Why he doesn't take the MTA

Oscar Geraldo seems like the kind of guy the MTA would love to have take mass transit. But in response to The Times' piece last week on the weaknesses of transit-oriented development, he offered his own experiences with the MTA to The Times' Sharon Bernstein:

Seven years ago I moved to downtown L.A. In a stroke of luck, the Red Line to North Hollywood just opened up and I was working at Universal City at the time. In those seven years, I've seen the same problems over and over.

Check out his Top Six problems with mass transit in L.A.:

> The fundamental logic flaw that the MTA has is that the LA transit

> system is modern and efficient. That concept is as laughable as when the

> MTA pointed to New York's transit fares to justify the draconian fare

> increases they wanted. If those fares would have happened, I probably

> would have stopped taking the Red line.

>

> Seven years ago I moved to downtown L.A. In a stroke of luck, the Red Line

> to North Hollywood just opened up and I was working at Universal City

> at the time. In those seven years, I've seen the same problems over and

> over.

>

> 1. The trains/buses are never on time. So why would I take public

> transportation if I have an appointment at a specific time and I could

> not rely on the punctuality of the Metro system?

>

> 2. At least once a month there is an incident that prevents the

> Red Line from reaching its destination. The frustrating part about

> that is the lack of communication. I've waited at the Pershing Square

> station for 40 minutes before I was told anything, and sometimes

> when I'd ask, I'd get responses as though I was asking a silly

> question. Many times I've resorted to taking taxis since their

> alternate is ludicrious; they expect you to take a bus to your

> destination which is less frequent and holds less people. How can you

> expect a bus that comes once an hour to accommodate a trainload of

> people?

>

> 3. Escalators and elevators broken at regular intervals. The elevator

> issue is really absurd because their solution is, if you need to use

> the elevator, get off at the previous or next stop and take a bus to

> your destination (which will essentially cost you more money if you

> pay for a one-way ticket since transfers don't exist anymore and each

> line is a separate fare).

>

> 4. I rarely take the Blue Line, because it takes one hour to get to

> Long Beach. Why would I do that when I can get there in half the time

> in a car?

>

> 5. I will never take a local bus, only rail and Rapid buses.

>

> 6. During non-rush hour, the interval between trains is too long. Just

> last Wednesday I was waiting for half an hour at the Universal station

> for the next train. And it's always pleasant when I am waiting to head

> back to downtown and two trains pass heading toward North Hollywood and

> none to downtown.

>

> Of course, some of these issues are out of the MTA's control. I really

> don't care for the NYMBIANs that attempt to derail the building of any

> new line for "safety" reasons. IMO, if you get hit by a bus or rail

> line, you should automatically be at fault, pay a big fine and be

> charged with a misdemeanor. An efficient public transportation system

> is essential for any major metropolitan area.

>

> -- Oscar

Comments

[Charles]

I'm 40 years old, and have never learned to drive, people are shocked by this when I tell them that I also lived in Los Angeles for 15 years. "How did you get around?" is always the question asked. My answer is By bus, subway and bicycle.

The only time in 15 years that I was inconvenienced was during the 32 day bus strike in 2000.

I hope Los Angeles continues to grow it's light rail and subway system and continues to improve the bus service as well, hopefully before I move back.

[James]

I echo Ricks comments on the Red Line. I used to ride from Universal to downtown and home at midnight for work. The last time I rode was when the train was parked in Union Station and a man peed in the corner of the car right in front of me. It had grown beyond bearable. Riding the train was a great experience for being out of traffic and a nightmare for the systems operation and the fear of harm, the broken escalators and shoddiness. I occasionally ride the Gold line and find it much better.

[Ex-Public-Transportation-Advocate]

It sucks. One cannot ignore the elevators, the cancelled routes, the route delays or the SMELL!

Would you allow your mother to ride any of the MTA transpo lines? Thought so.

[Ed Jones]

I have no complaints about Metro. I've been using it since 1998, when I was in high school, and my view of the system went from loathing to loving. The Metro has considerably improved since the red line expansion in 2000, and is continuing to improve. Indeed the system is not without its problems as previously mentioned, but It gets where I need to be, when I need to be. Plus the rails sure beat traffic and high gas prices. There was a time, when trains had ample seating, nowadays, trains are often full and busy. LA's jumping in on this project and not a time too soon.

