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  #2921  
Old Posted Oct 15, 2014, 12:01 PM
Leo the Dog Leo the Dog is offline
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Originally Posted by Steve2726 View Post
^^^

Pretty standard stuff unfortunately. California's extremist anti-business climate strikes again. If people keep voting for the "pro Labor" (ironic name isn't it....) candidates, this is what you get.
Also ironic that they cited "environmental reasons".
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  #2922  
Old Posted Oct 15, 2014, 6:07 PM
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Typical California. These ridiculous unions no longer serve any purpose in modern times.

They were once a tool of empowerment for the exploited urban working class in the decades following the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays it is the unions who do the exploiting, running a racket that fleeces the taxpayers of our state and drives away business to jurisdictions not under the thumb of the labor mafia. There's a reason they call Texas a "right-to-work" state.

I swear, if the Republican party would only adopt more progressive views on social issues then I would switch my allegiance in a heartbeat.
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  #2923  
Old Posted Oct 22, 2014, 1:19 AM
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Lack of parking drives many away from mass transit
http://www.latimes.com/local/califor...021-story.html

Quote:
s Angeles County has funneled billions of dollars over the last two decades into new rail lines to lure commuters out of their cars and off the region's overcrowded freeways. But many would-be train riders are struggling with how to start.

One of the biggest barriers to attracting new riders to Metropolitan Transportation Authority trains is not the price of fares or the frequency of service. It's the lack of parking...
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  #2924  
Old Posted Oct 22, 2014, 10:24 PM
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It is unbelievable to me that some people at Metro (and apparently the LA Times) actually blame "not enough free parking" for slow ridership growth, rather than the true underlying cause of poor land use decisions and infrastructure investments that overwhelmingly favor solo driving over transit.

For example, they've put out their estimate that they lose 1,500 per day at the North Hollywood Red Line station due to the lot being full. Somehow, it doesn't seem to occur to their spokespeople that ridership would also be a lot higher if the station weren't literally surrounded by a sea of parking (Google Maps view: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1689.../data=!3m1!1e3).



Just imagine the extra ridership they'd have if the station were actually surrounded by a walkable, high-density, mixed-use neighborhood!

I'd refer anyone who wants to read more about Metro's strange commitment to free parking to some of Joe Linton's articles on Streetsblog LA:

http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/10/22...nd-misleading/

http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/03/30...metro-parking/
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  #2925  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2014, 4:49 PM
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Editorial on need to salvage rail car manufacturing:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/edito...023-story.html
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  #2926  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2014, 7:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Muji View Post
It is unbelievable to me that some people at Metro (and apparently the LA Times) actually blame "not enough free parking" for slow ridership growth, rather than the true underlying cause of poor land use decisions and infrastructure investments that overwhelmingly favor solo driving over transit.

For example, they've put out their estimate that they lose 1,500 per day at the North Hollywood Red Line station due to the lot being full. Somehow, it doesn't seem to occur to their spokespeople that ridership would also be a lot higher if the station weren't literally surrounded by a sea of parking (Google Maps view: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1689.../data=!3m1!1e3).



Just imagine the extra ridership they'd have if the station were actually surrounded by a walkable, high-density, mixed-use neighborhood!

I'd refer anyone who wants to read more about Metro's strange commitment to free parking to some of Joe Linton's articles on Streetsblog LA:

http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/10/22...nd-misleading/

http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/03/30...metro-parking/
Exactly. A sea of parking lots creates a deadzone area. There's no reason for somebody to take Metro to a park-ride lot unless you have a parked car (thus, a 1-way ridership station). Whereas, a walkable zoned area is a destination point where any Metro rider will have a reason to visit by taking Metro or by living in that zoned area (2-way ridership station).
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  #2927  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2014, 4:15 AM
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Union station master plan was approved today moves to implementation phase starting with the environmental review on early 2015 which should take about a year to complete
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  #2928  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2014, 11:56 PM
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Sorry if this was posted before but it was news to me...

