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LA does not have good public transport, period. No numbers or stats will support this fact. Public transportation in LA is primarily utilized by lower income groups who cannot afford and/or legally obtain a vehicle. In NYC, SF, DC, etc., whether you are a billionaire, or a pauper, PT is the most efficient method of transport. In LA, it is the opposite. LA should not be used in a discussion vis a vis PT. End of.
I have noticed that... in some cities you will see the subway filled with people in business suits and designer clothes. Then other cities will be primarily poor mixed in with crazies on the public transportation.
I don't know about anybody catching D.C. becuase D.C. is going through the same type of expansion's as L.A. is.
I agree. LA will gain more on Chicago than it gains on DC. DC is going to be pretty impressive and it's already very good. It's more suburban oriented than LA though. We don't have very many parking lots at our subway stations.
I have noticed that... in some cities you will see the subway filled with people in business suits and designer clothes. Then other cities will be primarily poor mixed in with crazies on the public transportation.
LA actually has lots of business workers in suits riding the trains downtown and on the gold line to Pasadena. If you go to Union Station at rush hour, the large majority getting off the red and purple lines are in suits. They are headed to Metrolink and the gold line. You don't see it so much in other areas because aside from those two areas none of the trains go to where the people in suits live. That's changing as lines are for the first time being built to the westside.
But we do have an inordinate amount of crazy people on buses and trains. I'm sometimes disheartened because I don't see how you can expect people with a choice to ride trains and buses when there are so many people cursing, screaming, and smelling. It's worse on the bus because they are right next to you. But NY is like that too, just not as many crazies as LA. I was just in NYC two months ago and got on a 1 train at South Ferry in the middle of the afternoon just before rush hour and there was a homeless guy in the middle of the car with his pants down taking a crap on the floor.
I don't know about anybody catching D.C. becuase D.C. is going through the same type of expansion's as L.A. is. L.A. has massive expansion's coming and D.C. is already in the middle of massive expansions. Not only does D.C. have massive transit expansion's going on, but D.C. also has even more massive TOD development going on at all current and future station's which is expected to bust ridership in D.C. wide open which considering the current level of ridership is saying something.
Silver Metro Line (under construction)
-23 mile extension
-11 new metro stations
-Connection to Dulles International Airport
Purple Light Rail Line (In Design Phase)
-16.3 mile line connecting 4 metro legs in semi circle
-21 Stations
D.C. 37 Mile Streetcar Network (Under Construction)
-8 Streetcar Lines integrated with metro system map
Arlington Streetcars (In Design Phase)
-2 Streetcar Lines
And there are also other significant transit projects:
CCT Light Rail Line (Expected to enter design phase in December 2011)
-14 mile line connected to one red line metro leg
-15 stations Corridor Cities Transitway
LA does not have good public transport, period. No numbers or stats will support this fact. Public transportation in LA is primarily utilized by lower income groups who cannot afford and/or legally obtain a vehicle. In NYC, SF, DC, etc., whether you are a billionaire, or a pauper, PT is the most efficient method of transport. In LA, it is the opposite. LA should not be used in a discussion vis a vis PT. End of.
A lot of the local buses, yes. Not so much the light and heavy rail or the buses on the west side. Your impressions of LA are probably out-datedl
I agree. LA will gain more on Chicago than it gains on DC. DC is going to be pretty impressive and it's already very good. It's more suburban oriented than LA though. We don't have very many parking lots at our subway stations.
????? D.C.'s Metro system is mainly underground subway stations with no parking. Does L.A. even have that many underground subway station's? I was under the impression L.A. had a couple underground station's but mainly suburban light rail looking station's for their system. What is the makeup of L.A.'s stations and system? Do they have actual station's with turnstyles for fare collection etc. for their light rail?
I don't think you can compare light rail to Metro. D.C. runs 8 car trains every 3 minutes at rush hour for instance. It's pretty hard to make a comparison to light rail. But, for L.A. light rail should work well. D.C. would not be able to function with a light rail system though.
LA actually has lots of business workers in suits riding the trains downtown and on the gold line to Pasadena. If you go to Union Station at rush hour, the large majority getting off the red and purple lines are in suits. They are headed to Metrolink and the gold line. You don't see it so much in other areas because aside from those two areas none of the trains go to where the people in suits live. That's changing as lines are for the first time being built to the westside.
But we do have an inordinate amount of crazy people on buses and trains. I'm sometimes disheartened because I don't see how you can expect people with a choice to ride trains and buses when there are so many people cursing, screaming, and smelling. It's worse on the bus because they are right next to you. But NY is like that too, just not as many crazies as LA. I was just in NYC two months ago and got on a 1 train at South Ferry in the middle of the afternoon just before rush hour and there was a homeless guy in the middle of the car with his pants down taking a crap on the floor.
I think the inordinate amount is the problem. Yeah you will get *some* anywhere, but I still feel safe. I'm not sure if I would feel safe riding around at night on the LA subway or buses.
I think a lot of it is cultural perception of public transportation.
????? D.C.'s Metro system is mainly underground subway stations with no parking.
Parking at Metrorail Stations
Facilities
Metro operates parking facilities at 42 Metrorail stations. Of these:
All 42 stations offer daily or hourly parking.
All 42 stations offer separate motorcycle and bicycle parking.
All 42 stations feature accessible priority parking near station entrances
34 stations offer reserved parking, where customers purchase permits to park in reserved spaces.
Quote:
Does L.A. even have that many underground subway station's? I was under the impression L.A. had a couple underground station's but mainly suburban light rail looking station's for their system. What is the makeup of L.A.'s stations and system? Do they have actual station's with turnstyles for fare collection etc. for their light rail?
LA is mainly light rail but we do have a short 17 mile subway that gets about 9k riders per mile. That's what I was comparing. Only two of those stations have parking, not counting Union Station. LA actually copied WMATA as far as the subway goes. It's what they modeled the system after. We even have a Metro Center station.
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I don't think you can compare light rail to Metro. D.C. runs 8 car trains every 3 minutes at rush hour for instance. It's pretty hard to make a comparison to light rail. But, for L.A. light rail should work well. D.C. would not be able to function with a light rail system though.
I guess that I deserved that, but WMATA is more built to get people from the suburbs to the city. NYC is the same way to an extent, but doesn't really go into the real suburbs. And yes you wouldn't be able to function with a light rail system. Your jobs (like NYC and Chicago) are concentrated in one area making heavy rail a necessity. Our jobs are more spread out making heavy rail unnecessary outside a few key corridors.
I think the inordinate amount is the problem. Yeah you will get *some* anywhere, but I still feel safe. I'm not sure if I would feel safe riding around at night on the LA subway or buses.
I think a lot of it is cultural perception of public transportation.
I ride LA trains at buses and night. Mostly the blue line which has the worst perception. It's not really any different than riding in NYC to me, which is the only other city that I've ridden a lot in. The blue and red lines at midnight are busy and the stations feel safe. At least the ones that I use.
A lot of the local buses, yes. Not so much the light and heavy rail or the buses on the west side. Your impressions of LA are probably out-datedl
Not outdated at all. I travel to LA for work at least 4 times a year (have been doing this since 2006). I work in Century City (Mellon 1st Business Bank). PT is not nor has ever been utilized by anyone in LA other than those who cannot afford cars. It's a joke and should be kept out of this conversation.
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