[Theodore McNabney]

Having lived most of my life in areas where public transportation was available I am completely in favor of it. The idea that we have a "right" to drive when and where we want is an immature and selfish attitude that most people have and wouldn't think of entertaining an idea for change. We are choking our roads and ourselves with our automobiles and their emanations. There was a time when the roadsides were ugly and people thought they had a right to advertise anything they pleased and then came Lady Bird Johnson and now most of us agree with her philosophy. There was a time when smokers had the "right" to puff whenever and whever they pleased, there was a time when dog owners could leave their gifts all over the place, there was time when segregation was accepted as a God given right. Private transportation falls into the same illogical category of selfish attitudes that should and can be changed

[Don Tran]

Oscar is lost.

First if you need to get to an appointment on time, you do the same thing for rail/ bus that you would do if you drive.
You plan and you leave early. Oscar should know that riding rail/buses. Extra Early if necessary.

Long Beach Blue Line

When I lived in Torrance, I would drive a short distance on the 405 and take the Blue Line downtown.
I was sweeeeeet. It felt like I had a chauffeur. In the mornings I could read the newspaper on the way in.
In the evenings I could take a lite nap on the way home, exit at Pacific station and drive a short distance home.

What he fails to mention is that back then the monthly pass was only $41, which was one heck of a bargain. Today it's higher, at $59 or
something near that, because I don't ride any more. (more on that later). Considering todays higher fuel prices (it's still a heck of
a bargain), and wear/tear, plus less/no stress of sitting on the rail line rather than in gridlock in the car,
plus getting freeway shot at, (I have been shot at-they missed me, but shattered my window). Which
cost $200 to replace. Plus you've got on the crazies with their driving, and the insanely stupid people who get in the fast lane and drive slow.
What I mean by that is some one who gets in the number one lane (aka fast lane), and does exactly 65 speed limit, when their is open road in
front of them. They should be cooking at 75. Even back when the limit was 55, nobody did 55, they did 65. And now that it's 65, they should
close in the the open road and drive. These people drive me nuts, because they think they own the road. They think they can
get in the fast lane and drive slow and hold every one up. There are signs on the freeway that say "slower traffic keep right", and
other signs that say "left lane for passing only". But these people don't seem to understand that or know the rules of the road. But I
digress.

El Monte to Westwood.

Ok back to mass transit.
Once I commuted from El Monte to Westwood. Even that was do-able and sweet. I would take the Santa Anita Station to Union Station,
walk downstairs and catch the Red Line, to Wilshire and Western, and catch the 720 Red Bus Express to Westwood. 45 minutes going, and
1 hr coming home.

El Monte to Torrance/Harbor.

Now I work at the Torrance Harbor UCLA Medical Center. And that's do-able. 45 minutes coming and going. But I haven't tried it yet for 2 reasons.
One is school. I'm in law school, the other is I haven't figured out how to get that last part from the Artesia Station to the
hospital yet. If only the Express bus went to the 110 Fwy/Carson exit. As it is I would have to transfer to the
Torrance Bus. that runs every 1/2 hr. Which doesn't cut it.

I wish I had a job/position downtown, then I'm back, back in black with MTA from El Monte to Downtown.

[Jeremy R]

"Perhaps MTA officials should visit my favorite metro system, Paris, and see what it is that makes it so fun that you actually want to go metro. "

paris is extremely compact. about 10 times denser than LA as far as work and play attractions go, and about 7 times denser in raw population numbers. It is not fair to compare. If LA were that compact, the subway to the sea would not be controversial at all. LA's problem is that it is just a little too dense for cars and not quite "laid out right" for mass transit. It is dense enough, but laid out poorly.

Toyko and mexico city are far better examples.

[Dan]

I've been taking the Metro every day from North Hollywood to Downtown for 6 years and I love it. Its on time 99 % of the time. It takes me 25 minutes. I can read in a stress-free environment. If I had to drive the 101 every day, I would pull my hair out. Rarely, there are stoppages that cause a problem. This happens once a year, maybe. I do wish there was better communication between the Metro and the bus drivers so that the drivers could offer real-time updates when there is that rare train stoppage.

[CaptA]

It is truly unbelievable that city officials don't have the backbone to expand mass transit. The trains in LA don't go enough places nor frequently enough to make them worth the time. It's silly to because the city is choking in automobiles yet no one is lifting a finger to create a usable infastructure to move people around...

Some thing take courage... c'mon MTA...

[Jeremy R]

a) Lets all band together and get rid of the BRU (9.5 million vs 500,000)
b) Lets press the MTA like no tomorrow to fix the redline's problems. They already invested so much in the line, might as well put forth that little extra effort so LA has a "trophy" line that will compare to New York. Of course, we need another 100 miles worth to be truly effective, but at least people can feel that the red line matches their east coast counterparts.

