Does American Apparel deserve improved mass transit?

I went down to visit the American Apparel warehouses this morning in the industrial part of downtown Los Angeles. The two giant warehouses where 5,000 employees work assembling clothes over three shifts sits at the corner of 7th & Alameda, just 1.6 miles from Union Station, which is also on Alameda.

This being Los Angeles -- City of Traffic and Angels -- there is no direct bus service to Union Station down Alameda Street. Thus the reason for my visit.

Employees who do want to reach Union Station by mass transit have to take a circuitous route that involves walking a few blocks to a bus that travels west into the heart of downtown, where they transfer to the subway. It's a journey that requires 31 minutes of travel time, not counting the initial walk to the bus, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority trip planner.

That's 31 minutes to travel 1.6 miles as the crow flies, which I compute to be 3.2 miles per hour. That's not slow. That's Stone Age.

So, American Apparel is in a bind. They're expecting to do $500 million in business this year and continue to rapidly expand in a business where most of the jobs have left the United States. They're one of the largest employers in the city -- there were about 20 people applying for jobs when I visited -- and are also stretched thin parking-wise on the land they lease.

"We literally can't fit any more cars on the lot," said Ryan Holiday, a spokesman for the company. He took me up on the roof of one of the warehouses, and it was easy to see his point. There is, however, a giant parking lot on the other side of 7th that is being used as -- drumroll please -- a storage yard for MTA buses.

There are three sides to the story, of course. I couldn't reach officials with the city's DASH system to see if they've explored relocating a line nearer to American Apparel. As for the MTA, the agency had a bus that ran along Alameda but canceled it a few years ago because of poor ridership.

"It was one of the worst-performing bus lines in our entire system," said Dave Sotero, a spokesman for the MTA. "It's basically a warehouse district that doesn't have other sources of ridership to support it."

Tina Pellegrino, who works on business strategy for American Apparel, said she's been talking to the MTA and they've been encouraging the company to form a van pool. She also said the company is willing to pay for a bus stop -- should a bus line materialize -- and that the company has even looked into buying its own bus -- a costly idea, as it turned out. She also said that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office has been sympathetic. (And, in fact, the mayor will be at American Apparel on Tuesday morning to announce some major economic news. He is also chair of the MTA Board.)

One problem is that no one knows how many employees would take a bus if one existed. American Apparel does sell subsidized monthly bus passes to its workers. Officials say they spent more than $170,000 last year on the bus passes and that at least 400 employees are using the bus. Others have borrowed bikes from the company and use those to get to work.

Still others just walk from Union Station down Alameda Street, said Brenda Cortes, a human resources assistant for the company. "It takes 20 minutes walking," she said. (By my count, it's probably a longer walk than that and one filled with much unpleasantness.) "If they take the bus, they have to go around to downtown and make a left or a right, and it gets complicated."

David Ocampo is one of the employees who rides his bike on Alameda -- usually on the sidewalks, even though most are narrow or in a state of embarrassing disrepair. He takes the bus to work from El Monte along the El Monte busway and then pedals down Alameda.

I asked him if he had a death wish, and Ocampo -- not wanting to say something wrong in the presence of nearby company officials -- asked me if that was a trick question, although he did allow that the firm had run out of monthly bus passes. No, I explained, it wasn't a trick question. Alameda is barely fit for cars, not to mention bikes or pedestrians. That's a photo (albeit a bad one) of the sidewalk above.

"It's good exercise," Ocampo said. "Maybe if there was a bus that went down Alameda, I would take it."

That's the situation. On the one hand, here's a company providing jobs to the region and that by most accounts has a pretty good package of benefits for its employees. On the other, a transit agency that has a responsiblity to use its resources in a fiscally responsible manner.

But it seems odd to me that it's come to this -- that some type of solution can't be reached, whether it's partially relocating an existing line or perhaps providing some type of limited bus service. Until then, the situation basically begs employees to drive.

I do know this: When I was finished talking with the American Apparel folks, I hopped in my car and drove straight up Alameda to Union Station. It took me about six minutes.

--Steve Hymon

Comments

[Bruce Lobell]

It is time that this Country enact a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing equal transportation rights to those who do not drive.

With our population aging; there will be increasing numbers of older people who are unable to drive(or who should not be driving).

A system totally dependent on private cars in unsustainable and can NOT work.

