terms of its challenges and opportunities for improving its public transportation network?

JW:  You have tremendous opportunities in Los Angeles because you have a population that’s eager to see public transit succeed, and leadership that understands that only public transit can provide comprehensive alternatives to traffic congestion.  The challenge now is to take the enthusiasm that went into Measure R and direct it toward other kinds of political investment.  We know that voters will raise their taxes to fund a long-term rail plan.  Now we have to ask for another kind of commitment: the apportionment of scarce space on your streets.  The streets won’t get any wider, so what’s the fairest way to use them?  Street width is the new currency.

A few years ago I had a memorable ride on the Ventura Blvd Metro Rapid from Warner Center to Sherman Oaks.  The service flowed smoothly through Tarzana and Encino but then got stuck in two miles of gridlock leading up to I-405, as it often does, and the crowded bus spent 20 minutes going almost nowhere.  It made no sense.  Cars can only fit onto 405 at a certain rate, especially if they’re going over Sepulveda Pass.  So in the current arrangement, the surplus traffic is stored blocking Ventura Blvd.  Why do you give over the entire width of Ventura Blvd, and effectively shut down the street, just for the purpose of storing waiting cars?  Why don’t you set aside a through lane for transit (and perhaps also for taxis, HOVs, and certainly for emergency vehicles) so that efficient use of the street can continue even as the cars pile up?  What would be the effect on traffic?  Simple: the pile of stored cars would be narrower and longer.  But meanwhile, people could get where they were going, and emergency vehicles could get through to save lives and property. Continue reading →

By way of the New York Times comes news that the temporary boost in the mass transit benefit may come to an end if Congress does not renew it before the end of 2010.

Presently, mass transit commuters may deduct up to $230 of their monthly costs. (Note: commuters who travel by car may also deduct up to $230 of their monthly costs. But that benefit isn’t in jeopardy.) The temporary boost in the mass transit deduction is due to the efforts of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who added it as a rider in early 2009 to the stimulus bill.

Senator Schumer is trying to make the benefit permanent, but according to Streetsblog, it has just 17 sponsors. A House version of the bill, sponsored by Massachusetts representative Jim McGovern (D), has 47 sponsors.

This may not necessarily impact commuters who solely use Metro (a monthly unlimited ride pass is $75 . But travelers who use Metrolink or other commuter lines may be affected.

We here at The Source will keep you posted.

Does the reduction of monthly mass transit deduction from $230 to $120 have implications for you? Let us know in the comments.

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 blog.

How Much Money Does Public Transportation Save? (The City Fix)

The City Fix provides a nice summary of this month’s “Transit Savings Report,” published by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  Los Angeles was second nationally, behind New York City, in savings accrued by two-person households that gave up one of their two cars in exchange for a transit pass. Those L.A. households saved $10,000 per year on average.

Metro America’s Commuting Methods: The Interactive Edition (Infrastructurist)

With the release of the Brookings Institute Report, “The State of Metropolitan America,” Infrastructurist digs into some of the interactive maps on national commute patterns. Three California metro areas – Bakersfield, San Bernardino-Riverside and Stockton – all crack the top five in carpooling rates. By going directly to Brookings’ interactive map, you can examine a number of different demographic trends and play around with the variables.

Connection fare penalties: why they happen (Human Transit)

Over at Human Transit, Jarrett Walker examines four phenomena that often prompt transit agencies to charge connection fair penalties, i.e. an extra fee to transfer to another transit line during one trip.  In particular, Walker highlights a funding arrangement in Los Angeles County that gives transit agencies an incentive to keep single base fares low, even if it means having to charge for transfers or not offering them at all. His solution? Smart cards that will more precisely track actual ridership, including trips that have multiple legs.

Before we start shoveling pumpkin pie next week, let’s ponder something more substantial: cupcakes. Who has the best in town and how can we get there on Metro?

Quite simply, Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock has what may be the best carrot cake cupcakes in town. Auntie Em’s is at 4616 Eagle Rock Blvd. To get there take the number 68 bus from Union Station. (Or check the Trip Planner for other connections.) You can eat real food at Auntie Em’s and it’s good. But why consume nutrition when you can have cupcakes?

In Pasadena, Polkatots Cupcakes has won at least one award for its dulce de leche. To get there take the Gold Line to Lake Street Station and walk north a couple of blocks to 720 N. Lake. You’ll need the walk so you can eat more cake.

And here’s one last suggestion on the other side of town. Go to Sweet Lady Jane at 8360 Melrose (about a block east of La Cienega) for lovely coconut cupcakes and very good red velvet. Metro Local 10 goes right by and connects with the Red Line near Vermont/Beverly Station.

What are you suggestions? Send them to the Metro Dining Map.  Or email us at sourcemetro@gmail.com.