Lets get this done!

[Rick]

I rode LA's MTA buses for four years. Getting home from Pershing Square to Arcadia could take an 1 hr and 45 minutes! Call me a snob, but my main issue was with other passengers. Some people never heard of a bath, mouthwash, and deodorant in the morning. Even after I moved within 3 miles of my job, the trip would take 30 minutes because the bus would seemingly stop at every corner.

[Eric]

What's really needed is a culture change -- the populace needs to change its attitude about cars, building/land-use, their environmental effects, and the role of transit in the mix. I've ridden trains (both local and not), buses, and trams all over Europe, in Australia, and Asia, as well as New York. I lived in the DC area for over 20 years and used Metro there daily, as well as the suburban commuter rail system VRE. The big difference between these places and SoCal is the viewpoint that riding around one to a car in a parking lot called (take your pick) 91, 15, 405, 5, etc., is a birthright of some sort. People in these other places fully expect efficient and operational transit systems. They make it a priority. They build to suit that priority. And they hold officials accountable when that priority is not serviced by action. Central London has a fee to drive in. I was there last week and was amazed at how reasonable the traffic was, consisting mostly of taxis and double-decker buses, about equal in number to private cars. At the rate SoCal is going, we're going to need measures like this. The fastest and cheapest thing we could do is mandate no single-rider cars on the freeways. This would require no new building and cut traffic and pollution drastically. Local authorities need to focus on more work+housing zoning combinations. Los Angeles is well-suited to this type of zoning. LA could be another Melbourne (Australia) if planners set their minds to it, and a model for the rest of the region. More roads to accommodate future congestion will just get us much more of the same and destroy the beauty and lifestyle we all love so much here.

- EF

[James]

I live in Denver now, but went to college in LA. Denver's got efficient, late-running (24 hrs I believe) public transportation that's heavily used. It's pretty clear to me that my peers (typical 20-something folks who heavily use mass transit in other places) don't use it in LA. Why here and not LA? A few things, I think:

1. Size. I was shocked at how small Denver was compared to LA. Drive twenty minutes in any direction from downtown and you'll be surrounded with cows or mountains, not houses and freeways. The light rail doesn't need to serve a ton of places.

2. Destinations. It goes where everything is happening: football games, concerts, baseball games, downtown and nightlife. If there were a train going to Dodger Stadium or the Coliseum, we'd all take it, rather than paying 15 bucks to park.

3. Parking. There is tons of it in LA, whether it be lots or garages. Denver doesn't have as much and everything downtown is limited to 2 hrs. Except scooters - you can park those anywhere. Residences mostly use street parking. That, to me, is the biggest incentive. Riding a bike or taking light rail is faster, cheaper and less of a pain in the ass. No looking for spots, trying to squeeze into tiny spots, no parking fees, etc. It's the same reason I took buses when I lived in SF.

4. Security. Don't know what the security situation is on light rail/buses in LA is, but in Denver the late night trains all have policemen on them. Add that to the fact that there's 200 drunk people on them and you feel, oddly enough, relatively safe. In LA, the idea of using trains late at night is creepy to me and I used light rail pretty frequently when I lived there. Getting kids who haven't ridden light rail before to do so is going to be even tougher.

This isn't to say there aren't problems here and God knows there's traffic on the freeways during rush hour, but Denver light rail has been embraced pretty enthusiastically even tho people here are suspicious of 'big government' projects. By contrast, LA's transportation is nightmarish, even tho everyone seems to agree mass transit is a good thing. How to solve it?

Make the train lines go where people go, whether that's Sunset, the stadiums or wherever. Make parking at those destinations a huge pain and also steal people's parking spots back at their house when they leave. Incentivise bikes and scooters (lots of secure, free parking). Shrink the size of the city by about 70%.

[Jeffrey]

Public Transportation should not be dogged for several good reasons. A) Give it a try. Once you get out of your cars and into the streets and next to the people of this great city you gain a whole new understanding of it and realize for many trips it's just as easy if not easier to ride transit than in your car. B) You save money. Wear and tear on your car plus gas adds up. C) It's the environment, silly. More efficient forms of transport carrying more people with less energy, or just riding a bike and walking contribute to a healthier, more sustainable planet. D) It's more fun not to drive, you can read, meditate, talk on the phone without endangering others. Less stress and the ability to look out the window make it worthwhile. Public transpo haters get out of your road rage-mobiles and take a ride on the bright side.

[Scott Mercer]

Go up to San Francisco and ask the citizens up there how they like their transit system. Or in New York.

