MetroRiderLA

• Students know what L.A. needs: viable public transit!
• More thoughts on the new Speed Racer Red Line advertisements, people love these things!
• Metro’s plans for 2009: finish the Rapid system, finish the Gold Line Eastside Extension, and start adding fare gates.
• City plans on giving away land near the North Hollywood Red Line station to developers. Joel Kotkin upset.
• Inland Empire residents pay a whole lot for their commutes. I wonder if sitting in traffic is worth it?
• Bicyling Magazine paints a rosy picture of Los Angeles, Westside BikeSIDE sets the story straight.

• Above ground or underground? Those are the two remaining choice for the Downtown Regional Connector.
• A look at the remaining alternatives for the Westside Extension.
• How does a bill that would hurt the freight railroads hurt passenger rail too?  Adron has the scoop.
• Wow, a positive editorial on congestion pricing carpool lanes!
• Travel from San Louis Obispo to San Francisco in style on the new Coast Daylight.
• High gases prices are getting Valley students out of their cars and on the bus.
• A closer look at the innovative advertising now seen on the Red Line.
• City Beat interviews Laura Richardson, a new pro-transit congresswoman and champion of the subway.

Watch out BRU!

I just discovered the Rail Riders Union and added their site to the Links Index. According to the site, the Rail Riders Union (RRU) is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation that was formed this year to promote rail transportation solutions for Los Angeles. Their tagline, “Dream with us, Los Angeles”, implies a visionary organization with sights set on the future.

The RRU’s mission is concise, “let’s build a safe, reliable network of mass transit which connects people with the places they want to go“.

Issues like the Long Range Transportation Plan, the Westside Corridor, and transit safety are top on the RRU’s priority list. Under the category of transit safety they promote barrier gates as a necessity in order to fight terrorism and to ensure that rail riders pay, a concept that many Los Angeles rail advocates might disagree with. I certainly do.

The website appears to be in its infancy, with links to how to join and contribute still under construction. It will be interesting to see if the RRU can pull together and become a real force for change in Los Angeles transportation. I’m also interested in what color shirt they choose for their membership. Yellow is obviously taken by that other union representing that other mode.

• Fare gates what? 98% of homeless riding the Red Line have valid tickets.
• Red Line gets some new fangled tunnel ads promoting Speed Racer.
• The Daily News really dislikes congestion pricing.
• Los Angeles needs more sprawl and freeways.
• Amtrak offering 25% off coach fare on California routes on National Train Day, May 10th, 2008.

• Re-regulation threatens to destroy the successful U.S. freight railroad industry.
• Even once-decrepit Hollywood has its NIMBY’s.
• Is this the California dream? Up-and-coming actress loses her life to the 101.
• Saturday is National Train Day, celebrate at Union Station

• Rail, racialism, and L.A.’s eternal struggle with both.
• In case you still didn’t know, the gas-tax holiday is stupid.
• How much for that subway to the sea? $6.5 billion baby.
• Most Powerfullest Nation In The Universe has a baby-dick of rail system.  Other well-endowed countries laugh.
• The real Miss Traffic is a Metro public relations MILF.  But what about Stefanie?