‘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: Cathy
Occupation: IT Manager
Location: Hollywood

Your Transportation Routine:

How often do you drive and for what purpose?

Drive to work most days.

Where are you typically traveling from and going to?

Hollywood to USC and back.

How many vehicles do you or your family have?

2

How long does your commute typically take?

45 minutes.

Briefly, how would you describe your typical driving experience? Love it, deal with it, or hate it?

I hate it. There has to be a better way.

On average, what do you spend each month on transportation?

Less than $50

Do you use any forms of alternative transportation?

Bus and Red Line.

Why do you drive?

Irregular work hours.  I don’t like to be stranded late at night at a bus stop.

Your Perspective:

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

Took the bus for 10 years and know my way around pretty well.  Had a lot of instances of being stranded – sometimes for 2 hours or more.  Sometimes I was rescued by a friend with a car, other times I just walked.

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

Have more  buses at regular intervals and more of them at night. The trains are pretty good, but don’t go everywhere I want to go.

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?

More rail, more bus lanes, more bike lanes and more transit oriented development.

Less freeway lanes, more traffic calming and pedestrian/bike safety.