MetroRiderLA

Lydia Kennard
Credit: Los Angeles World Airports

Lydia Kennard, who has headed Los Angeles World Airports on two occasions, left the agency that oversees Los Angeles International Airport and two other facilities.

Kennard was praised for her leadership by the Los Angeles Times and the Daily News. She made enemies with the transit community when she publicly opposed an extension of the Green Line. She says an extension would cost about $1 billion and it would be a waste of money. Many, including Exurban Nation blogger and now-MetroRiderLA lurker Robert Coté, believe that the extension is a no-go because LAX wants to protect its parking, shuttle and taxi racket … err … revenues.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl are trying to extend the Green Line, perhaps to the airport, or maybe even beyond — such as a long-talked-about extension up Lincoln Boulevard to Santa Monica.

It all remains to be seen whether any progress is going to be made with Kennard gone.

… parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme?

Metro’s new rapid transit map has made the following changes: the biggest one being the formal rechristening of the Koreatown branch of the subway to the Purple Line; denoting busway services with dashed lines; and the addition of Los Angeles’ two older busways: El Monte and Harbor Transitway.
The Harbor Transitway actually ends at Adams Boulevard, and buses become locals into downtown Los Angeles (or West Hollywood in the case of Line 550).

Metro does not let anyone forget that it runs America’s No. 1 transit system. Meanwhile, riders feel the service is No. 2.

In terms of bus fleet size, though, Metro has the third largest, according to an annual fact sheet by trade publication Metro Magazine. As of its September/October 2006 issue (meaning that the data is at least a month older than that), Metro’s fleet is 2,688 buses. New York City has the largest, naturally, at 4,520. Second largest is New Jersey Transit, with 3,008 buses in a service area spanning four states.

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That’s right, I’m bringin’ back the news roundup. Matt, the Metro Librarian, does a great job at gathering transit news on his blog Los Angeles Transportation Headlines, so I’m just going to take the juiciest tidbits from there, along with anything else I might pick up (unlikely) and post it in the roundup. Why? Well for one, I promised a post a day in 2007, so this will make things a little easier for my lazy self. Also, since this blog has an active comments section, it will be a good way to discuss the latest news. Finally, in order to make it slightly more than a rehash of Matt’s work, I’ll post a “cool” picture with each roundup. The picture may or may not have anything to do with public transportation or Los Angeles. Enjoy.

• American Public Transit Association 12/28/06: Transit Benefits Increase
  The federal tax benefits for riding public transportation to work are increasing. Good thing since you made that New Year’s resolution to ride the public transit to work!
• Pasadena Star News 12/29/06: Railing against noise
  South Pasadena residents are losing sleep over the Gold Line and its loud ass train noises. Is this another case of NIMBYism or has the MTA boned up again? Methinks the latter.
• L.A. Times 01/02/07: She’s L.A.’s pedal pusher
  Monica Howe risks life, limb, and social life for the Greater Good, that of a cycle-centric LA.

Six lines will see service cancellations and more lines will be broken to improve Metro service reliability within the San Fernando Valley. These service changes would go into effect in June 2006 if approved, according to the San Fernando Valley Transit Insider.

The changes are to be discussed at meetings on January 10 and February 7 in Van Nuys.

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A couple of days ago, the LA Times featured an article shedding some light on the mysterious TAP boxes you’ve been noticing (and tapping… don’t worry, I’m guilty too, it’s instinctual I think) in MetroRail stations, on buses, and at Orange Line Stations. These boxes are essentially high tech fare boxes, designed to take advantage of TAP (Transit Access Pass) cards, a new system of paying for your Metro rides throughout the city and county. While currently in a limited testing phase, according to the article TAP Cards will be widely available within the next two years.

So what is it that makes a TAP card so much better than the current system?

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