MetroRiderLA

And the celebration continues…

Today the L.A. Transit Rider posted a heartfelt love-letter to the Red Line. The L.A. Transit rider is a second-generation L.A. native who is proud to live car-free, and his new blog is part of the ever growing internet presence of Angelenos living and loving the Public Transit Lifestyle. And what is easier to love than our solitary subway, the Red Line?

For the last few months, LAist has been hosting an interview series they call “20 under 30” featuring interviews with up-and-coming Angelenos that are under 30 years old. I’ve read these interviews with interest and enjoyment, and since I fall into the age demographic, I have an especially vested interest in the thoughts of these young people. Those of us under 30 will soon (but hopefully not too soon) be over 30 and running this place, which got me thinking: what do the members of the new school have to say about public transit in LA? Well each interview ended with the question, “ If you could make one thing be different in LA for your 30th birthday, what would you change?” (more…)

Inspired by Wad’s birthday post celebrating 10 years since the opening of the Wilshire/Western segment of the Red Line, I’ve decided we need to continue the celebration of all things Red Line. It is our city’s one and only subway after all.

What better way to continue this exalting of the Red Line than by putting together a lovely Top 10 list? Check it after the jump.

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If I were to pick a birthday celebration that I am most fond of, I would have to say it is July 13, 1996. The best birthday present I ever got was a subway.

It was 10 years ago today that the Red Line extension to Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue opened. Yes, a whole decade has passed by since the subway was extended out of downtown L.A.

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Note: Edited July 10, 2006, to supply the Ride Report with photos from the June 26 trip. Please excuse the camera-phone-grade quality of the pictures.  

Los Angeles riders have yet another Rapid bus available to them. The newest red-bus service is 734, mirroring local 234 along Sepulveda Boulevard between the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station and the Sherman Oaks Galleria.

Line 734 is a brand new service; 234 never had a limited-stop counterpart. Line 734 also has very generous service by Valley standards; 10 minutes during rush hour and 20 minutes mid-day. There’s no weekend service yet.

I took a southbound trip leaving Sylmar/San Fernando Station at around 2:30 p.m., just a few minutes after the Princessa-bound Metrolink train left. I snapped a picture of NABI bus 7867 arriving, and driver John Botley (badge #8899, Division 15) greeted me enthusiastically to take me on a fantastic voyage along Sepulveda.

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Over at LAist there is a post stating the the Bus Riders Union (BRU) has been visiting various neighborhood councils trying to gain support for extending the consent decree which is due to expire this year. In a video interview posted in the article, BRU organizer Lisa Adler talks about MTA’s actions that led to the consent decree ruling:

“We were able to demonstrate that MTA was stealing bus funds that served a predominately black, latino, and asian population and using those funds to construct and operate a rail system that at the time was serving a predominately white or caucasian population.”

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