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Two L.A. Times editors wrote about their experiences moving into downtown L.A. Both like it -- especially giving up the commute (and travel costs). Julie Makinen says: Part of the windfall has come from trading my hourlong, 20-mile morning crawl down the 101 Freeway for a leisurely 1.4-mile stroll or bike ride to work. That means $160 less in gas expenditures each month. Cha-ching!
Julie also says the urban mindset is different from the suburban mindset when it comes to driving: Back in the Valley, my shopping routine went like this: Hop into the car on a weekend afternoon. Spend hours on the typical suburban circuit of Trader Joe's, Vons or Ralphs, Target or Costco and maybe the mall. Load up the shopping cart, check out, repeat. Stuff the trunk with a half-dozen bags containing provisions for the next week or two. No more. Now that my primary modes of transport are my feet, my bike and the bus, I'm shopping Euro-style -- stopping for groceries on the walk home and buying only what's needed for the next few meals. Since my spending is limited to what can be carried the two long blocks to my building, that means giving up on heavy cases of wine and bulk packages of toilet paper the size of small igloos. But it also means fewer impulse purchases -- and, overall, less cash forked over at the checkout stand.
Meanwhile, the Downtown blog dispels fears that 2nd Street in downtown is being widened.
--Shelby Grad
Photo: Carlos Chavez / LAT
The U.S. Department of Transportation offered more evidence today that Americans are driving less in this era of high gas prices. According to the DOT: Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in May 2008 than in May 2007, according to the Federal Highway Administration data. This is the largest drop in VMT for any May, which typically reflects increased traffic due to Memorial Day vacations and the beginning of summer, and is the third-largest monthly drop in the 66 years such data have been recorded. Three of the largest single-month declines -- each topping 9 billion miles -- have occurred since December.
The Wall Street Journal says this trend is reducing funding to improve roads.
More on the latest numbers from the DOT after the jump:
Photo: Rick Loomis /LAT
-Shelby Grad
Continue reading "The roads less traveled" »
Maybe it's the summer vacation season or the ever-so-slight dip in oil prices. Or maybe people are just finding it easy. But for whatever reason, the shuttle service from Union Station to LAX is growing at a 30% clip, Los Angeles World Airport officials announced today.
An article posted this morning by Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske, said airport officials are adding more than a dozen shuttle pickups. Check out her report.
And here's where you go to catch it.
-- Bill Nottingham
Photos: Los Angeles World Airports
Hi folks. I'm out-of-town Monday and Tuesday this week, but will be back and blogging away about the sales tax, gas prices, bike racks and all sorts of other transportation-related fun on Wednesday.
Some of my colleagues may be doing some light posting here today and tomorrow. Of course, there's plenty of material you can scroll through from earlier this month and in the archives.
In the meantime, feel free to leave any suggestions for the blog or story ideas on the comment board attached to this post. See you soon...and I should have plenty to report after I return from this supposedly transit- and bike-friendly town up north.
--Steve Hymon
It may be only half a penny, but from the looks of things on Friday, the effort to raise sales taxes in Los Angeles County to pay for a slew of mass transit projects and road improvements will likely be a heated contest this coming fall.
On Thursday, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to put a half-cent sales tax hike on the Nov. 4 ballot. The Legislature still must approve a companion bill, but proponents are already planning a fall campaign for the tax, which they say could raise from $30 billion to $40 billion for new rail lines and to fix freeway bottlenecks.
 At the gas pumps on Friday, however, the sales tax proved to be a tough sell. Of motorists interviewed by The Times, a typical response came from Henry Gonzalez, a 19-year-old biology major who was boarding an Orange Line bus in North Hollywood.
"I honestly would not vote for it," said Gonzalez, who added that he started taking the bus to summer school at Valley College recently, paying $13 a week in fares versus $95 a week to drive his car from Westlake to chemistry class. The problem, he said, is that the new sales tax would unfairly place the burden on lower income workers who rely on mass transit to get around town.
