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.
A rendering of a 1961 Lockheed proposal for a monorail in L.A. Credit: Metro Transportation Library & Archive's Flickr photostream.
Ray Bradbury — and the free L.A. monorail system that never was (KPCC)
Going back to the early 1960s, the author was a big-time supporter of criss-crossing the L.A. region with monorails. His enthusiasm started with a proposal from a firm in the early 1960s to spend $105 million building a monorail system in L.A. in exchange for the rights to collect fares from it — a proposal shunned by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
For more background on monorails, transit writer Jarrett Walker has a good discussion of some of their limitations from a transit operations and urban design standpoint.
Rollin’ on the river — the L.A. River! (ZevWeb)
Good article on the history of the L.A. River bike ride, which takes place this Sunday. There’s also more bike paths coming to the river — the 1.5-mile West Valley Bike Path is scheduled to open later this year and four miles of bike path along the new Orange Line Extension parallels the river course.
Foothill Transit expected to drop fares for Silver Streak bus (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)
Foothill Transit is expected on Friday to cut 30 cents from the Silver Streak’s fare — from $2.75 to $2.45 — to complete with Metro’s Silver Line. The Silver Streak runs between Montclair and downtown L.A. and competes with Metro’s Silver Line for passengers between El Monte and downtown. Problem is, the Silver Streak has been losing passengers to the Silver Line, which already has a $2.45 fare. In addition, there’s this good news: Foothill Transit is expected to begin accepting Metro passes on the Silver Streak and vice versa, Metro will accept Foothill Transit passes on the Silver Line.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
Frank M.: Could this have something to do with it?
Density of Metropolitan Los Angeles: 526.5 persons/sq mi (203.3/km2)
Density of Metropolitan Tokyo: 6,810 persons/sq mi (2,629/km2)
??
It is worth noting that Ray Bradbury lived 77 years in Los Angeles and –never– got a driver’s license. He was well educated and well off enough that he was not confined to public transportation by economics or lack of intelligence to operate a motor vehicle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury#Personal_life
@ Frank M
You better start lobbying Sacramento then. They created Metro so only they can disband it and let private operators take control of local transportation.
I loved Ray Bradbury’s stories, but he was totally wrong on this one.
Japanese monorail systems are just ONE PART of an incredibly vast rail transit system. To get the whole picture, you would have to consider all of the riders on the Ginza Line (3rd rail subway), electric commuter trains, underground electric commuter trains (most of the Tokyo subway), the Shinkansen “bullet trains” and many other varieties of rail and bus transit.
JR lines are private, but many were built under public administration. And the true private company lines were largely built years ago, and competed with public railways for years.
Monorail supporters are admiring one tree in a large forest.
And if you look at those monorails more closely, they’re all private companies that are run for profit with no tax money being used for their operations.
Seriously, we really need to look at the Japanese on how they can make profit with mass transit. Kick the politicians out from the Metro board and replace them with Japanese transit officials. Betcha in five years Metro will be whole different company than a tax dependent bureaucracy.
What is the travel advisory for 4/704 through West Hollywood this weekend 6/8-6/10?
Hi Catherine;
I don’t see a travel advisory listed for the 4 or 704 on Metro’s service advisory page. What is going on?
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
The Tokyo Monorail carries around 300,000 people per day, is 11 miles long, and runs at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Monorail
Point being, this can be done and done well.
Tons of monorail systems listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monorail_systems
Notice how many are in Japan.
So since fifty years ago, LA shunned off private transit and because of that we don’t have a monorail system.
BTW, monorails can be successful. One again, has just to look across the Pacific to see where they get them right.
Tokyo Monorail: http://www.tokyo-monorail.co.jp/english/
Chiba Urban Monorail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiba_Urban_Monorail
I’m so glad to see two different bus agencies working together and creating the silver corridor. A huge step since metro started tap. Kudos