MetroRiderLA

Image courtesy of Marco Siguenza.

• Average white guy goes Metro, doesn’t like it, shares some ideas on how to improve the system.
• A new report shows that Los Angeles has the worst traffic congestion. Woot.
• It’s Dump the Pump Week, or, Save a Whole Buncha Money Week.
• Gas prices get peeps onto public transit, even in places like Durham, North Carolina.
• Anecdotal evidence proves that high gas prices are thinning out traffic in L.A.

This past Saturday, David Markland over at Metroblogging Los Angeles wrote a little post called “10 Ways to Improve L.A.’s Public Transportation System” that sparked big discussion. Among his ideas are the removal of all street parking from major roads, a county-wide $3/gallon gas tax, car pool lanes on surface streets, a ban on using wireless devices in cars, and taxing valets and parking services 50%. Not all of his ideas are quite so militant, others like making wi-fi and cell phone service available to transit users and allowing food and drink on transit are a bit more realistic. Inspired by his post, I have decided to make my own top 10 list, strictly from a transit user’s perspective. I’m not going to attacking funding or car culture or large scale infrastructure issues, just some basic things that I think Metro could do to make the current transit experience a lot friendlier. Feel free to add your own list in the comments.

1. Benches at every bus stop. And not those crappy plastic ones that are made out of garbage can material either. Those things make the city look ugly and aren’t particularly comfortable. Nice, stylish, comfortable benches please. And plenty of them. We know the bus isn’t going to be on time, so please give us a chance to rest our legs while we wait. Bus shelters would be even better, but I’m trying to be somewhat realistic.

The Good. Photo courtesy of Spacing Magazine.

The Bad. Photo courtesy of Fire Monkey Fish.

The Ugly. Photo courtesy of Fred Camino.

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