Metro Board approved motion to move forward on EIR study on Vermont Ave BRT and North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT in July 2014.

And the Board approved again last week for Metro to hire consultant to begin the EIR study.

http://media.metro.net/board/Items/2...3rbmitem68.pdf
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  #2929  
Old Posted Nov 1, 2014, 6:54 AM
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Read more:http://www.fastcompany.com/3037848/w...-angeles-works

WHY A SUBWAY-BUILDING BINGE COULD TRANSFORM L.A.'S TECH CULTURE
IT'S HARD TO TEAR LOS ANGELES RESIDENTS FROM THEIR CARS. BUT A MASSIVE SUBWAY-BUILDING BINGE IS CHANGING THE EQUATION.

BY NEAL UNGERLEIDER



Quote:
....In the heart of American car culture, L.A.'s urban planners are trying to convince commuters to ditch their cars and take public transit. For tech and creative workers, it will be a particular challenge. Unlike in New York or the San Francisco Bay Area, techies generally don’t take public transit to work. Even the Google bus phenomenon--the private transport system for Silicon Valley tech companies--is non-existent in Southern California.

And this has had big impacts on the nascent industry's culture.

....Los Angeles’s high-tech companies are scattered over a wide metropolitan area with multiple hubs. Some companies congregate in Santa Monica’s “Silicon Beach” while others cluster in Downtown Los Angeles, the office parks of Playa del Rey, or in suburbs like Pasadena or El Segundo. And there’s no financial incentive to running shuttles for employees: There simply aren’t any neighborhoods full of Mission District or Noe Valley-like commuter densities.

I moved to Los Angeles from New York in March 2014 and, although I own a car, I regularly commute by subway--my home in the formerly battered by the flight of commercial tenants but currently rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles is at the hub of the region’s rail system. But many fellow white collar professionals (Los Angeles, sadly, self-segregates across economic classes more than almost any other American city) are bemused when I tell them I regularly ride the Los Angeles subway. It’s almost like you’ve announced you work as an alpaca farmer; in other words, no social stigma but unusual enough to be a point of interest at parties. The fact is that poor and working class Angelenos and middle and upper class Angelenos inhabit different worlds, and public transit doesn't cut across classes the way San Francisco’s Muni or New York’s subway system does.

According to estimates by the American Community Survey, the median earnings of Los Angeles public transit riders are only 54.7% that of the public as large. But in Cambridge, Massachusetts, public transit commuters earn 110.5% more than the public at large; in New York, MTA commuters come in at a respectable 96%. As subways prepare to weave their way underneath the office towers of Wilshire Boulevard and a mass transit terminal is built blocks from Santa Monica’s iconic amusement pier, urban planners are trying to learn how to teach Angelenos how to love mass transit.
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  #2930  
Old Posted Nov 1, 2014, 4:11 PM
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^those wage stats for transit patronage support my claim that LA has a dearth of the very kind of moneyed urbanism which makes city centers attractive. santa monica is the closest thing we have to urban wealth, and it's a rather tiny, inconsequential blip on LA's vast lower socioeconomic urban landscape.

regarding the station parking controversy being discussed by forumers, i don't think it's so much the lack of walkability in surrounding areas that's behind low ridership as the plain fact that we lack a critical mass of relevant, accessible destinations for activities of daily living for average joes (or jose's)

our network needs double to triple the density of stops to become a relevant alternative to regular people. with a mere handful of lines spread thin to cover hundreds of square miles of auto-centric urbanism, our fledgling rail "system" is simply irrelevant for most angelenos.

that metro of all people is obsessing over parking lots speaks a lot to how far LA has yet to go. if they don't get it, who will?
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  #2931  
Old Posted Nov 2, 2014, 3:49 AM
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It's always risky business to get into predictions, especially about something as nebulous as cultural tipping points, but for the sake of discussion I'm going to make one: the opening of Expo phase II in about a year will bring Metro Rail out of the shadows for good, and it will start to penetrate the consciousness of the city in a way that has eluded it for the last 25 years.

