MetroRiderLA

1. Daily Posts: That’s right. I’m going to try and make sure there’s something new up here to read every weekday. I can’t promise hard hitting journalism, but maybe, just maybe something to talk about.
2. Advertising: Don’t cry “sell out” just yet! I’m looking into creating a sort of “MetroMall” where business that support/relate to public transit could connect with my readers via advertisements, affiliate programs, or whatever. So don’t think you’re just going to see another ugly GoogleAdsense banner advertising weight loss scams on the page. Plus, the ads will have to meet MetroRiderLA’s vigorous aesthetic standards.
3. More MetroMovies: I’ve dug out the old DV camera and I’m going to be using it this year to capture the public transit lifestyle here in Los Angeles. Mayor Villaraigosa was just the beginning of the “Made by MetroRiderLA” MetroMovies.More resolutions after the jump… (more…)

A couple of days ago, the LA Times featured an article shedding some light on the mysterious TAP boxes you’ve been noticing (and tapping… don’t worry, I’m guilty too, it’s instinctual I think) in MetroRail stations, on buses, and at Orange Line Stations. These boxes are essentially high tech fare boxes, designed to take advantage of TAP (Transit Access Pass) cards, a new system of paying for your Metro rides throughout the city and county. While currently in a limited testing phase, according to the article TAP Cards will be widely available within the next two years.

So what is it that makes a TAP card so much better than the current system?

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It crossed my lips without even knowing it, but as soon as it came out I knew I had betrayed LA. It hurt and still does. How could I? How could I speak so passively and negatively of something I’ve championed so much since its inception in March? Well, if you were on that Blue Line train from O’Hare airport in Chicago going straight to the city then you would too.
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This month marked a critical anniversary for me, one that has prompted me to look back on the past decade of my life and ask myself how things came to be as they are today. How did I become a person who was content to live without a car and who felt so strongly about that decision that he would take time to advocate that others follow suit? What could have happened ten years ago that would prompt such introspection?

In December of 1996 I was given the legal right to drive a car.

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MetroRiderLA would like to wish all of our readers a Happy Holiday!

Thanks for supporting this blog since its creation this past June, it’s been a fun ride and I’m still amazed that anyone reads it all. But for those of you that do, a heartfelt thanks! Look for a lot more content in 2007, including more MetroMovies from the MetroRider crew, as well as a number of new features and who knows what else.

I herby dub 2007 The Year of the Public Transit Lifestyle. Resolve to ride.

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…well at least after a press conference at Hollywood/Highland. To all the naysayers, here’s proof that the mayor has at the very least taken the Red Line once. I took this video yesterday after the Mayor held a press conference in front of the Hollywood/Highland Red Line station promoting the MTA’s free ride program on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

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