Transportation headlines, Tuesday, May 14: another look at young Americans driving less and bike sharing booms

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

ART OF TRANSIT: Metro buses on Broadwayal, taken with the iPhone’s Hipstamatic app. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.


Young Americans lead trend toward less driving (New York Times)

The NYT looks at the Americans-are-driving less story through the prism of Charlotte, where light rail has proven popular and some people are definitely taking advantage of walkable, bikeable, transitable neighborhoods — and the mayor was recently appointed to be U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Is it a trend that will last, asks the NYT. Some experts say probably not and that it’s inevitable that the milleniels will move to the ‘burbs and drive more once they have kids and/or better paying jobs. Fair point, I suppose, but I would have added this point: it may not be babies that drive people to the suburbs but rather a combination of babies + escalating real estate prices in popular walkable/bikeable/transitable urban areas.

A user’s guide to the L.A. mayoral race: 5 key differences between Garcetti and Greuel (LA Weekly)

Reporter Gene Maddeus writes a very well-informed piece that I think deftly and fairly looks at both candidates (I covered the L.A. City Council between 2005 and 2007). A section on development is the closest the article comes to looking at issues involving transportation.

Dozens of U.S. cities board the bike-sharing bandwagon (Earth Policy Institute)

A good look at the booming popularity of bike sharing programs in the U.S., which offer short-term bike rentals to urban dwellers. A big test of the concept will come this year as more big cities put their programs online. Check out this nifty chart:

The bike share criticism challenge (Brooklyn Spoke) 

New York City has been installing its bike sharing stations and suddenly complaints have soared whereas there was almost none when bike sharing was just a concept. See this New York Times story. The Brooklyn Spoke blog, however, offers a great visual rebuttal to most of the complaints, vividly showing that automobiles should be generating the same kind of complaints.

Meet Me @Metro IV: Bringing it Home to Watts

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The fourth annual Meet Me @Metro, an event that combines public transit with theatre, will be heading back to the Metro Blue Line on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. Join the Watts Village Theater Company for theatrical presentations of original poetry exploring the subjective theme of “home” with musical accompaniment.

“Scattered Joy” will be performed at 103rd Street Station and “Under the 105” will be performed at Willowbrook Station. Both shows will take place simultaneously at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., allowing audiences to see both performance pieces. The shows will range in length from 25 to 30 minutes, and there will be a 30-minute window afterward to allow for travel between venues. Guests can hop on the Blue Line or walk between stations. Audiodescription and interpretation will be provided for the Sunday performances.

Tickets are $25 for the performances on Saturday and pay-what-you-will on Sunday. Children of all ages are welcome to attend. To find more routes and connections to the event, use Trip Planner.

Bike Week special announcement: Metro to partner with C.I.C.L.E to sponsor 20 community bicycle rides throughout Los Angeles County

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Above: a photo gallery from Saturday night’s ride between Union Station and Dodger Stadium. About 80 cyclists participated. Photos by Dave Sotero/Metro.

Here’s the news release from Metro: 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced a partnership with Cyclists Inciting Changes Through Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) to sponsor 20 “Urban Expedition” community-based bicycle rides throughout L.A. County over the next two years.

The ambitious effort kicks off Bike Week L.A., May 13-19, and will continue through Bike Week 2015.  Destinations and routes for these group rides are being organized and are intended to introduce new and veteran bicyclists to some of L.A. County’s iconic destinations they might not visit on their own. Metro and C.I.C.L.E. conducted the inaugural ride Saturday, May 11 from L.A. Union Station to Dodger Stadium where bicyclists enjoyed secure bike parking, an exclusive tour and special discounts to see the Dodgers battle the Miami Marlins.

The rides focus on safe bicycling etiquette, rules of the road and basic maintenance. Before each ride, participants are given a “safety workshop” so they learn safe road bicycling along the route and practice proper methods of taking a bike on public transit.

“These rides are for all people from the first-timer to experienced rider,” C.I.C.L.E Executive Director Dan Dabek said. “Each ride is led by a trained guide who will not only point out places of interest, but will instruct riders how to negotiate live traffic lanes and bike paths.”

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Metro promotes bicycle activities and festivities during official “Bike Week LA” May 13 to 19

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Here’s the news release from Metro:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is sponsoring “Bike Week LA” activities from May 13-19 to encourage Angelinos to ride bicycles to work, school and other destinations throughout LA County to reduce traffic and air pollution. Bring a bicycle or bicycle helmet on Metro buses and trains for a free ride on Bike to Work Day, May 16.

Metro will be offering a chance to win several prizes, such as a commuter cycling package from REI valued at $750, to those who pledge to bike to work on Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 16. Pledges may be made online at www.metro.net/bikeweek. Schools, workplaces, and advocacy groups will hold bicycle pit stops that day with free refreshments, giveaways, and bicycling information for bicycle commuters.