I'm not saying ridership will suddenly skyrocket or that Angelenos will sell their cars en mass, but the (embarrassing) days of people who live in L.A. not even knowing that a rail system exists, or not knowing anything about it, will come to an end. Trains rolling up to the highly-visible and beloved Third Street Promenade every 10 minutes is more symbolic and higher profile than any previous extension of the system. It will make it no longer possible for a vast swath of the city encompassing millions of people (the Westside) to simply ignore the system. It will enter the every day vernacular and thought process of the city, where even people who DON'T ride it will at least be aware of the fact that there are many people who DO.

This might sound silly, or obvious, but I personally believe that it's a big deal. As a comparison, consider the arc of Downtown. As everyone here knows, there's currently something of a "buzz" about DTLA. Even among wealthy, 50+ year old Orange County residents who would be somewhat horrified by the idea of eating dinner on Broadway, they are, at least, aware of the fact that DTLA is now considered a trendy and happening place. They know about it, have heard it, and have read about it. They may not ever walk around the Historic Core to see the transformation for themselves, but they are aware, and as a result are no longer talking about Downtown being a dump.

This is what happens when awareness reaches a saturation point. The old, classic "the Metro doesn't go anywhere" remark that is so common in L.A. becomes preposterous once Expo II opens, and that will sow the seeds for the large scale shift in mentality that will occur over the next 10 years, by which time Metro will reach the tipping point we all really care about most: ridership.
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  #2932  
Old Posted Nov 2, 2014, 4:36 AM
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That guy repeatedly calling rail lines that aren't underground "subways" irked me, but I'm always happy to see pro-transit articles.

Ed made some good points, but a lot of the income disparity imo is because of the areas served. As higher income areas increasingly are served, a lot of that disparity will dissipate.

Which, in a way, is what DenseCity alludes to. I'm pretty sure the frequencies will be every six minutes though, right? I do share your heavy optimism about LA transit DenseC, but there are (and will be!) huge growing pains.
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  #2933  
Old Posted Nov 2, 2014, 4:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eightball View Post
That guy repeatedly calling rail lines that aren't underground "subways" irked me, but I'm always happy to see pro-transit articles.

Ed made some good points, but a lot of the income disparity imo is because of the areas served. As higher income areas increasingly are served, a lot of that disparity will dissipate.

Which, in a way, is what DenseCity alludes to. I'm pretty sure the frequencies will be every six minutes though, right? I do share your heavy optimism about LA transit DenseC, but there are (and will be!) huge growing pains.
While agree about the 'subway' term pretty much every other world system that has large percentages of trackage above ground are also universally referred to as subway or language variant, i.e. London UNDERground, Berlin U Bahn, etc.
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  #2934  
Old Posted Nov 2, 2014, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by DenseCityPlease View Post
It's always risky business to get into predictions, especially about something as nebulous as cultural tipping points, but for the sake of discussion I'm going to make one: the opening of Expo phase II in about a year will bring Metro Rail out of the shadows for good, and it will start to penetrate the consciousness of the city in a way that has eluded it for the last 25 years.

I'm not saying ridership will suddenly skyrocket or that Angelenos will sell their cars en mass, but the (embarrassing) days of people who live in L.A. not even knowing that a rail system exists, or not knowing anything about it, will come to an end. Trains rolling up to the highly-visible and beloved Third Street Promenade every 10 minutes is more symbolic and higher profile than any previous extension of the system. It will make it no longer possible for a vast swath of the city encompassing millions of people (the Westside) to simply ignore the system. It will enter the every day vernacular and thought process of the city, where even people who DON'T ride it will at least be aware of the fact that there are many people who DO.

