MetroRiderLA

Image of New York City Transit turnstiles courtesy Go Clipless.

Busy week in the news for Metro. Today’s LA Times reports that Metro is considering adding fare barriers and staffing stations.

There is growing discussion among MTA board members and other local officials about a major overhaul of how the stations work — adding barriers and possibly gate attendants as well as more security officers. Some officials say the mercury incident proves that the agency’s reliance on closed-circuit cameras to show what’s going on underground is inadequate.

I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but what the Pershing Square issue indicated to me is that the folks at Central aren’t properly trained as to how to respond. I’m not quite sure how this move would improve that (in fact, I think it would harm preparedness), and here’s why (not necessarily the opinion of other contributors here):

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The LA Times reports this morning that portions of the Walk of Fame-bearing sidewalk around Hollywood/Highland are buckling, and what results is the predictable he said/she said is a finger-pointing mess between the folks in Hollywood and Metro Los Angeles.

[A]n underground aquifer beneath the Hollywood-Highland station was wet, and workers had difficulty getting the grout to stay in the voids, said Robert Nudelman, director of preservation issues for Hollywood Heritage and a longtime subway critic.

“The underground river is about 60 feet down. The tunnel is right above that,” Nudelman said. Water from the aquifer normally fills the voids. But during dry years the aquifer shrinks and the water in the voids seeps out. And that causes the tunnel, the earth above it and the sidewalk at ground level to slightly subside, he said.

“It’s the domino theory, and the Walk of Fame is the last domino,” Nudelman said.

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It’s been a busy month on the Metro Blue Line, unfortunately. From the LA Times, a pedestrian was killed towards the beginning of the month, and now, also LAT, a boy on a scooter was killed yesterday.

These deaths are disturbing, but it leads to the question - why is this going on? Why is the Metro Blue Line among the most dangerous light rail lines in the nation? Wikipedia provides a little bit of background information on the subject, but still, any such injury is a cause for concern.

So what do readers think the problem is? It’s hard to pinpoint any one cause. Look at other cities like Boston, which has 4 street-running streetcar lines, and these kind of accidents are not so prevalent. First-time visitors to LA who are used to other cities’ LRT are surprised to see railroad gates at intersections with traffic; this isn’t the normal way to do light rail. In most other cities, LRT interacts well with traffic and residents.

Clearly, light rail is an important part of LA’s future, so what’s it going to take to run a safe LRT operation in LA County? What do people think are the factors contributing to this, and what can Metro and the community do? I’m looking forward to any feedback on this.