MetroRiderLA

A reader tipped us off on Foothill Transit’s hip new guide book for riders. You can check out pix and a quick review of the book on Heather’s blog, With These Hands.

The cover of the “Bus Book” injects some green into Foothill’s usual blue and white color palette, no doubt to capitalize on the eco-sustainable-green movement that has been sweeping the globe. Wavy green flourishes follow the path of a Foothill Transit bus like vines, and flowers, birds, and lush fields of grass are seemingly emitted from the exhaust. The ecological theme continues inside the booklet with the slogan “Fresh Air, Fresh Fares” used to highlight Foothill’s fare tables. According to Heather, the bulk of the book, the schedules, lack the flair of the cover, but still retains a few elements of green iconography.

I guess it’s not surprising that some of the best aspects of our region’s transit agencies are their graphic design and promotional departments, given the creative nature of Southern California. I’ve long said Metro’s designers have created a canon of work that is more often than not far better than the service it promotes. And although Foothill Transit’s Silver Streak might look like it belongs in space rather than the streets of SoCal, the graphics team definitely hit the right chord with this Bus Book.  Unfortunately, like so much transit design and promotion, for the most part it’s only preaching to the choir.

• Freeways are kind of like restaurants and kind of like government cheese. Either way, congestion pricing has the potential to at last put a price tag on road use.
• Bart Reed and Peter Gordon go at it again. This time they tackle the subway to the sea.
• Pasadena Star-News readers do not like congestion pricing.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation has started a blog!
• Are car-pool lanes fair? Regardless of whether they are priced or free?
• Metro is going back to court courtesy of Fix Expo!

Jeff Kenworthy, co-author of Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence and professor of Sustainable Cities at Curtin University (Australia), will be speaking tomorrow (Wed. April 30th) at noon in the Metro Board Room at One Gateway Plaza (the Taj Mahal).

This special talk is sponsored by the L.A. Eco-Village, CRSP Institute for Urban Ecovillages, Sierra Club, Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust, and So.CA.TA.

He’ll bring us up to date on all the latest research on rail in the major cities of North America, Australia, Europe and Asia comparing high, median and low rail cities with respect to a variety of quality of life issues, competitiveness with cars, comparative urban form, and economics. Lots of inspiring pictures on how to do things differently in Los Angeles. The presentation will help us see that urban rail systems are a critical element in building effective multi-modal public transport systems that create a ‘virtuous circle’ in public transport and compete more successfully with the car.

The talk also shows that cities that are more rail-oriented tend to develop better qualitative features of the urban environment such as more livable, attractive and congenial people-oriented public spaces.

This sounds like a very interesting event for those interested in urban planning, automobile dependency, and the future of rail in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere:

• The Ten Myths About Automobile Dependency by Peter Newman & Jeff Kenworthy [PDF]

• Commuter Benefits Programs work at getting people out of their cars and onto transit.
• Vélib-style bike sharing comes to the U.S. as Smart Bike DC… but will it work?
• Peter Gordon vs. Bart Reed on toll roads in L.A.
• The MetroMole looks at Metro’s maintenance mess.
• Travelers think L.A. is the worst, especially the public transportation.

• “God, deliver us from these high gas prices,” Twyman said.
• L.A. transit doesn’t have what it takes to attract wi-fi service providers.
• Take a look at the Coachella Express and its temporary platform in Indio.
• OMG this traffic totally sux! A native Valley Girl speaks out against L.A.’s car-culture.
• Diehard Metrolink riders just want some basic amenities.
• Plan transit with the future in mind to avoid the mistakes of the past.
• Is congestion pricing a gift to the rich?

Image courtesy of hexod.us.

Not riding Amtrak’s Coachella Express to the big show? Here’s some other options for you to enjoy sans car this weekend. If you have an event that you think should be included in next week’s T.O.W., email us at metrorider@elhay.net.

Tonight

• WHAT’S HOT: No Age, Yeasayer, Death Set, Free Blood
  WHERE: Los Angeles Ukrainian Center, East Hollywood
  WHEN: 8:00pm
  WHY: Awesome punk rock line-up in East Hollywood. Better than Coachella fer sure.
  HOW MUCH: $8
  HOW TO GET THERE: Transit Map of 4315 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029. You can also check the Metro Trip Planner for the best route from your location.
• WHAT’S HOT: Indian Film Festival Los Angeles presents Johnny Gaddaar
  WHERE: ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood
  WHEN: 9:30pm
  WHY: Vikram (Mukesh), a cutthroat stock speculator revisits an alliance with an ex-gangster Sheshadri (Dharmendra) when an opportunity to make a quick fortune presents itself. The job requires five men to work together with the bounty to be split equally. Matters go haywire when Vikram decides to increase the share by cutting down the size of the team during the job. When the plan misfires, the body count piles up as Vikram is forced to weave a web of deceit to protect his identity.
  HOW MUCH: $11
  HOW TO GET THERE: Transit Map of 6360 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028. You can also check the Metro Trip Planner for the best route from your location.

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