But other San Fernando Valley residents said they would gladly support such a tax hike, citing positive experiences on mass transit in other cities that eclipsed the mishmash of systems in Los Angeles that often leave residents unable to get where they need to be in a timely manner.
"I’m a big believer in public transportation," said Jamie Tarlove, as she topped off her gleaming black Honda Pilot with $75 in gas at a Chevron station in Sherman Oaks. Saying she just returned from a vacation to New York with her family, the schoolteacher recounted how her clan took the subway everywhere.
"I feel sorry for all the housekeepers on the corner who have to wait for a bus on Sundays," she added, saying she often drove her housekeeper home rather than asking her to take the bus. She also expressed surprise that part of the money from an increased tax hike would be used to finance Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s "subway to the sea," saying that she thought the new system was "already a done deal."
For more detail, click the link...
-- Steve Hymon with help from Jennifer Oldham, Joanna Lin and David Zahniser
Photo: Associated Press / Dan Loh
Continue reading "Now, the battle begins over sales tax proposal" »
Four members of the House of Representatives, all representing parts of the San Gabriel Valley, have just issued a press release saying the sales tax hike that Metro wants to take to voters is inequitable. All four -- David Dreier, Grace Napolitano, Gary Miller and Hilda Solis -- also say the Gold Line Foothill Extension should receive more money in the sales tax spending plan:
"The Federal government has stood up and done its part to demonstrate support –- our local Congressional delegation has already delivered $27.1 million. If Metro would commit its share, we could fight for an additional $320 million in federal funds. Rather than join us, Metro said no to the San Gabriel Valley."
They also say it's insulting that Metro and Caltrans are going ahead with a plan to convert the El Monte Busway into a toll lane without giving Congress time to learn more details of the program and that the agency has shared too few details of it with the public.
The sales tax spending plan calls for $735 million in revenues to go to the Gold Line Foothill Extension, although more than $200 million of that would be for a rail maintenance facility. Overall, proponents of the sales tax say it could raise $30 billion to $40 billion over the next three decades.
I just spoke with Don Lyster, Solis' chief of staff, and he said that Solis "is exploring actively campaigning against" the sales tax effort.
Of course, it's not actually on the ballot yet, but things just keep getting more interesting.
The whole release is after the jump.
Continue reading "Four Congress members say sales tax, toll lanes are an insult" »
 This is the latest dispatch from The Times' Lauren Williams, a regular Blue Line patron:
The first time I commuted on the Metro, I was practicing how to get to The Times using public transportation. It was 10 p.m. and I was standing on the platform at the Imperial/Wilmington stop, where the Blue Line intersects the Green Line, and I remember a small, scruffy dog near the stop, walking uncomfortably close to the rail line. I figured it was a one-time occurrence and someone would surely pick up the lost dog.
As I later learned, loose dogs are a pretty common sight on the Blue Line, especially between the Florence stop (just past the intersection with the Green Line) and the Del Amo station. Regular riders probably see half a dozen dogs walking the streets each week.
Some have collars, although they often don’t, and usually the dogs look happy to be free, trotting down the street. In such cases I assume another Good Samaritan will stop and call the owner or a shelter and the dog will be back to regular meals and clean water in no time.
Such was not the case last week, when, riding the Blue Line, I saw a dog curled into a ball lying dangerously close to the tracks beyond the metal gate that, to humans, distinguishes between the safe side of the sidewalk and the all-too-close side, near the Metro’s tracks.
The dog was cute, medium sized, with longish black and brown hair lying in the shade under a tree — the kind of dog that looks like the ideal family pet. It looked as if though had been on the streets for a while and was ready to kick the bucket.
So, as I rode the Blue Line, near El Segundo Boulevard, just past the Compton stop, I decided I was probably the only person who noticed (or cared about) the dog and called information trying to reach animal control.
Other passengers looked at me like I was a lunatic. “She’s got to be kidding,” their expressions said. But the dog looked nice. After several minutes on hold and several transfer calls, the Blue Line I was riding had taken me several stops away from where the dog was and my description was shoddy.
