‘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: KDW
Occupation: Technical Writer
Location: Mount Washington

Your Transportation Routine:

How often do you drive and for what purpose?

Weekdays: to work and to errands & activities on the way home from work. Weekends: to outings, to Vegas and to home improvement centers.

Where are you typically traveling from and going to?

Mount Washington to La Canada Flintridge

How many vehicles do you or your family have?

1

How long does your commute typically take?

15 minutes.

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?

$100 – $300

Do you use any forms of alternative transportation?

No.

Why do you drive?

Faster than other options and, most importantly, scheduling. Also it’s more convenient and easier to transport items/groceries/equipment/etc.

Your Perspective:

Why can’t/don’t you take transit?

It’s a mile long hilly walk to the closest transit. Then it takes 5 times (!) as long to get to work – too time consuming and too much weather exposure. Plus I have to carry everything I might need (sports equipment, groceries, computers, etc.) which is too heavy and too awkward.

Have you tried to use transit before? What was your experience?

I took trains to work for a year and a half – I had to use all four lines to get to my destination. I was often stranded or forced to take alternate transportation when there were breakdowns. Occasionally I was stranded because of lack of late night trains. Then I had to deal with filthy seats and other nastiness. Also, I didn’t feel safe at all the stations.

What could local transit agencies do to encourage you to take transit more often?

It’s just not an alternative that can be made attractive to me given my job and house location.

How do you feel about buses?

I probably wouldn’t ride a bus.

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?

Better freeway flow management: not more lanes but better freeway merges/splits/interchanges; overpasses for busy areas that could be bypassed (e.g., 110 flyover for those heading to the 5 interchange and not into downtown).