Bring in the barrier?

The MTA has been debating for years whether installing gates at rail terminals would cut fare violators and improve security. Now the board is studying it:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will spend $1 million to study whether the agency should install gates at its light-rail and subway stations, the Board of Directors voted today. The Metro Blue, Gold, Green and Red lines currently do not have any barriers in place to ensure passengers have purchased tickets. Instead, sheriff’s deputies and civilian fare inspectors randomly patrol rail cars. Passengers without tickets can be hit with a $250 citation. The rail lines bring in about $35 million a year. MTA officials estimate that 5% of passengers evade the system, costing the agency about $1.75 million. Board member Richard Katz voted against studying the barrier system, arguing it does not make fiscal sense to spend millions of dollars on a problem that costs the agency less than $2 million a year. (CNS)

Comments

[Jane]

"I took the trains to Universal City this weekend--Green Line to Blue Line to Red Line, and I saw at least 20 people not pay fares--most of them running to catch the train, and not even attempting to stop and buy their ticket. " Sheryl

What you saw were people who don't live by a rail station. The vast majority of people who take the rails take the bus to get to the rail. The MTA cut off lots of bus lines to justify the rails. The 180 used to go all the way through Hollwood, now it stops.

If you saw me you'd think I was running to catch the rail and not paying either, but that is not the case. I take the bus to get to the rail, I buy a day pass on the bus (sometimes I will jump on the bus just because those cash machines at the subways are too slow, quicker to get a day pass on the bus), I also sometimes buy a monthly pass if it's during the fall (student passes are cheaper), then I get on the train.

I know that's pretty weird to people who don't have to be at work as at a specific time (you know artist, writer, bossman type people) or are taking the rails for recreational purposes, but the subway machines are very slow and if you have change...it's annoying especially when you hear your train coming.

There are lots of people who have monthly passes, which a big percentage of people who ride the bus regularly have.

The only people who pay cash to ride the rails are people who ride the train to go have fun:

drink, go to museums, tourist. people who want to write blog entries about how interesting it is to take the rails

People who have to take the rail who ride it to work usually don't live by the station. The MTA did not build the rails for the ease of use for working class or poor people, they built it to make it comfortable and easy for upper middle class and middle class people to use.

Lots of very expensive housing being built right by the rails stations. Lots of cheap housing being built very far away from the rails.

Jane

[Sheryl]

Given that each fare evader is costing a minimum of $1.25 each, I have a hard time buying that it's only costing Metro $1,750.000.00 annually.

Monthly, I might buy.

I took the trains to Universal City this weekend--Green Line to Blue Line to Red Line, and I saw at least 20 people not pay fares--most of them running to catch the train, and not even attempting to stop and buy their ticket.

You know...trains ORIGINALLY had this guy called a CONDUCTOR, whose job it was to check every person's ticket, and to collect from you if you hadn't paid enough.

I know, it's a radical notion that the 1870's were more advanced than we are, but I think perhaps the robber barons of old were more serious about collecting their fares than our pork happy politicians.

[Jane]

I don't think they should hire more Sheriff to make 10% of the people who take the train and are scared of "too many" black and brown people in one spot. Sorry think that's pretty silly.

Any people who want more security on the train ever been atttacked on the train? Ever have any of your friends attacked?

My friends take public transit that have been attacked have been on the bus.

The time I got assaulted taking public transit was on the bus.

I think it's very odd that the night owl service busses have no security at all, no Sheriff, no nothing. Why is all of the money on security spent on the rails when most people who take public transit take the bus? Also the trains only run until 12am.

Of course though white people don't ride the bus at 2am after getting off from work doing piece work or cleaning the floor or working security, well the white people who matter.

I have to admit I'm a bit annoyed that no one here ever gets stopped on the train.

Security for me is pretty darn tight. At least four times a week I get asked for my pass, especially on the green line to to blue line connection. I've even got asked for my pass on the red line and apparently that's really crazy since no one ever gets asked for the pass on the red line.

The ACLU needs to get on this and sue the MTA, the public transit system in LA is totally racist and classist (I would just say classist, but since I'm a middle class professional in education then I'd have to go with the "it must be a race thing." I don't think I look homeless or scary or smell like pee. I usually take a shower before I go to work.")

Jane

[TrafficBulldog]

So, um does the new Chair of the MTA have a friend who needs a contract?

Give me $1million and I will eliminate traffic in LA in 2 years.

Oh right, then the MTA wouldn't need to be so administration heavy.
And we would have sad stories in the news about sad out of work former MTA administrators.

And that would be so sad.

Have a nice day.

[cph]

I rarely even see the Sherrif's deputies on the trains. Maybe around the first of the month, they'll check tickets on board, but otherwise, they're nowhere to be seen.

I do tend see a lot of them hanging out at Union Station (with the dogs), 7th and Metro, and Imperial/Wilmington (Rosa Parks, where the Blue and Green connect). Maybe one time out of five they're actively checking tickets, but most of the time, I've just seen them standing around.

We need more of an active security presence on the trains, especially at night.

