From: johnwu@netcom.com (John M. Wu)
Subject: I hate "Rapid" Transit District (RTD)
Keywords: slugbut
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Distribution: ca
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 10:27:55 GMT

[This is cross-posted to ba.transportation in the event
transportation people in the Bay Area have used mass transit in
Southern California in the past.]

     I'm a student from UC Berkeley currently vacationing in
Southern California.  I've been realatively pleased with the Bay
Area mass transit system but I am very disappointed with L.A.
County's mass transit system.  In the Bay Area, I would use AC
Transit/BART.  In LA, I would use my car. 

     Why?

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.
2 - have to get out of Downtown by 7pm or else take a taxi or
walk 30-40 minutes in the dark.  The line closest to my house
ends at 7:30pm.  Poor area coverage.
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.
4 - a bus system that does the below and earns my hatred doesn't
deserve my money.

Bay Area

1 - I can use AC transit letter lines to get to SF or use AC/Bart
to SF quickly and use express lines to get to places south of
Oakland quickly or use BART.
2 - Berkeley AC Transit lines run late enough.  Line 40 is 24
hours.  Coverage in the East Bay is excellent. 
3 - Base Card for non students is $40.  Bart Plus $44.  Students
$95/semester.

Why I hate RTD/LACTC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1)  If Blue Line is going to be the future of rail in Los
Angeles, upper middle class people in their respective
neighborhoods won't ride their derivatives.  It has too many
stops.  Realistically, it takes slightly more than an hour to go
from Downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach.  RTD needs to cater to
long distance commuters or else LA freeways will pay dearly.
The classic dumb stop:  There is a stop 0.1 miles before the
Transit Mall on the Blue Line in Long Beach. 

2)  RTD caters mainly to low income minorities,  the people who
can't afford to buy and maintain an automobile.  A couple of
years ago, RTD had an ad campaign that said  "I used to ride with
Sancho Panza.  Now I ride with RTD." or something similiar. 
First of all, this is racist.  Secondly, this will do very little
to reduce freeway congestion.  Let's have a little more ethnic
and economic diversity on mass transit in LA.  I give
RTD/LACTC/etc. an F- as far as encouraging mass transit in LA for
the last 20 years.  AND YES, I BELIEVE RTD/LACTC GETS THE MAIN
BURDEN FOR FAILING TO GET PEOPLE TO USE MASS TRANSIT!!!  LA
people have good reasons not to ride buses.  I do too.  Therfore
I shall use my car.

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.

4)  Until LA county has a real rail system that you don't have to
pay sky high to ride (eg. Metrolink), RTD and Foothill need to
establish express lines that serves 2 or 3 communities and then
dash onto the freeway to Downtown.  Car pool lanes are absolutely
mandatory for these lines to work.  These lines exist in several
communities but towns like Walnut are left out.  

5)  Have limited stop versions of popular lines or have new
express lines shadow them.  Line 2 is a noteworthy slug from UCLA
to downtown.  Line 484 from Ontario Airport to Downtown LA is
another.  I don't want to spend three hours to go from SG valley
to Santa Monica beaches when a car can do it in one.

6) Create carpool lanes on the 210, 60, etc. so carpools and
buses can be rewarded.  If freeways can't be widened, then take
it away from one of the existing lanes.  IMHO, widening freeways
is not a good answer to LA's traffic problems.  RTD got the El
Monte busway, why not do it again for Diamond Bar or Pomona?

7) Put more money into keeping buses grafitti free.  Nobody likes
to look at aesthetic endeavors by taggers on the RTD.  Also, I'd
like to be able to see through the windows so I know where I am. 
RTD spends only $2 million on removing grafitti.  Makes riding
RTD seem like riding in a gang zone.  No wonder people feel
unsafe on those buses.  See point #9.  

8) A friend who decided to attend Spring Semester at college
after staying out Fall Semester got their RTD College Application
denied because "This is a Fall Base Card from Sept. to March. 
You will have to wait until after March to apply."  Sorry, but
Spring semester starts in January for some schools.

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.

Both students plan to write nasty letters to RTD.  The policy
maker for this should be fired!  

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.

---

Besides ranting on RTD, Metrolink deserves its own share.  Who
wants to pay $170/mo. when it's cheaper by car and doesn't run on
restricted hours.  Right now, each rider is paying only $5.50 for
the $55.00 it costs to transport each person currently riding
Metrolink.  Who wants to invest in mass transit that returns only
10%?  Decrease the prices!!!!  Then Metrolink may actually get
more riders.   I admire their public outreach programs in
December like free Metrolink rides during a Saturday before
Christmas but it still costs way too much even if I do get into
Downtown faster than the 10 Freeway.

---

I encourage comments and especially criticism about what I have
said.  I need opinions on what I've said in case I made any rash 
judgements.

-- 
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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