I didn't see the dog on my way home. I assumed maybe it had been picked up — or he just wandered somewhere else. Either way I thought maybe I was on to something.
A few days later, though, a dead pit bull near where the black and brown dog had been proved to me that I wasn’t. Or, maybe, a few more calls to animal control were in order.
To report a lost dog, here are the numbers for different agencies in Los Angeles County:
City of Los Angeles: call 3-1-1, http://www.laanimalservices.com/
Los Angeles County: The Downey shelter handles most of the area near the Blue Line; 562-940-6898, http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/.
City of Long Beach: 562-570-7387, http://www.longbeach.gov/health/bureau/ac/
The other county shelters contract services to many of the other cities in L.A. County. Their numbers are:
Agoura Shelter, (818) 991-0071
Baldwin Park Shelter, (626) 962-3577
Carson Shelter, (310) 523-9566
Castaic Shelter, (661) 257-3191 or (818) 367-8065
Lancaster Shelter, (661) 940-4191
--Lauren Williams
Photo: Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times
Mass transit returns to Dodger Stadium this evening when city of Los Angeles DASH buses start running a new route between Union Station and the ballpark.
The flier, at right, shows the route -- it's basically from Union Station straight up Cesar Chavez and Sunset to Elysian Park. The buses run from 90 minutes before the game until one hour after -- for those who like to stay until the bitter end. The ride is free.
We wrote about this last month. The Dodgers wouldn't help pay for the service, saying that mass transit isn't their responsibility, rather it's a civic function. The team did promise to help publicize the bus, which it appears to be doing -- although I wonder if that trolley at the right can afford to eat at the stadium.
The Dodgers are also intent on developing some of the land around the stadium. That could mean to a loss of some parking or an increase in the number of people going up the hill, which perhaps is the reason that the team wants to get people on the bus.
Either way, it's intriguing that the team is embracing something that could cost it parking revenue. With parking at $15 a pop and the high price of gas, now seems the time to strike.
A prominent elected official once suggested to me that I bear a distinct resemblance to a rain cloud, and in that spirit I would like to suggest that another bus be added that picks fans up at some downtown eateries and bars. The last time I was at the stadium I whipped out a $20 bill to pay for two watery beers and discovered it wasn't enough; next time I'm eating and drinking before the game.
-- Steve Hymon
Flier: City of Los Angeles
 Some other impressions from yesterday's vote by the Metro board to move forward with a half-cent sales tax initiative:
Cyclists speak out
I liked the spunk of the several cyclists who, with a rare mix of clarity and humor, made their case to the Metro board that money in the sales tax plan should be set aside for bike improvements and pedestrians. "Bicycling is a solution; the more you integrate it into your mass transit plans ... the better service you will have," cyclist Ingrid Peterson told the board. She's got a point -- bikes are often the quickest way to bus and rail stops.
Fifteen percent of sales tax revenue ($4.5 billion to $6 billion if Metro's estimates are correct) would go back to cities and unincorporated areas and it would be up to them to spend the money as they see fit. The cyclists are worried that some cities may spend on cyclists and pedestrians while others may not. It's a legit worry. Damien Newton at Streetsblog Los Angeles is helping lead the campaign; lots more details at his blog.
The fare freeze
It's not surprising that the Bus Riders Union is against the sales tax increase because leaders say too much money would go to rail projects. The BRU has historically been averse to rail spending, wanting to see the bus system upgraded first to relieve crowding and long waits between some buses.
It was equally interesting, however, that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tried to head off some of this criticism by proposing to use expected revenues to delay next year's fare increase and to freeze fares for seniors, the disabled, students and Medicare recipients for five years.
The fare freeze mimics a move made by County Supervisor Kenny Hahn in 1980, when as part of that year's campaign for a sales tax increase he called for bus fares to be cut. Looking back, some transit advocates credit that with helping secure passage of the sales tax hike, while others say it cost the bus system dearly needed revenues.
