Quote:
Originally Posted by craigs
Many of LA's subway stations are notably well-designed and interesting, and we still haven't attracted sufficient transit riders to the system. Why didn't station design and aesthetics attract more transit riders? Because they don't matter.
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If design and aesthetics don't matter, are you of the opinion that Metro has wasted, and continues to waste, millions of dollars trying to make the stations look attractive? Personally, I would say yes, the way we approach design in our metro stations is a waste of money, and only adds cost to our outrageously expensive projects.
Personally, I agree with SoCalKid that aesthetics are basically the icing on the cake. Few people will decide to use transit because of station design alone. Trains need to go where people want to go. People have to be able to quickly and easily get to stations from their homes/offices (first mile/last mile). Stations and trains have to be safe and clean. Trains need to come often and adhere to posted schedules. Those are the things that primarily influence whether or not people will take transit over driving. If these conditions are met, station design can be an added bonus to entice choice riders and tourists who might be on the fence about using transit vs other modes, but I can't imagine there are too many people who fall into this camp. Afterall, our busiest transit station (maybe second behind Union Station), 7th Street Metro Center, largely lacks public art, and I don't hear many people complaining about it, though I do know it's getting a little facelift at the moment.
I find LA's subway station designs to be a bit tacky, actually. I love the brutalist vaulted ceiling design of the DC metro, and how basically every station utilizes this design language. It ties the system together and gives it a distinct look. LA's subway stations are loaded with art and gimmicky design (people floating on the ceiling at civic center, for example) that are interesting I suppose, but can look dated and give the appearance of an unserious transit system. Each station has a totally different look, so there's no unified design approach that makes a station look classically LA. Some stations look more like the entrance to a ride at Universal Studios than a subway station. Who cares if there are murals and mosaics and neon lights in the station if it smells like piss and you're waiting 12 mins for a train at rush hour?