From: johnwu@netcom.com (John M. Wu)
Subject: Re: I hate "Rapid" Transit District (RTD)
Keywords: slugbut
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Distribution: ca
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 07:20:32 GMT

In article <ostubble.726350155@uclagsm> ostubble@agsm.ucla.edu (Otha Stubblefield III) writes:
>johnwu@netcom.com (John M. Wu) writes:
>
>>In article <uh4t3co@sgi.sgi.com> jeremy@classic.asd.sgi.com (Jeremy Higdon) writes:
>>>In article <1993Jan5.102755.15262@netcom.com>, johnwu@netcom.com (John M. Wu) writes:
>>>> Los Angeles
>>>> 
>>>> 1 - 1:10 by bus, <0:35 by car - WAY TOO SLOW.  A bus can't beat a
>>>> car but let's be reasonable.  I don't want to spend double the
>>>> time to get to where I want to go.
>
>>My solution:
>
>>Assuming LA had no rail and had carpool lanes in all freeways, RTD should have
>>lines that travel through streets for 20 minutes and then go to downtown LA 
>>for people like me who live 25+ miles away from downtown.  I am going on
>>the premise that mass transit should give residents a method to go to
>>far areas like Diamond Bar or Canoga Park.
>
>They've tried, but no one will ride the buses, and it cost money to run a
>bus.

That's because not enough people know about the existence of this
great service and alternative to fighting in traffic and for parking. 
How is the public going to try these great lines if their image of LA
buses is that they are all slow and look like scum.   How about a half
hour commercial on alternatives to the car in LA with emphasis on the
middle class commuter. 

Line 495 is still alive and it goes through Diamond Bar Park'N'Ride.  LIne
690 is pretty dead.  I just wish more people knew about these lines and
how comfortable and clean they are.  RTD/Foothill/etc. need to advertise
and media campaign these lines. 

Line 495 - Diamond Bar to Downtown LA
LIne 690 - East San Gabriel Valley to Downtown Pasadena
>
>>>> 3 - Monthly Base Card (no express) = $52.  Express 1 = $66. 
>>>> Express 2 = $80.  I am a student but not while I'm in L.A.
>>>> High prices stems from the politics between Foothill and RTD.
>>>
>>>RTD also has a very high farebox recovery ratio.
>
>Your prices are inflated by $10.  A base card is $42 and each express stamp
>is $14.
>
>>It was cheaper when RTD had an agreement with Foothill.  Wasn't Foothill
>>supposed to save the SG Valley from RTD?
>
>What was cheaper?  RTD fares did not change?  I understand that Foothill's
>are "up there" though, and the service is not much better.

As of 1/1/93, RTD passes will not be accepted on Foothill buses unless a
special Foothill stamp is included.  The costs are for the joint FT/RTD
bus pass.

Foothill Transit is a RTD clone as far as service in my book.  I have
missed FT buses because they are over 5 minutes EARLY.  And they are
consistently 5-12 minutes late.

RTD needs to remove itself from the SG valley completely since I require
the use of RTD's remaining lines.

>>>> 2)  RTD caters mainly to low income minorities,  the people who
>
>What do you base this statement on?

Have you ridden the bus lately?  Look at the advertisments on the bus.
Look at the people who ride it.  See the correlation?  I still remember
and hate the "I used to ride with Sancho Panza, now I ride the RTD"
advertisment.  Try Line 2 or 20 thru of all places, Beverly Hills.
It goes by UCLA so you can try it.  Try any other RTD line.  

>>>> 3)  RTD bus coverage in low income areas is good to excellent
>>>> while wealthier areas get poor coverage.   This is an extenstion
>>>> of #2.  Of course, a large source of our traffic congestion comes
>>>> from areas with poor coverage.
>
>What are your facts here?  I've ridden in the "low income areas", and I
>have not seen any differences in the coverage.  What "low income" area
>have you frequented?

Line 178 runs through the heart of Walnut.  Unfortunately, FT still
keeps RTD's infrequency of service.  I can catch the bus every hour until
7pm.  I can always wait for the 10:10 bus from Cal Poly westbound but what
am I going to do for three hours?  I rather get home and eat dinner rather
than eat out because I can't get home.  IMHO, coverage sucks.

Line 484 runs through Pomona, Industry, La Puente, and South El Monte.
Look at how long the RTD 484 schedule is.  484 can run as frequent as 15
minutes and it runs from 5am until 2am.

Look at a RTD system map.  South Central LA is criss-crossed with lines.
Diamond Bar and Walnut look really dry as far as lines.  LA freeways get
very congested at the I-10/57/60 interchange in Diamond Bar.  Notice the
continuted co-existence of RTD & Foothill lines in SG valley.  
 