[mike]

Who cares if some people don't pay, it would cost too much to make sure that 5% pays anyway. We should really be focusing on things like expanding the subway down wilshire and a whole host of other more pressing issues. I have an idea why not use those LED displays to tell you when the next train is going to come!!!! The cost benifit ratio is very much in favor and has been for a long time of keeping the honor system. Some more sheriff officers around wouldn't hurt though. Hey, wifi would be nice too, but cell reception is more important. Makes calling 911 easier than searching for the hidden emergency boxes.

[Jane]

For people who have never been bothered by the Sheriff riding the subway try being a person of color. As a school teacher that takes the red line, blue line, and green line to work every day I get asked for my pass everyday, even on the red line.

6:30 in the morning and some jerk Sheriff asks for my ticket, passes everyone else and goes right to me, if you're in a car they don't stop you for being black or brown, oh yeah they do...at 110 pounds with my teacher bag I look like the type who must not have paid, because dark people never pay for anything...

No one gets asked on the red line. I was with my white boyfriend once and they asked me and all the other brown people and they forgot to ask him, I wonder was that intentional.

Most people pay their fare, gates will simply make someone's friend who is a constractor money.

A gate in LA is silly, how about spending that money expanding the rapid or how about having the rails run until 2am? How about having the busses actually go by the schedule, why does the 6:18 180/1 come by ten minutes early everyday while the 6:28 runs three minutes late, is there traffic, I don't see any or even better, how about having a lay person at the stations so you can ask a question...you know customer service and things like that, since the people who take public transit pay more for less than in any urban city in the world.

Jane

[Jerard Wright]

My God, we are losing funding for more projects like Expo Line yet the Metro board decide to waste funds to study fare barriers something that has already been studied to death!

First off to folks who believe that this would make the stations safer. This would not make any station safer! I lived in Chicago for 6 years and see how and why they do not work. For one, the “Security” that is involved is nothing more than a rent-a-cop which most fare evaders and the general public would ignore anyway. For the same cost they could do the random checks and even do passenger counts like they are doing in San Diego.

With this you’re adding another unneccessary cost to this whole program, what happens in case of an emergency what will these Security people do, Call 911 because they are not equipped to handle the job that the sheriffs/police/emergency crew would be able to do. Instead of “studying” this but instead spend $$$ to actually install fiber optics to allow cell-phone use, that would allow more users to help out in an emergency situation aiding the emergency response team.

Second, in case there is an emergency a Sheriff’s deputy would be more equipped to dispatch to others to quickly reach the situation again allowing cell phones in the subway will help with that, the problem now is that the Sheriffs are only in one part of the station they need to be at spots before the platforms.

Finally, fare gates will require a whole new set up of Fare media (a hidden cost that LACMTA doesn't have) so that this works not only on the trains but for the Buses as well.

The only $$$ Metro needs to focus on is getting the $$$ back from Sacramento for Expo Line, Crenshaw and other vital transit infrastructure.

[Scott Mercer]

We just need some more fare inspectors and Sheriffs!

Installing barriers will cost HUGE amounts of money, and people will STILL find ways to cheat the system. Plus it will make the Red Line look like a PRISON.

In New York, there used to people called "Token Suckers." When people would place their token into the slot and go through the turnstile, other people would run up, place their lips on the slot and SUCK OUT THE TOKENS and run away.

My point with that story is that people are clever and they will always find a new way to cheat. 5% non-compliance on the honor system is not too bad, we just need more fare inpsectors!

[Nathan]

I don't understand why it would cost $1 million to do a study like this. Isn't it as simple as: Currently, we make so much money on passes/citations minus money spent on sheriffs. If we upgrade to a gate system, we'll make more money on passes/tickets minus lesser cost for sheriff plus amortized cost of building gates at every station that'll read passes/tickets plus cost of ticket seller at each station for manual verification (like at the MUNI in SF). Obviously, someone has to figure out all these numbers, but a million dollars worth of work? It sure must pay to get a contract with the city government.

[DM]

Post a couple of Sherrifs or Civilian fare inspectors at the section that says "TICKETS REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT", to deter violators.
When I ride the train the Sheriff's and Civilian fare inspectors are all congregated in one little area.

[m]

I agree with Manuel. Why not have some sheriffs on the Red Line, especially on friday? I don't think I have EVER been asked in 2 years of riding the train almost daily to show my ticket on a friday and there are a lot of people riding at that time that don't normally ride and that will very freely laugh about and share the fact they don't have a ticket. Then again, I think my ticket has only been checked 5 or 6 times on the Red Line in 2 years....

[cyclist]

Great: millions of dollars spent on a #$%&! study! Yet more money in politicians' and developers' pockets. Why not simply spend the money on the improvements themselves? And yes: WHAT ABOUT THE BIKE LANES? sheesh.

[Pete McFerrin]

I somehow doubt that the problem costs the agency only $2 million in fares annually. Fare-dodging is rampant on most Metro Rail lines and I even see it on the bus.

[Manuel]

I agrees with Mr. Katz. Don't spend that type of money on a study. Instead place more sheriff's so that they can bust the violators and get the 250.00 instead. Plus that gates look ugly. Not having the gates displays a beauty and honesty that Angelinos have. If you recall there was an article from a writer in Philadelphia stating how much he liked out system. Emphasizing he cool not having toll gates was.