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ChineseMy Conversion to the Darkside
[tags]transit, los angeles, get la moving, car free, uncar, subway[/tags]
Hello All,
I’m a mass transit advocate, a proud mass transit rider, and I’m about to relapse.
I live smack dab in the middle of this city in Leimert Park. The closest rapid station to me is just a 5-minute 0.3-mile walk away and the THREE red buses (710, 705 & 740) can wisk me away to any part of this city. The locals (all within a 5-minute walk) include the 40, 42, 105, 210, 305, and 608 in addition to the Dashes. Outside of Koreatown/Pico-Union or Downtown I couldn’t ask for better mass transit connections in this city.
And yet, for the first time in over 5 years I’m seriously considering purchasing an automobile. I’ll go from paying $0 per month for personal transportation (my job pays for my bus pass in lieu of paying for parking) to needing to put $4-6K down and pay $500-$1000 per month (depending on whether I take on a car note). So why the heck would I consider it? Primarily because my time IS that valuable, and my commute on public transit does suck.
I leave the house at 6:30am to be to work by 8.
I leave work at 2pm, and on a very good day will be back home by 3:45, but typically no sooner than 4:15-4:30.
When I took the job, which is just 12.5 miles away (about the average distance between home and office for most people in this country) I knew my commute would be about this long everyday, but I thought my time on the bus would be productive. I thought that while sitting for 180-200 minutes out of my day I’d be able to pull out my laptop and work away on my many non-paying jobs (transit advocacy/local community activism). That has proven to not be the case.
I’m typically standing on all of the three buses per way I take, and if I have the good fortune of sitting down, (ironically most likely on the 720), attempting to type is like trying to thread a needle with Parkinson’s. Metro should really consider having motion sickness pill dispensers on all of the 720s.
With a car, I could leave the house 45 minutes-1 hour later and get home 60-90 minutes sooner. I’d lose $500-1000, but I’d gain at least 2 hours of my day among other freedoms. And in case you’re wondering if I moved closer to my job, which is in Brentwood I’d pay that $500-$1000-plus in increased living expenses.
The reality is that given the layout of this city, our mass transit system is woefully inadequate. We have plenty of mass transit, but very little rapid transit (and by rapid I mean the Red line, not the red buses). For this reason I’m likely to join the darkside in the next 30-60 days.
Damien Goodmon is the primary author of the Get LA Moving Plan (GetLAMoving.com)
UPDATE (4/30/07): I’m happy to report that the contract has ended and therefore no car needed. 
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
I’d like to convince you NOT to join the darkside. You say that buying a car will set you back $500-$1000 per month (with a $4-6k downpayment) and that moving closer to work will set you back a similar amount. If your job is stable then why not just make the move? Of course you may have a particular love of your current neighborhood or a lot invested (schools, friends, whatever), so it may not be reasonable… But if not it seems like something to consider. I just believe that living near where you work (or at least near the type of rapid transit you wish for) will greatly improve your quality of life. Far more than shaving a a few hours off your commute… you have to think about the quality of the time spent in the car. You say you’ve been car-free for 5-years… do you recall the negative feelings you get when sitting in traffic, even if just for 30 minutes? Even the nicest people become hateful road ragers once put behind the wheel in LA traffic. Plus, if you live near your work (within a mile or so) you could walk or bike… physical exercise always improves quality of life. Then you could rely on our somewhat inadequate transit system to get you places that aren’t as essential as work (so hopefully you wont be so stressed out on the bus and will be able to ride at times when it’s not standing room only).
Honestly, I’d hate to see a great LA transit activist like you succumb to the myth (or perhaps it is true!) that “you need a car in LA”. It would be a great loss to the cause! I truly believe that moving closer to your work would be a better idea, but obviously only you know your circumstances and situation.
Maybe others have some advice.
On the other hand, you can’t be late to work. While it is ironic that I am a member to various pro-transit organizations, I drive to most meetings. There is no way I can cover five service change meetings in the Metro system in one week on public transit, while still holding a day job. The meetings start at 5 or 6 and I get off work at 5. I’ve costed out Metrolink and it is not effective even while insurance and depreciation are added to the equation.
Incidentally, I would suggest some of the recent Korean cars for cheap, reliable transportation. Don’t get anything older than six years old, and make sure the miles are reasonable (15,000 miles a year or less). The Ford Focus is also a good bet, as it was well made but the reputation of Ford has not caught up with actual performance. The Japanese cars are a good value if you absolutely need your car, but from the sounds of it you could deal with the risk of having your car in the shop for a few days so I would go Korean or Ford.
Don’t forget biking, electric bikes if you are so inclined, and the little electric scooters. The electric scooters are inexpensive and transit friendly (the electric Razors and their ilk are foldable and can fit on non-crowded buses fairly easily).
The secret to the 720: Do NOT sit at the front of the back half of the bus. That’s serious bumpage.
I started a new job today, working for an automotive web site. I take the bus to and from work.
What a coincidence! i’m trying to get rid of
my car as we speak!
Just because you own a car doesn’t mean you have to drive it every day. You can drive only some of the time, and take transit when you feel up to it. I know you’re spending a set amount on registration and auto insurance that doesn’t vary if you drive less, BUT, you will save a lot of money on gas, which is the largest portion of your ongoing automobile expenses. You’re also going to save on parking lot/meter charges.
i pay 90 a month on parking alone and i’ve probably driven less than 20 times in the last year!
someone please take this damn money pit away from meeeeeeee 
[...] the culture we live in than simple time management. Of course, in light of local transit advocate Damien Goodmon’s recent decision to purchase a car for precisely the time management reason, I might be completely wrong, but allow [...]
i say stick it out damien. i know it sounds like a pretty weak argument, but really… that’s all there is to it. ridership must stay as high as possible for there to be a justifiable need for a purple line extension to ever come to pass. not to mention it would be a huge loss to the cause if one, of such strong transit advocacy like yourself, falters.
this may be true but i still find it a complete waste of money. it just gives you a constant expense you don’t necessarily need. it also makes it easier for people to “just drive”. when a car is readily available you’ll just start using it when you don’t necessarily need to. driving to the market when you never did before. i don’t see public transit like it seems many other do, as a novelty that you ride when you want to try something new or “rough it”, i see it as an adequate replacement for the burden and danger that is an automobile. and if you really need a car to get out of town or whatever your reason, there’s always Flex-Car.
damien,
buy a used car. its cheaper and environmentally friendly in the sense that you’re not adding to the pile of new vehicles that will one day get junked. you can find something very decent for 5k.
Even in the holy grail of transit cities(at least in the US)New Yorkers use automobiles on a regular basis as well, they’re just called taxis(this is still a form of auto dependancy). I suggest our version of taxis here in good ol’ LA: Flexcar. Damien if you buy a car you’ll be just as repugnant as that MTA fellow who drives a Hummer.