>>But they influenced the right people enough to build the El Monte busway.
>>Freeway 57 in OC has a carpool lane when it didn't before. 
>>>
>
>Did they?  Do you have documentation on RTDs role in the creation of the 
>El Monte busway
>

I will check up on this when the transit library opens to the public on
Friday.  But I believe they must have some role in having the bus
lane go directly from El Monte station onto I-10.

>>>> 8.5) A student taxpayer in LA county applied for an RTD college
>>>> pass to go to CSU Fullerton (in Orange County) on line 490 and
>>>> got denied because CSUF is not in LA county.  Well, FYI, RTD line
>>>> 490 goes right next to CSUF.
>>>> 
>>>RTD lines that run in Orange County are contracted for by OCTD.
>
>>That's not an excuse for Mr. Policy Maker.  Foothill Transit 
>>is the only bus line that runs by many SG high schools.  But RTD
>>doesn't deny them.  Why does the school need to be in LA county?
>>I, as a UCB student, do not plan to abuse RTD during my winter break.
>> 
>
>The point that YOU MISSED is that Orange County has their own bus line
>that they are subsidizing.  They are not giving a dime to RTD, or the other
>LA county bus lines, unless there is an agreement to do so when they
>cross county boundaries (i.e. OCTD buses at Los Cerritos Mall).   I know
>that RTD has a contractual agreement with OCTD that includes a surcharge
>to riders crossing into Orange County (i.e. the 460 to Disneyland, or
>the 120 to La Habra/Brea Mall).  That surcharge goes to OCTD coffers.
>Also, does Foothill Transit honor RTD bus passes?  Does OCTD?  If OCTD
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
Not anymore and vice versa as of 1/1/93 as far as FT and RTD.  RTD will
not deny applications to schools in Foothill Transit land even if only
FT busses goes by the school.  I want their policy to be consistent.
They should deny applications to many LA county high schools in the
San Gabriel valley if they deny a CSUF student.

>does not, a person would have to buy an RTD pass and an OCTD pass.

The student was planning to buy a RTD and OCTD pass to bypass having to
pay the farebox.  RTD bus passes and transfers are no good on OCTD buses.

>>>> 9) Hire more RTD transit police.  I've yet to see one in action
>>>> on my occasional bus trips over the years.  I've seen knives and
>>>> guns drawn before.  Also cuts down on rampant fare cheating.
>>>
>>>Most of your complaints are best directed at the political arena.
>
>>Politicans are influenced by the public.  The public is influenced by
>>RTD's media campaign and image.  SF Bay Area would be mad if politicians
>>decided cut 50% funding to Muni, BART, AC Transit, etc.  LA doesn't care
>>because mass transit sucks and there isn't a sign of change.
>
>>RTD needs more transit policepersons as well as a complete cleanup
>>job of their fleet with a good media campaign instead of coverage
>>of Blue Line accidents.
>
>RTD is trying to keep fares down.  Do you have a funding source for 
>additional officers?  Will that funding source also be able to handle
>the manpower and supplies needed to keep 2800 buses clean.  I have seen
>buses "tagged" while they were waiting for lights to change.  Is there
>enough money and manpower to keep up with that?  Maybe if they start offering
>rewards....

OCTD buses are clean.  FT buses are clean.  AC Transit buses stay in
"acceptable" condition.  RTD looks like the scum of the earth.  My question
is why can't RTD keep their fleet in "acceptable" condition.  Is funding
lower for RTD even though RTD are way bigger than the other three?  How
is RTD going to appeal to the middle class when their buses look like
scum.

Funding will increase as public acceptance increases.  Right now, the public
does not like RTD.  There are so many other little things wrong with RTD.
Among them:

- the terms of the college discount passes
- lack of lines by freqency tables ie.

Line     Morning Commute (6am-10am)   Afternoon [...]  Sundays
178             60                       60             N/A
484             15                       20              60

(I hate collecting bus schedules)

- yucky gooey stuff on the seat where your butt is supposed to be
- failure to announce intersections 
- too many stops on the Blue Line
- refusal to give up the rest of SG valley lines (this may not be RTD's fault)
- RTD needs a new, coherent fare schedule.  There were many errors in the 
current one. 
- incoherent speech of some announcers at El Monte Station.  I can barely
understand some of them.
- the rush to open the Red Line.  Safety should be #1. 
- and much, much, more.

RTD needs to take a look at itself in the mirror and do something.

 
-- 
John M. Wu                "And if a double decker bus, crashes into us
johnwu@netcom.com          to die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die"
jmw@ocf.berkeley.edu         - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
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