[forgotten citizen]

regarding ND's comments

boo hoo, all the illegal aliens that work there don't have tax supported transportation...
_____________________________________

ok that is the impression, since that most of bus riders are illegal immigrants, so it is good without public transportation. this is not the place to debate the immigration issue. As a US citizen programmer/Rider. I feel offend. No wonder LA public transit is so crap. Most ppl who can vote can drive. The public transportation should be built to benefit everyone citizen/non citizen. With the high rising cost and congestion, everyone benefits. This reminds me a story. A coworket told me that her father made good money by hiring illegal immigrants to do the work. She opposes them to get to get driver license. Without adequate transportation, how could her father make money. No one care. I better stop here. I am just here to discuss the public transportation. The bus should be there to take ppl to anywhere in downtown LA, not just AA.

[ND]

boo hoo, all the illegal aliens that work there don't have tax supported transportation...

[angle]

These distances are ideal for bicycling, which is flexible and has obvious health benefits. If poor infrastructure is a problem, then improve it by creating multi-modal streets with a coalition of private businesses and the city. This will benefit everyone (not just the employees of American Apparel), result in a safer neighborhood, and cost less in the long run than running a special bus line at a loss.

[calwatch]

For shift work, it is probably easier to just hire a charter bus to drop and pick up at Union Station three times a day. It would have more capacity, too. One of the charter operators like LSR or All City Bus Lines that use ex-Metro buses would be perfect. That should not cost more than $100 an hour, or $600 a day.

For day to day travel, I would extend the Line 60 back to Union Station, where it now unceremoniously terminates at a Burger King in the name of "service duplication". Line 60 used to connect the City's three main transit hubs: the Greyhound Station on 7th, Metro Center, and Union Station, but a couple of years ago, to save a few minutes a trip, they dropped the service, which disenfranchises not just American Apparel workers, but Bunker Hill office workers who need a way to get to their jobs when the Metrolink Shuttle isn't working and they don't walk to walk down hills in their heels; passengers from out of town on the Dog, and commuters from the Produce and Warehouse districts.

To answer the question about Line 58, the last schedule I have on file (dated 2001) ran every 10 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes on weekends. Gradually the line made so many twists and turns and ran every half hour or worse. And, for the record, the 58 was cancelled in June 2005.

[David Raether]

When the new Gold Line station in Little Tokyo opens next year, add a trolley that goes up and down Alameda to American Apparel.

[Randall BusTard]

If LADOT can take taxpayer money to fund a private enterprise (the Dodger Trolley) for an exclusive clientele on infrequent dates, then surely they can reach deeper into our pockets and extend the DASH A—or Central City East, or whatever it is supposed to be—and perhaps persuade AA to get their employees to use the DASH on a daily schedule.
But in all reality, AA should use some of its great profits and provide a shuttle for its employees, to help ease the congestion and destruction of Central and Alameda, 4th and 6th Streets. (Alameda, however, is the worst, especially near the truck wash service station.)

[forgotten citizen]

interest to know that there is no bus to AA. I assume those ppl have low wage that they could not afford the car and insurance. Bus is their vital arteries. I dob't know why no one took line 58 when it was available. Many bus riders i have talked wish they could afford to buy cars. if bus were there, they would take. I don't know how frequent the bus is. Could someone verify tthat it is not once an hour. if it is, it makes sense that ppl don't take. After all, waiting once an hour bus for 1.6 mile walking distance is not worth. A lot time, if I know it will take me lots of time to wait (epscially the bus is late all the time), for any places less than 3 miles, i walk. I know the bus will not come by the time i reach the destination. Many time, If i have to transfer the bus in downtown la, i just walk, it is faster. The best record was walking 16 streets. it is faster. This clearly show how terrible our bus system is. Within downtown working district that bus runs efficiently. I always walk along the broadway or civic center, so i don't know how bad/good area around AA, but from the blog, I can see the area may not be good for walking. Why can't MTA setup the freq bus stop in AA. of course, designated bus to AA makes no sense, but that bus can go somewhere else. Of course, MTA does not know anything. It is sad in the middle of downtown, we have terrible situation. Something should have done (better ) long time ago.

[Kymberleigh Richards]

When the Line 58 bus on Alameda existed (November 2000 until October 2005) I did some observation trips on it, back and forth between Union Station and Washington Blue Line Station, during afternoon rush hour.

In the space of three round-trips, the driver and I were the only people on the bus.

Where were these 5,000 employees back then?

[Gary Kavanagh]

I am all for street cycling, I even wrote a post on my blog about how dangerous sidewalk riding can be and encourage cyclists to use the road. However I can understand the sentiment of riding on Almeda to be a death wish. When i plan routes through L.A. I always route around that stretch of road, it is terrible, full of epic pot holes, pieces of dead rail lines and fast motorists with shocks who do not understand the road hazards for cyclists. It is a freaking death trap for bikes. No one who knows anything about cycling in Downtown routes a road ride on Alameda.

