MetroRiderLA

Via CurbedLA I discovered this now ancient video (from 1991) provided on YouTube by the Metro Librarian.

Credit: XAOC, from istockphoto.com

Should I be castigated as naive for expecting high quality from The New York Times?

Their article today on the Gold Line extension sure did disappoint, I’ll say that. What they got wrong was not so much what they included, but what they didn’t include. They failed to explain well enough how the Gold Line extension connects to the rest of the system. They did not show a current or future Metrorail map. And they said nothing about the Expo Line, which merited at least a mention for its help in bringing East L.A. residents to jobs on the west side, which they did mention. How are East L.A. residents going to reach their jobs in West L.A. if there’s no train going there? This riddle is unanswered by the article.

On the topic of bringing economic renaissance to East L.A., there was no mention of recently successful light rail projects in Portland, Denver or Salt Lake City, which have brought on billions of dollars in construction. The article also said that Boyle Heights was “isolated from Downtown.” That made me laugh. Actually, it is if you look at their map, which places the center of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. What the…?

Anyway, give it a read and tell me what you make of it.
Here it is.

In the current issue of The District Weekly (Long Beach’s alternative independent weekly) has a cover story about its future vision for Long Beach. Perhaps as a response to the City’s own visioning plan for the year 2030.

Among its descriptions of a vibrant theater district, a family-friendly amusement center, and a gloriously restored waterfront is the “Blump” or the “Blue Whale Trolley,” which connects downtown Long Beach to Los Angeles and Orange County.

Of course, the article is meant as satire, or as a statement that for its future, Long Beach should look to its past. The last page of the issue shows historical photos of Long Beach’s past, such as its theater district, the Pike amusement center, the Rainbow Pier, and (of course!) the Red Cars, or “Blimps.”

So what’s the take-home message of this article?
-Public transit was part of what made Long Beach a great city. Destroying it in the 1960s has seriously damaged Long Beach’s heritage and identiy.
-Public transit must be part of Long Beach’s future. It’s the glue that holds together the City’s efforts at rejuvenation and integrates it with its northern and eastern neighbors.

The article is not yet online–it usually gets posted a few days after the paper hits the streets. Check it out, at least for the pretty pictures.

[tags]los angeles, television, news, media, ktla, hal fishman[/tags]

Click to go to KTLA.com’s story and photo gallery remembering longtime anchor Hal Fishman.

This item in particular does not deal with public transportation. It’s a deviation from the site’s content focus, mainly because of the news of the event and the person involved. So this platform takes time to celebrate the life and accomplishments of one of Los Angeles’ most important journalists and public figures. And personally, I started watching his newscasts at the age of 6, and he helped spring a life-long interest in current events local, national and international.

Hal Fishman was the anchor of KTLA’s 10 p.m. news program. Beyond that, he has been at that post for 32 years and with Channel 5 for over 40. His first career had been a scholar of political science, and while it was another station that put him before the cameras, he will best be remembered for bringing the news to Southern California live from Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue.

When the cameras were off, Fishman made his mark in the aviation world. He was a pilot and holder of a dozen aviation records. Like many other Angelenos, he had come from New York to became famous out west. Only, it would have been a career in academia. It was a televised political segment that led him to become an institution in Los Angeles news.

At KTLA, he would be its most familiar face for over half of its 60 years. And he worked alongside Channel 5’s other mainstays, including the late, great Larry McCormick and TV news’s most dedicated worker, Stan Chambers, who is still going.

It will be hard not to hear, “Good evening, I’m Hal Fishman” at 10 p.m., what millions of Angelenos have heard for over three decades. But, Mr. Fishman, thank you for keeping us informed.

[tags]metro, los angeles, blue line, rail, anniversary[/tags]

The Metro Blue Line is old enough to drive, but prefers to take the train.

The Militant Angeleno caught this - I missed it - but yesterday, July 14th, was the 17th Birthday of Metro Rail! Los Angeles went for almost 30 years without any sort of city passenger rail until July 14th, 1990 when the Blue Line officially went into service. During those 29 years without any rail, Los Angeles grew by leaps and bounds, eventually overtaking Chicago as the second most populous city in the United States. Thanks to the lack of rail transit, that population growth brought with it a whole buncha cars, and those cars in turn brought a whole buncha traffic and nasty pollution. The reintroduction of rail in Los Angeles is an attempt to rectify the problems that 30 years of car culuture brought the city and region.

And my how Metro Rail has grown in 17 years. From an infant barely recognizable as a transit system to a teenager nearly at the end of it’s awkward stage. Metro Rail’s voice is no longer cracking, the zits are clearing up, and it’s applying to some top colleges (it want’s to study underground tunneling at some place called Wilshire). Give it a year or two (and a light rail line or two) and I bet we’ll have a real nice young adult on our hands. Where will Metro Rail be by the time it’s 30? No one can say for sure, but my guess is it’s going to be really popular in this city.

Happy 17th Birtday Metro Rail, you’re almost an adult, so make us proud!