MetroRiderLA

Metro continues to move into Web 2.0 with this new video posted on Metro’s very own YouTube Channel.

The Miss Traffic Saga has finally come to a close. The videos were posted, the people watched, and the votes have been tallied. Your second runner-up is the sassy Sharon Butler, with 428 votes. Your first runner-up is the spunky Roz Brown, who garnered 445 votes. And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

With an astounding 1,867 votes, your very own Miss Traffic…

Stefanie Perez!!!

The little latina that could, did, and she did it with flying colors. Picking up more votes than Roz and Sharon combined times two, the people of Los Angeles had no doubt who they wanted to represent their Metro system. What is it about Stefanie that makes her the obvious choice for Miss Traffic? Is it her mysterious smile? Her dry wit? Her undeniable love of missing traffic with Metro? Or maybe it’s a combination of all those things and more… that je ne c’est sais quoi that defines all women who capture our hearts and minds.

It’s not known whether Stefanie has received her prize package yet, but I know a lot of ladies and gentlemen (maybe even yours truly) who are very jealous. It’s not every day you get a free Metro t-shirt and props from an advertising photo shoot.

It seems to me that the Miss Traffic Contest was a rousing success. In a period of 6 days since the finalists were announced, 2,270 votes were cast, more than half of them for Stefanie. In contrast, Metro’s highly publicized Imagine campaign has a poll that has only received 708 votes since March 12th. And the Imagine blog has a poll that has only received 77 votes in the same time period. I guess the old adage is true: sex sells.

Things aren’t that sexy over in Austin, where you may recall they are holding a similar contest. But, a guy named Chris Stangland has submitted a video that might give Stefanie a run for the money if Miss Traffic goes national. Imagine what Chris could do if he was competing for a Metro t-shirt instead of a stupid iPhone and $500 cash.

For this special edition of Transit Oriented Weekend we bring you transit directions to the historical L.A. Coliseum for the Dodgers vs. Red Sox game where over 115,000 fans will be congregating in what’s sure to be a fantastic mess if you are in a car. This is why mass transit was invented.

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The above Google Map shows the various bus lines that serve the L.A. Coliseum with links to the timetables from the Metro website. Remember to look at the Saturday schedule on the timetable. Used in conjunction with the Metro Advanced Trip Planner you should be able to find your way to the Coliseum without a car, no problemo.

I’m feeling good about the MetroRiderLA Forum.  It’s not sitting dormant as I had feared, in fact it’s pretty darn active for a transit forum in the capital of car culture!  There’s a lot of cool conversations going on right now, let’s check ‘em out:

• My personal favorite is the discussion about Metro accessible food joints. Rogedog92 started this topic and it’s already 19 comments deep, and I’ve already discovered a new tasty restaurant thanks to it.
• A couple from Washington D.C. has joined the forum and asked for asked for the best places to live without a car in Los Angeles, since they will be moving here soon.
• Where would you take a visitor or tourist on Metro to show of your city, public transit style?
• We’re coming up with a list of L.A. transit appearances in television and film.
• Here’s a hot thread, 36 comments deep, about Metrolink’s plan to take away the free EZ Pass transfer.

So there’s a whole lot going on, if you haven’t done it yet, head over to the MetroRiderLA forum and take part in the conversation!

I know that as MetroRider’s you’ve been waiting with bated breath to find out who your new Miss Traffic is going to be. Well, today Metro proudly announced the finalists in the much mocked loved Miss Traffic Contest. The finalists are featured on a page on Metro’s new Interactive website. Rather unfortunately, no men made the final cut, and it’s down to three lovely ladies who are fighting for your vote to crown them the next Miss Traffic. Let’s take a closer look at our contestants:

• Roz Brown: She’s been going Metro for over 20 years and raised a child on Metro. She’s also got a rad side ponytail.
• Sharon Butler: She likes the peace and quiet the Metro offers. The zen candidate. Sassy.
• Stefanie Perez: Looks 10 years younger thanks to Metro. Her voice makes her sound even younger than that.

I voted for my girl Miss Sharon Butler, I like her style and she’s not afraid to sass if need be. Unfortunately, it seems that the internet has pretty much chosen baby-faced Stefanie, because with 513 votes so far, she’s burying the other contestants. But the results aren’t written in stone, and there’s still six more days to vote! That is unless this contest is rigged. Diebold!!!!

Good luck girls, but remember, there can only be one winner. Budgetary constraints ($60 million going to fare gates) prevent Metro from providing each of these ladies with their own Metro t-shirt.

Metro is holding its monthly “live” internet “chat” today at noon. Metro Board Chair Pam O’Connor will be hosting the chat as usual, answering “your” questions about Metro. This month’s topic is: FUNDING.

• Can we afford traffic relief?
• Paying the bill for transit.
• Do we prefer a half sales tax hike?
• Toll roads?
• Public/private partnerships?
• Parking fees?

Although the chat is “live” your questions should be submitted in advanced before the discussion if you want them answered. That means you have a few more minutes to throw Pam a hard-hitting question. Then head over the Metro Interactive at noon to join the “chat”.

Update 12:01pm: Ummm here’s the direct link to the live chat.

Update 12:13pm:  Join the chat about the chat, here in the MetroRiderLA forum.  Trust me, it’s a lot more interesting (and interactive) than the official chat.