This might sound silly, or obvious, but I personally believe that it's a big deal. As a comparison, consider the arc of Downtown. As everyone here knows, there's currently something of a "buzz" about DTLA. Even among wealthy, 50+ year old Orange County residents who would be somewhat horrified by the idea of eating dinner on Broadway, they are, at least, aware of the fact that DTLA is now considered a trendy and happening place. They know about it, have heard it, and have read about it. They may not ever walk around the Historic Core to see the transformation for themselves, but they are aware, and as a result are no longer talking about Downtown being a dump.

This is what happens when awareness reaches a saturation point. The old, classic "the Metro doesn't go anywhere" remark that is so common in L.A. becomes preposterous once Expo II opens, and that will sow the seeds for the large scale shift in mentality that will occur over the next 10 years, by which time Metro will reach the tipping point we all really care about most: ridership.
I think your fictious prediction actually sounds very plausible and likely. Living in LA for the past 10+ years I know that we have a subway and took it twice. Yet, I rarely ever consider it a real option of commuting.

I think you are on to something and that awareness is the necessary starting/tipping point...
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  #2935  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 1:18 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DenseCityPlease View Post
It's always risky business to get into predictions, especially about something as nebulous as cultural tipping points, but for the sake of discussion I'm going to make one: the opening of Expo phase II in about a year will bring Metro Rail out of the shadows for good, and it will start to penetrate the consciousness of the city in a way that has eluded it for the last 25 years.

I'm not saying ridership will suddenly skyrocket or that Angelenos will sell their cars en mass, but the (embarrassing) days of people who live in L.A. not even knowing that a rail system exists, or not knowing anything about it, will come to an end. Trains rolling up to the highly-visible and beloved Third Street Promenade every 10 minutes is more symbolic and higher profile than any previous extension of the system. It will make it no longer possible for a vast swath of the city encompassing millions of people (the Westside) to simply ignore the system. It will enter the every day vernacular and thought process of the city, where even people who DON'T ride it will at least be aware of the fact that there are many people who DO.

This might sound silly, or obvious, but I personally believe that it's a big deal. As a comparison, consider the arc of Downtown. As everyone here knows, there's currently something of a "buzz" about DTLA. Even among wealthy, 50+ year old Orange County residents who would be somewhat horrified by the idea of eating dinner on Broadway, they are, at least, aware of the fact that DTLA is now considered a trendy and happening place. They know about it, have heard it, and have read about it. They may not ever walk around the Historic Core to see the transformation for themselves, but they are aware, and as a result are no longer talking about Downtown being a dump.

This is what happens when awareness reaches a saturation point. The old, classic "the Metro doesn't go anywhere" remark that is so common in L.A. becomes preposterous once Expo II opens, and that will sow the seeds for the large scale shift in mentality that will occur over the next 10 years, by which time Metro will reach the tipping point we all really care about most: ridership.
I'm not convinced that Expo II will stand out as that tipping point. It's another step in the right direction but I don't see it as being any different than trains reaching other beloved LA landmarks like the Queen Mary or OTP or Hollywood Blvd or Universal Studios. THE AIRPORT. Whether it's Crenshaw or Harbor Subdivision or however the hell they end up eventually doing it, that'll be the one that actually changes the culture of transportation in LA. Finally, everyone has an excuse to use Metro at that point. Angelenos will use it for family vacations, business trips, Vegas runs, etc. Tourists and out-of-towners will use it and for the first time people will be able to visit the city without renting a car. THAT will change local, domestic, and international perceptions about the city.
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  #2936  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 2:13 AM
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Don't get me wrong, I too look forward to the LAX airport connection, but it's important to note that historical transit data throughout the U.S. indicates that few people who fly actually use public transit to travel to or from the airport. In fact Metro itself predicts that not even 1% of flyers will do so once the Crenshaw line is completed.