That is a very short distance however, and should be very bikeable. It would have been helpful to point out the slightly less direct Los Angeles to San Pedro to 7th. Which is an order of magnitude safer and still a very doable bike trip at 2.1 miles which is well worth the extra time to save life and limb.

[Antonio Pacheco]

AA employees definitely deserve a reliable method of transportation to and from work.

From what I've seen, there exists a set of train tracks ON alameda, from somewhere south of the AA factory going up towards Little Tokyo. While I dont think these tracks are necessarily usable (theyre probably really old), they probably do represent an interesting opportunity for a trolley or light rail service? I remember reading somewhere that old tacks like these are also utility free zones (that is, there arent any major sewer, water, electrical lines underneath them), meaning that it would be far less expensive to build a trolley line here than through other streets. If you can provide this part of town with good pub trans (its worth noting that the greyhound station is across the street from the AA factory), you could perhaps use the factory as a node for the development of housing, shopping, eating, etc?

If there was ever an opportunity for meaningful development in the downtown area, this would be it.

Antonio

[Dana Gabbard]

There was a Metro bus along Alameda for some years earlier this decade, one of the lines operated as part of the consent decree "new service" plan. It was a dismal failure. I remember seeing Line 58 buses dropping off 2-3 passengers at the height of rush hour at Union Station. I very much doubt Metro will be restoring this service any time soon, especially as they face a daunting budget crisis next year.

[Fallopia Simms]

AA should first of all charge market rate for their parking lot(if they own it)and take that money and invest it in a vanpool that is common throughout the world that would ferry people to and from Union Station, 7th/Metro, the upcoming 1st stop on the Eastside Gold Line and other strategic transit points throughout downtown. Why just give a discount to mass transit riders while subsidizing employee auto parking which is basically paying people to drive to the factory then turning around and complaining about running out of space for parking. This is the ass-backwards mentality that must be deleted from this city!
This is a low density warehouse district for godsake! AA needs to step up to the plate and stop acting like alot of people in this city who make every excuse as to why they can't unweld themselves from behind the steering wheel.

[BOB2]

Steve,

Another glaring example of MTA and LADOT's lack of focus on "access" and passenger service. Both of these agencies fail to connect and fail to adjust to changes in our City. Thousands of workers who could use publc transit are ignored, by rigid bureaucracies, driven by political and managerial careerism. AA and other firms in the industrial quadrant could easily be served if DASH was restructured and operated properly.

BOB2

[John]

Well, they do have a direct link to 7th Street/Metro Station (Route #60), that takes less than 10 minutes to get there. So, you can get there relatviely easy from most of Metro's rail lines.

[M]

AA deserved improved mass transit as much as anyone else in the city does.

Wouldn't a bus probably not be a solution unless it's schedule exactly follows that of the AA shifts? If they are also running out of monthly passes there are other issues as well. Even if there was a bus line, it sounds like the guy in this article still wouldn't have been able to use it.

A shuttle by AA (from somewhere near Union Station to AA) sounds most reasonable. I see it happening at other train stops along the line. I see quite a few vans in the photo along the fence in the parking lot. I wonder if all are filled to capacity every morning or if some of them could pick up a few coworkers.

[heather]

dantzer,

i go there all the time to shop. i don't think that the parking lot isn't owned by the company. i believe there are other business nearby.

and as a 5'2" girl leaving there after the occasional shopping spree, i think the area (right in the middle of skid row) might be more of a reason to call it a "death wish" than any bad infrastructure. i couldnt imagine walking up that street at night.

i find it really hard to be against expanding public transportation anywhere in this city. if it isnt budgeted it should be.

[ry]

You failed to mention the Gold Line Extension to 1st & Alameda, opening next year. That's 1/2 a mile closer (from LAUPT), anyway..

[Jake]

I feel like if we want business to stay in the US and Los Angeles specifically we have to take care of them. This is ridiculous. Lose some money on a bus, I don't care.

[Sam Haven]

Why should AA have to pay for a shuttle? Isn't that what they pay millions of dollars in taxes for? quid pro quo no?

[dantzer]

This is ridiculous. The company can provide a shuttle and promote its use with incentives (discounted bus passes, charging for parking, etc.). They'll recoup some of the costs when they lease out some of their newly available parking spaces.

[vcspinner]

Steve,

Just because you are afraid to cycle in traffic, don't try to sell your fear to everyone. "Do you have a death wish?" - is that objective reporting? The sidewalk has nothing to do with safe cycling. The street is safer, and is safe enough for cyclists. Check out vehicular cycling on wikipedia.