This is clearly a case of "grass is always greener" syndrome.

Metrorail is fine, and my only complaint is that they cut back service hours a couple years ago. It goes where it goes, and I work my traveling around where it goes, because, hey, it's not a taxi. It goes where it goes for slightly over TWO BUCKS a day (monthly pass amortized over 31 days).
it's quite a good deal. I can go to Long Beach, Pasadena, Hollywood or Koreatown. A good choice of destinations, and East L.A. and Culver City will be added to those within 3 years. I probably won't be going out to East L.A. too much, but Culver City has a new art gallery scene I might want to check out. If I have to go somewhere specific, buses fill in the gaps for now, until we build more and we can take the Purple Line to Fairfax Avenue or Westwood.

And yes, we are building more. We've only had Metrorail running since 1990 (construction started in 1986). So just over 16 years. Look at history, and you'll see that the metro systems in most cities were built over the course of DECADES. Mexico City's system was built 1969-2000. Washington D.C. built from 1975 to 2002. Most of the New York Subway system was built between 1904 and 1940. That's 36 years. That gives us until 2027 to come up with a subway system that rivals New York's.

I don't think we'll do it, but I do think we will end up in fourth place in the USA, behind New York, Chicago and Washington, based on total track mileage. Beating San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston!

[mrmr]

I fully agree with
pingvuiini

The cities he mentioned( I would add Tokyo) have
great systems. They are efficient and FUN!
Thus you see a good segment of the population.

In LA, its not convenient enough, so drivers drive.
This means that we only see a SMALL segment
of the population.

California's citizens need to rub shoulders and
the best way is on the train systems, where
everyone's head is in travel mode.

And I would add a turnstile and not have this
"be honest and pay your ticket" approach.
I would put BIG signs thatsays METRO.

basically, modern city planning should revolve AROUND
the train system --THats IT.
A good train system can advance california so quickly AS A SOCIETY
that you would kick yourselves in the head because
you didn't see this obvious remedy to our fragmented,
exclusionary society.

[Nathan]

I've been taking the Red Line daily between Universal City and 7th Metro stations during rush hour since 2001. From my experience, the trains are on time. They're late more than 2 minutes maybe once every couple of months. And as for extreme delays due to missing trains, maybe once every 6 months. I don't know if Oscar is just exaggerating, or if he just happens to have the worst luck ever. I'm a happy mass transit rider, but I also acknowledge the fact that I only take the Red Line. I will drive before getting onto a bus.

[Jason Hoppe]

It's simple for me. Why take public transportation to work if I can make it to work a half hour faster driving? Public transportation costs me too much time.

Until then I'll listen to the music in the privacy of my own car.

[pingvuiini]

Although I haven't read every single MTA related blog or comment, I have noticed a lack of comparison to the outstanding metro lines in Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, Kiev and St. Petersburg. It is my opinion as a visitor to those cities that getting around town using their metro lines is half the fun of being there. I am at a loss to explain why their metro lines seem like getting on a roller coaster ride at the park, but they are very efficient, cheap, have many stops all over the city, and trains arrive in 5 minute intervals or less. Even for a person who doesn't speak the language, getting tickets and finding your way around the stations is very easy (I take that back. If you can't read Cyrillic then you will be completely lost in the Russian metros). Perhaps MTA officials should visit my favorite metro system, Paris, and see what it is that makes it so fun that you actually want to go metro.

[Steve T]

Jane:
I sure hope most Metro employees take transit to work. They are reimbursed up to $200/month for doing so, not to mention Union Station being at their doorstep.
Also, I believe the drivers do not announce stops anymore because there is automatic voice annunciation (the guy's voice that says APPROACHING... WILSHIRE AND LA BREA). There are also LCD displays throughout the bus that show the bus location over a Local Live map. Of course they can only help when they're working, but most of the time they work fine.

L and Oscar:
It really does suck when the escalators are out of service, but you can report the downed escalators to Metro Rail operations at (800) 292-6790. If I call in the morning, they usually can get them up and running by the afternoon rush. Not only does it help you, but it helps everyone else who passes through the station.

I agree with Colin that they need to accept credit/debit cards. They have the VISA and MC logos on the ticket vending machines, but the only options remain cash and tokens. Maybe they will start accepting them when TAP rolls out to the public.

Oscar:
The Blue Line might take twice as long between Downtown and LB during the weekend but it comes out pretty even during rush hour (Inbound 7-9a, Outbound 3-6p).

Our Red Line runs great when compared with other transit agencies. (See Chicago Transit Authority's post fireworks show meltdown).