(Sources: Here: http://publictransport.about.com/od/...o-Airports.htm

and Here: http://www.laweekly.com/informer/201...e-train-to-lax)

Much like the notion that sports arenas/stadiums can singlehandedly turn around central cities, the image of vacationing families hopping on trains with all their luggage turns out not to have much of a basis in reality.

This is not to say, however, that a connection to LAX will not generate enormous ridership benefits! It's just that the people who will make up the lion's share of those trips are in fact airport employees, not travelers. LAX is essentially its own business district providing 60,000 jobs on-site. As a basis for comparison, this is roughly equivalent to the total amount of employees at USC and UCLA combined.

Bottom line: the LAX connection is very important, but we should be forthright about who exactly will be taking advantage of it. If Metro is truly being held back by it's lack of appeal to middle and upper income Angelenos, as edluva and others seem to agree, then rail access to Santa Monica is probably more likely to adjust the current dynamic than rail access serving airport employees .
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  #2937  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 4:45 PM
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How Uber Is Changing Night Life in Los Angeles
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/fa...f=fashion&_r=0

Quote:
LOS ANGELES — When Ryan O’Connell, 28, moved here from New York last year, he didn’t want a car. “I’ve always been so scared of driving,” he said. “I feel like I would be a bad driver.”

Normally, that would be a problem in one of America’s most auto-centric places, where cruising along the Sunset Strip is a lifestyle and cars are not only a means of transportation but a status symbol. But Mr. O’Connell was only briefly perplexed.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said, “and then Uber descended from the gods.”
Excellent article/trend! Would have liked to see the rail lines get a shot out, but oh well.
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  #2938  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 6:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Eightball View Post
How Uber Is Changing Night Life in Los Angeles
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/fa...f=fashion&_r=0


Excellent article/trend! Would have liked to see the rail lines get a shot out, but oh well.
Yes-- the investment in all of the subways and light rail for LA County is important but mobility options such as Uber, Car2Go, bike-sharing, etc... are also very important for allowing people to have the option to at least reduce the number of vehicles per household. Hopefully the developers are paying attention and respond to these new mobility options by building less parking with their developments.

Here in DC, Car2Go has greatly improved our mobility and has made it easier to live without owning a car. We drove one of these Car2Go cars in San Diego. Hopefully it expands to LA.
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  #2939  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 6:57 PM
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"“If you’re going to the airport, you use UberX, who cares,” said Mr. Heitzler, the Venice artist. “But if you have to go to a party at the Chateau” — the see-and-be-seen celebrity-magnet Chateau Marmont — “you at least go black car. Or even a giant S.U.V. There’s nothing better than getting out of a giant S.U.V. at the Chateau by yourself.”

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  #2940  
Old Posted Nov 4, 2014, 4:23 AM
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Originally Posted by DenseCityPlease View Post
Don't get me wrong, I too look forward to the LAX airport connection, but it's important to note that historical transit data throughout the U.S. indicates that few people who fly actually use public transit to travel to or from the airport. In fact Metro itself predicts that not even 1% of flyers will do so once the Crenshaw line is completed.

(Sources: Here: http://publictransport.about.com/od/...o-Airports.htm

and Here: http://www.laweekly.com/informer/201...e-train-to-lax)

Much like the notion that sports arenas/stadiums can singlehandedly turn around central cities, the image of vacationing families hopping on trains with all their luggage turns out not to have much of a basis in reality.

This is not to say, however, that a connection to LAX will not generate enormous ridership benefits! It's just that the people who will make up the lion's share of those trips are in fact airport employees, not travelers. LAX is essentially its own business district providing 60,000 jobs on-site. As a basis for comparison, this is roughly equivalent to the total amount of employees at USC and UCLA combined.

Bottom line: the LAX connection is very important, but we should be forthright about who exactly will be taking advantage of it. If Metro is truly being held back by it's lack of appeal to middle and upper income Angelenos, as edluva and others seem to agree, then rail access to Santa Monica is probably more likely to adjust the current dynamic than rail access serving airport employees .
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