Morning Commute

Daily Transit Links Roundup

Contributed by Fred Camino on March 18th, 2008 at 7:42 am

Big Blue Bus

Image courtesy of tatianes.

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  1. I sent a note to the BBB Customer Relations Team that if the BBB is going to the trouble to go to the subway, which is great, it should go to Vermont, not just Western, so that riders can easily transfer to either the Red or Purple Line.

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    Here is something in the news today which is good transit news.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=amkkrRNOZZZQ

    Sydney is expanding its metro system. London is still expanding its system. The people who say, “we cannot build rail because the next hot neighborhood in 30 years may not be at the rail line and we can’t move the rail” are idiotic. There is no rail stop in New York or London which needs to be dismantled because there isn’t enough ridership. A new hot neighborhood in 30 years is an argument for expanding the system then, not for not building a system now.

    Why is it other cities that already have transit are expanding so much easier than ours?

    It’s that sense of transit-skepticism rooted in automobile-entitlement.

    There is a “hump” to get over. I think the Purple Line to the sea is that hump. It’s the most expensive part of it, but it’s the most necessary part of it. When the system expands, it expands not laterally, but exponentially because of the transfers available. Getting the Purple Line to Santa Monica via Century City will transform this discussion.

    Fortunately, NBC/Universal helped us. “The subway doesn’t go anywhere is changing to anywhere going to the subway.” The anti-rail, automobile-entitlement folks know the Purple Line is ground zero too.

    $6 billion for the Purple Line is a bargain compared to the loss to our economy and environment if we don’t build it.

    Comment by Dan W. on March 18th, 2008 at 8:17 am »Reply« resta suma

  2. I just received the following message from Dan Dawson, Customer Relations Manager, at the Big Blue Bus.

    Thank you so very much for the kind words and the thoughtful ideas. I will make sure your comments are included in the public record and forward them on to our planning department.

    We hope to be able to connect to the Red line with the Rapid 7, but Metro has not given us the ‘green light’ to operate in their service area. We are trying to make a case that allowing us to connect to the Red line (or other lines as you suggested) explaining to metro that it is a benefit to transit riders who use both our systems. But, to date, we can not get Metro to allow this. If you are so inclined, a letter of support to your City Council person and/or to Pam O’Connor who is the Chair of the MTA and also a Council member for the City of Santa Monica would help to show public support.

    Most transit riders have no idea there are these “turf disputes”. This is heinous. The ONLY thing that should matter are the needs of transit riders.

    I was once told my a member of one of the MTA service sector councils that the reason why it would be hard to extend the 761 south of Wilshire (so it might actually be useful to people, reducing the number of transfers needed by one) was likely turf arguments between the MTA and the BBB.

    Bureaucratic arguments over turf that leads to reduced or ineffective service just make me angry. Is there anyone above these various agencies who can knock some heads together?

    Comment by Dan W. on March 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am »Reply« resta suma