My only gripe on Metro Rail is the lack of any real time information. BART and DC Metro both give the train's destination, estimated arrival time, and car length (so you know where to stand on the platform). Our stations scroll the same messages about downed elevators and how to call the police if you see something. And the new paint schemes on the Red, Gold, and Blue are horrible! Paint them the color of the line that they are, just like in Boston!

[russell]

For a city in love with cars, the busses and trains are certainly packed with people. As mentioned, it is hopeless for busses stuck in the same traffic as cars to be expected to cure the problem. Such as weak attempt at mass transit, followed by half hearted lowered expectations, are not what a great city needs. These milquetoasts need to melt into another bureaucracy -- there is a transportation crisis in LA.

[L]

The escalators and the trains not reaching their destination are the key points for me. I take the red line daily from North Hollywood to 7th/metro and back. Once a month, I don't reach one of those points. I'd say anywhere from 3-5 days a week, an escalator isn't working at one of the stations. Now, I'm not sure if any of you reading this has seen the stairs out of North Hollywood, but it's like seeing a tiny light at the end of a very long tunnel. Their massive and when the escalator isn't working, the tiny elevator gets jammed with people, making it virtually impossible to take. It's painful. Where are my increased fares going again? And who was the person that signed off on these escalators and elevators that constantly breakdown? I'm surprised their hasn't been a class action suit by a disabled persons group.

[Jane]

How about everyone at the MTA being required to take public transit to get to work at least once a week.

Oh and the busses in LA are disgusting and crowded and the if you ask the driver about a stop they say things like, "I don' t know, I'm just driving the bus."

Shouldn't drivers know the stops on the route that they are driving, I mean how hard is that.

Jane

[colin]

I agree with a lot of these points. Now I have lived in other cities with efficient and widespread public transportation (boston and NYC) and believe me, they are not without their problems. Regardless, waiting an hour for a bus (or even an half an hour) is by no means acceptable - i'm with you on that. And, I'm with the general consesus that it is hard to justify a fare increase without service and reliability increase.

I never take the rail (it doesn't go to where I need to go and there's no stop by my house) but I do occasionally take the bus to work. While it is slower than driving or biking, the bus routes I take are at least rather reasonable in distance and they're usually pretty consistent. Anyway, LA being so car-centric does not benefit from buses on the same road that cars are on. What's the incentive to take a bus from point a to point b when if you drive, you can at least have the privacy of your own car instead of standing next to a smelly guy, lady with a screaming baby, and rowdy kids in the back of the bus? There needs to be more incentive for everyone, not just "poor people", to use public transit. In New York, the incentive is that it runs all night ,comes pretty much consistently, goes anywhere you want it to, and the need for a car is much less in that city to begin with. In boston, the T runs only till 1:30 AM, but it is still rather reasonable in price, there are a lot of destinations, and the bus routes somewhat make up for the places the train doesn't go. In LA, the standard middle class citizen doesn't even know where the bus goes, they just see it going by. Since LA is so big, transit users would be lucky to NOT have to transfer when riding a bus or train, and like the poster said, since transfer passes are all but gone (it's a $5 full day pass or nothing at this point), it just doesn't make sense.
Things they should do:

1. allow credit card swipes/payments for fares. It could function like the automated box office at the movie theater. jus swipe your card and the ticket comes out.

2. easier accessible route maps. Either the maps are too big - covering what seems like the entire southern half of CA, or they're too specific. I'm not sure what i'm proposing, but they need to do some serious re-thinking of how to present a relevant map. Perhaps at the bus stops they could show the route of not only that bus, but any major transit points along the route.

3. Buses should always run in tandem, preferably in a Local/Rapid pair. I know they try and do this, but it should be much more frequent. Rush hour or heavily traveled routes need to have multiple pairs going out at one time. half the time buses don't stop at crowded stops because there are simply too many people on board, and it just makes the issue worse.

4. Dedicated Bus Lanes. This would be a nightmare on LA considering the miles of road and the traffic consequences involved...but it would be cool.

Anyway, that's my rant.

[Ernie]

Excellent points and I have noticed the exact same things. It really is so pathetic how MTA management cannot even manage the most basic infrastructure of their system.

I would like to add Point 7:
INOPERATIVE FARE MACHINES
Simply unbelievable how many fare machines are broken at any given time

The entire executive management team at MTA needs to be fired immediately and replaced by people who are actually capable in their positions.

Tie this new management teams' and all other MTA employee's raises directly to ridership satisfaction surveys.