Metro has plans to help increase the number of bicycle trips in L.A. County, and has invested close to $200 million in bike facilities and programs. Besides direct investment in bicycle projects, the expanding network of Metro buses and rail service enables more cyclists to extend their trips by combining bicycling with public transit.

All Metro buses are equipped with front bike racks. Bikes may also be taken on Metro trains. On Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 16, Metro will offer free rides to bicyclists on Metro buses and trains throughout Los Angeles County. Culver CityBus, Glendale Beeline, LADOT, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit, Pasadena ARTS, Santa Clarita Transit and Torrance Transit will also offer free transit rides to bicyclists who board with a bicycle or bicycle helmet. Metrolink will offer free transit rides to bicyclists who board with a bicycle.

Cyclists may bring their bicycles on Metro trains during all system hours.

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Metrolink posts details on TAP-enabled tickets for its customers

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As has been discussed previously on The Source, Metro is preparing to begin latching gates at Red and Purple Line subway stations beginning this summer, with gates at other Metro Rail stations to be latched subsequently. All Metro riders will need to ‘tap’ their TAP cards to get through the gates.

That, of course, is an issue for Metrolink passengers who get free transfers to Metro as part of their fares — Metrolink uses paper tickets, not the plastic “TAP” cards that have become the norm on Metro. In order for Metrolink passengers to get through latched gates, Metrolink and Metro have worked together to develop paper TAP cards for Metrolink customers.

The following has been posted to Metrolink’s website and explains the transition from the current ticketing system to TAP-enabled paper tickets. Bottom line: The TAP-enabled Metrolink tickets for destinations in Los Angeles County (the area served by Metro) will be available through Metrolink ticket machines and for those purchasing Metrolink monthly passes. Metrolink customers will have to ‘tap’ those tickets when using Metro Rail and will continue to show their tickets to bus operators on Metro bus lines.

Many more details below from Metrolink:

Metrolink to provide TAP-enabled tickets

Metrolink and Metro have worked collaboratively to create a Metrolink ticket that is compatible with the Metro TAP system. TAP-enabled tickets will be dispensed from Metrolink Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) to allow passage through Metro’s turnstiles leading to Metro rails lines and stations.

All Metrolink tickets with Los Angeles County destinations will be TAP-compatible, and all riders will be required to physically tap their tickets at the turnstiles and validators when transferring to a Metro Rail line. When boarding a bus, the current policy of simply showing the bus operator your Metrolink ticket will still be in effect. Tapping is not required on buses.

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Transportation headlines, Monday, May 13

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

Laurie Becklund on transactional planning in Hollywood (The Planning Report) 

The Hollywood Hills resident wants to see development in her end of Hollywood but has a lot of issues — issues she wants studied further — with the Millenium Hollywood skyscrapers being proposed near the Hollywood/Vine Red Line station. The gist of it: she thinks the project is too large and will greatly harm traffic in the area. Thoughts, readers?

Extreme commuter: UCLA staffer commutes 22 miles from Valley to campus (UCLA Today) 

Good post for the first day of Bike to Work Week.

Opinion: Metro must keep faith on Gold Line (San Gabriel Valley Tribune) 

Two members of the Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board say that Metro must commit $950 million to complete the Gold Line to Claremont instead of just funding it to Azusa as part of Measure R. I think it’s important to understand that Measure R doesn’t fully fund all of the Measure R transit projects or the more expensive alternatives of those projects. For example, outside money will be needed to complete the Airport Metro Connector, the Regional Connector, the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor and the light rail alternative for the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor.

Transportation headlines, Friday, May 10

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

CicLAvia: iconic Wilshire Boulevard (CicLAvia) 

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I predict big crowds for this one — go early for better cycling! The June 23 event will be easily accessed from Metro’s Red and Purple Line subway.

Lower bus fares? One transit agency is considering it (GOOD)

AC Transit is studying a possible 10 cent reduction from $2.10 to $2, a more common fare among large transit agencies; AC Transit runs bus service in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the Bay Area.

The article also has this excerpt:

The agency will also look into other cost-saving alternatives, like getting rid of paper transfers in favor of day passes. AC Transit says abuses of paper transfers, like re-using or selling them, are a source of lost revenue. Other proposals include increasing the automated transit pass Clipper Card network and reducing the cost of a monthly pass.

That line of reasoning contributed to Metro getting rid of transfers and instead going with day passes. Not mentioned here is that making those who transfer pay more is extremely unpopular among riders — and perhaps impacts ridership.

Transit commuters are stinking low-lifes, Subaru tells commuters (Streetsblog) 

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As the Streetsblog post explains, the above ad ran in a Canadian newspaper and conveniently fails to mention the joy of sitting in traffic, smog, climate change, etc. I own a 2007 Subaru and it’s a great car, but the idiots who came up with this ad overlooked another reality: some customers use their 2007 Subarus to drive to transit stops.