Metrolink sets ridership record, candidates don't talk traffic and sales tax: Ramping up, August 18

Take the Olympic lane!

If I spoke Chinese, I'd love to be in one of those cars to ask Beijing residents what they think of the special Olympic lane on one of their local freeways.

Metrolink ridership up

The commuter rail service averaged 48,289 riders on weekdays in July, which is a new record and a 16% increase over July 2007 (not July 2008 as stated earlier). "Ridership usually picks up in September each year, so it will be interesting to see what happens this year because we're in unchartered territory," said Denise Tyrrell, a Metrolink spokeswoman.

Regular readers know my theory: If gas prices keep falling, people will go back to driving. Then again, maybe now that new commuters have had some time aboard the train, they'll find it beats their old commutes.

Presidential candidates don't talk traffic

Pastor Rick Warren had serious face-time with both the presumptive nominees of the two major political parties right here in the Southland on Saturday but didn't ask them what they would do about traffic and federal transportation funding. C'mon, Pastor -- bring the heat next time!

The closest either Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama got to the issue was when McCain said "we've got to drill now and we've got to drill here" and added that the U.S. needed to look to alternative energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wean itself from foreign oil.

Fair enough, but you may also want to check out Thomas Friedman's recent column in the NYT about McCain missing a key vote -- missing it eight times, that is -- on a federal program to encourage more renewable energy.

UPDATE, 10:10 a.m.: In the earlier version of this post, I overlooked Obama's closing comments on Saturday that there will be a "price to pay" in transitioning to different sources of energy.

German politicians do silly things too

For reasons unexplained by the Associated Press, Wolfgang Clement, the former minister of economic affairs, arrived for a press conference earlier this month on his bike.

Bottleneck Blog therefore must issue this challenge: a free Los Angeles Times pen (a $2 value) to the first Southland politician who arrives to a news conference on a unicycle. I know there's a certain Council president out there who's thinking about it.

Airlines reducing flights to LAX

Several foreign airlines are cutting the number of flights to LAX due to lower demand and the bad economy, reports my colleagues Peter Pae and Dan Weikel in today's edition. Among those cutting are Air India, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Aer Lingus and Malaysia Airlines.

Sales tax pushback

I've been remiss in not providing a link to Max Taves' story in the LA Weekly about emerging opposition to the half-cent sales tax increase in Los Angeles County. The tax, if it makes it to the ballot and is approved, would raise $30 billion to $40 billion for mass transit and road projects, proponents say.

In particular, Taves wrote of opposition from the San Fernando Valley and the Bus Riders Union and pointed out that this may be one of those rare times that the BRU and the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. agree. Taves also wrote:

But, in fact, all dollar figures are strictly preliminary. If Metro’s history is any guide, costs will skyrocket almost from the moment the money flows, and Metro will eliminate many improvements that its leaders, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, are now promising to voters.

Even if you don't agree with that statement, I do think that's exactly why some people are opposing the sales tax proposal. They simply do not believe in the spending plan adopted by the Metro Board (also known as the MTA Board).

Links to a pair of recent Bottleneck Blog posts you may find ultra-gripping

What can Portland teach Los Angeles about cycling and streetcars?

U.S. road deaths down, but motorcycling fatalities increase

--Steve Hymon 

Photos: Top, Orestis Panagiotou / European Pressphoto Agency. Bottom, Volker Hartmann / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[lsm]

Dan W correctly notes that some nostalgic Angelenos in denial may feel anxious when Prop P reminds them that "freeway close" is no longer the boon it was during the Eisenhower Administration. More Angelenos, however, seem to suffer from even deeper denial. They deny our need to build appropriate infrastructure to allow our county's inevitable growth be better managed. Instead they magically believe that if we do not build appropriate infrastructure we will no longer grow. That they can look at Century City and Westwood and mid-Wilshire, but have not eyes to see that these chokingly dense areas sprang up despite lacking rather than due to adequate mass transit only shows how deep their denial runs. On John von Kerczek's list of obstacles, I would add: 16. Mistaken belief that mass transit causes unbearable growth rather than makes inevitable growth much more bearable

[Dan W.]

Here's one, John:

Don't forget the automobile-entitled who pine for the days of Southern California yore with cheap gasoline, low congestion, the ability to drive and park anytime, anyplace, anywhere, convenient and affordably, with the assumption that everyone else will do the same.

These people, who don't want their lifestyles to be affected by increased congestion and higher gas prices, intuitively realize that the famed and beloved Los Angeles car culture lifestyle is in a period continual decline in quality and this sales measure to raise money for transit reminds them that there is no time machine going back or silver bullet to restore the former quality of the car culture.

[John von Kerczek]

Along these lines, I’m soliciting feedback on what opposition and obstacles proponents of this sales tax measure anticipate leading up to the election. I think once we articulate what opposition we face we can begin articulating our counterarguments. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

1. Opposition of County Supervisors Gloria Molina and Antonovich who are perptuating:

2. False claims of a lack of equity for the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys as well as the South Bay

3. Potential US Congressional opposition from David Dreier, Grace Napolitano, Gary Miller and Hilda Solis

4. Opposition from the BRU on grounds of an incoherent race and class baiting anti-rail argument

5. Opposition of anti-tax ideologues like the Howard Jarvis Foundation and the Sherman Oaks Homeowners association

6. Opposition from the some of the press

7. An economy in recession

8. Competing sales tax measures this election

9. Distrust that funds will be raided like previous funds either to fund other transit projects or to balance the state budget

10. Distrust of the MTA due to prior abuses, mismanagement, and overspending

11. The state budget crisis and the Governor’s subsequent veto threat

12. Intra-regional resentments and hostility being exploited by opponents (see #2)

13. A regional growth machine and political aparati oriented more towards suburban expansion rather than urban reinvestment & revitalization

14. General public that is ill-informed about public transportation specifically and urban issues in general

15. Long-term demonization of liberalism and policies and programs (like public transportation) that are associated with it

Feel free to leave any feedback: (http://takethemetro.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-thread-ostacles-to-sales-tax.html )

[Damien Newton]

I would argue that Obama's ending comment that it's not going to be easy to change our economy away from oil dependence was the closest either candidate came to addressing transportation. McCain's pandering on off-shore won't effect gas prices for 10 years. But a change, or sacrifice if you will, in how we move ourselves is called for right now.

[Simon]

Saying it's about this specific spending plan gives too much credit to the opposition. There's always going to be something someone doesn't like in a spending bill.

What we have here in the form of LA weekly is simply a libertarian, anti-government, anti-tax impulse that defines much of Los Angeles. It doesn't matter what the program does, they'll call it a scam or a shell game or some other phrase to insinuate the money is being misused because in their minds, any money taxed and spent by the government is being misused.

BRU is an assumed opponent. They oppose everything. The home owners association president is from the secession movement, so of course he's opposed to spending anything outside of Sherman Oaks (my hometown by the way). This doesn't mean they aren't real opponents, but to say it's about specifics in the bill ignores that these are people who would be opposed to it no matter what the bill said.