The money for this fare freeze would presumably have to come from somewhere in the spending plan. Will a particular project take a hit to help pay for it? We'll see.
The fall campaign
A couple of supporters of the sales tax said privately that a fall campaign would probably cost $5 million to $8 million and involve substantial television time. Maria Elena Durazo, the executive secretary-treasurer of the 800,000-member Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, indicated that her organization would likely spend some money. The business community has talked a lot about the need to improve transportation in the Southland, but are they willing to pony up some dollars, too?
Villaraigosa's office has also met with AAA to try to win the auto club's support, since the sales tax plan has several billion dollars of road projects in it. A AAA spokesperson told me Thursday that the organization is looking at the initiative, but hasn't taken a position yet.
The mayor will likely do some fundraising, as will other local pols. Another factor here is that this could be a ballot heavy on tax increases. The L.A. City Council is already asking for a parcel tax to pay for more anti-gang programs and Villaraigosa is also pushing an LAUSD school bond. The obvious question: When the economy is tough, how much can you realistically ask voters to pay?
The Gold Line
It will also be mighty interesting to see how San Gabriel Valley officials play this. To their credit, they used all their political leverage to get some extra money for the Gold Line extension into the spending plan but still pushed for more money -- and more assurances the Gold Line would be first in line for the money.
The problem they're up against now is this: If they oppose the sales tax and it doesn't pass, they're not likely to get the seed money from Metro to get the project going. That's just plain old political retribution. On the other hand, if they do support the sales tax, there is the very real chance it may not pass, or that it may pass but funds will be slow coming to the Gold Line. In short, they've got to decide whether the sales tax is their best shot at getting the line built.
It's a tough position, particularly when subway supporters can point to expected ridership that is many times what the Gold Line would have. On the other hand, I think the point overlooked about the Gold Line extension is that it's an effort to get mass transit in before it's too late traffic-wise.
The equity issue
To boil it down to its essence, a lot of the arguing about the sales tax spending plan over the past several weeks has been about how to best spread the money around. Some people argue it should be about need; others say it should be on a per capita basis.
The per capita basis argument is a way to lock in dollars for certain parts of L.A. County. Here's why that's important: There are likely to be projects on the spending plan that never come to pass. The best example, perhaps, is the 710 tunnel, a project that is controversial and very expensive. The plan has committed $780 million to the tunnel. If it doesn't happen, the Metro board will have to divert that money to something else.
If there was a per capita formula in place, that money could stay in the eastern half of the county. Without a formula, the Metro board could theoretically send that money anywhere. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- but it's the belief by the eastern half of the county that the money will go west to the city of Los Angeles that motivated all the arguing.
Hey, that's how political compromises work. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky may have summed it up best: "This is not a perfect proposal, but I can't remember the last tax proposal that I supported that was."
-- Steve Hymon
Photo: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
Frazgo is no fan of the proposal to raise the sales tax in L.A. County by a half-penny to pay for more road and mass transit. He wrote: "I totally disagree with the approach. It favors the wealthy. It does nothing to improve traffic flow in ANY city I have ever encountered it Civil Disobedience. Use it. Don't pay. Litigate the issue."
First, I plan on covering the campaign -- should it come to be -- as fairly as possible. But I think Frazgo raises a good point. Does mass transit improve traffic flow? Los Angeles has a much larger transit system now than it did in 1992, yet if you look at Caltrans traffic data, most freeways are carrying more cars now than they did then.
Many cities and regions with expansive transit systems -- New York, Chicago, the Bay Area, to name a few -- have pretty bad traffic congestion. I interviewed Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper last year about an expansive rail system that the Denver region is trying to build by 2015 and I thought he made some deft arguments that avoided the we're-gonna-fix-traffic approach.
The trains may not fix traffic, he said, but they would provide an alternative to sitting in traffic and they would perhaps keep traffic from growing worse.
--Steve Hymon
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