L.A. to Inglewood, in Ten Hours, 44 Minutes

Andrew Hoeveler wanted to take public transportation from downtown L.A. to Inglewood. Shouldn’t be too bad, right? Perhaps an hour or so, heading south and west?

So he plugged it into Google Map’s public transit feature. That’s where something went horribly, horribly wrong. “Either public transit in LA REALLY sucks worse than it should, or Google map’s public transit feature does. Check out this detour I would have to take to get from downtown LA to Inglewood… via ANAHEIM? This CAN’T be right.”

Above, here’s the map it came up with. Google Maps said the total trip would take 10 hours, 44 minutes by public transit — and cost $10.50.

In comparison, the site said the trip would take 16 minutes — and cost $6.23 — via car. (Not sure why the car ride would even be hat expensive.)

Andrew writes on his Facebook page: “I think Google needs some attention in this matter, since I’m all for public transit, but they aren’t helping the cause here…!”

Is There Any Chance We’ll Be Riding A Subway To The Sea Before We’re Old and Grey?

Probably not. Like most of you, I was disheartened to read earlier this week that the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s timetable for the much-discussed “subway to the sea” means we’ll be card-carrying AARP members before ever getting to ride it.

If, of course, these dates are met — and honestly, I still wonder if even the promise of a subway to Westwood by 2032 is too optimistic. (At least I’ll still be just 58 — perhaps we’ll celebrate Franklin Avenue’s 30th anniversary by taking a group ride down the Purple line; see you there.)

Jason at MetBlogs LA asked Metro about the timetable, and got back some pretty unsatisfying answers from a PR rep:

The next steps before subway construction could start are estimated to take 2 to 3 years. This includes full environmental review, approvals, engineering and design. We then estimate that construction could take about 7 years (1) depending on what the final project ends up being & (2) if all funding is available.

The funding generated by Measure R will come in over a 30 year period and therefore the schedules are based on an allocation of these revenues to many projects over the life of the sales tax. The schedule for the Westside project which identifies completion to Westwood by 2032 is driven more by the availability of funding than the time needed to construct. The actual time needed to construct the Purple Line Extension to Westwood would be considerably less than 23 years.

In case you missed it, here’s what Metro has currently set as a timetable for rapid transit:

Subway to La Cienega — 2019
Subway to Century City — 2026
Subway to Westwood — 2032
Expo Line light rail phase II, Culver City to Santa Monica — 2015
Gold Line light rail extension — 2017
Wilshire Boulevard bus lane in city of Los Angeles — 2015
Crenshaw Boulevard light rail or bus rapid transit — 2029
Green Line to LAX — 2016 to 2018
Westside to San Fernando Valley transit project along the 405 Freeway — 2038
Regional Connector downtown light rail — 2018

I guess it’s at least encouraging to see the Expo Line (gah, c’mon Metro, grow a pair and bring back the “Aqua Line” name!) expected to hit Santa Monica in six years.

Conflicting Messages for Motorists out of Sacramento

Let’s get this straight:

The Governatorhas signed a bill outlawing texting or reading your wireless device while driving:

He signed legislation banning drivers from sending, writing or reading messages on electronic devices starting in January.

Two months ago, drivers were barred from talking on cell phones except with hands-free devices.

“Building on legislation already helping save lives in California,” said Schwarzenegger in a press release, “I am happy to sign this bill because it further encourages safe and responsible driving.”

The bill, SB 28 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 fine for each subsequent violation.

We’re all guilty of doing this — well, I, ahem, have been known to check my email on the road. BUT, always at a red light. Does this outlaw that too? I guess it’s hard to make a distinction between driving while texting and idling while texting. And I reluctantly agree, this is a good idea, and will prevent many a fender bender.

So….

It’s mighty confusing to read that state legislators are mulling a plan that would cause bigtime freeway distractions, cause traffic jams and perhaps even accidents.

The difference: The Driving-While-Texting industry doesn’t have much sway in Sacramento. The outdoor advertising industry, on the other hand, has become BFFs with lawmakers in recent years.

In this case, outdoor advertisers have proposed new, colorful LED freeway signs. The catch? They want to use the billboards for advertising in between Amber Alerts and Caltrans messages. The skinny:

The money-making scheme, already broached to federal officials who allocate highway funds, would allow businesses to post ads on California’s 674 electronic roadside message boards.

State officials figure the cash-strapped highway fund could make millions by allowing ads when the signs are not in use for emergencies.

But some traffic safety advocates say the potential revenue is not worth the costs of tempting drivers to take their eyes off the road.

“The biggest issue with digital billboards is they are enormously distracting to motorists,” said Kevin E. Fry, a traffic safety advocate and longtime billboard opponent.

Others express concern that ads would add visual blight and change the purpose of a system meant to save children and help drivers.

The idea for the signs came from Clear Channel Outdoor, a billboard company that potentially stands to gain from the proposal.

Aha, Clear Channel. Why am I not surprised?

Dare To Dream: Two Subways to the Sea

Damn, MTA, way to get our hopes up. Officials are looking to further study two subway lines to West L.A. — one down Wilshire and one partly on Santa Monica.

The L.A. Times’ Bottleneck Blog all the details:

While the whole effort is still largely hypothetical — the subway has no funding, nor has it been formally approved — it shows how officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are gearing up should any money be secured for a project with a potential $9-billion price tag.

It was just a decade ago, amid several spending and construction boondoggles on the existing subway, that voters in Los Angeles County banned the MTA from using sales tax money for subway tunneling. That ban remains in effect, but complaints over Westside traffic have continued to pile up, fueling efforts to continue the subway…

The Wilshire line would get first priority for funding because it has higher ridership estimates, said David Mieger, the project manager for the Westside study. But the other line is being considered because it would make the entire system more versatile by stopping near major job centers and attractions such as the Warner Hollywood studios and Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood and the Beverly Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Enough with the studies. Let’s start building these damn tunnels!

Retro Friday: Metro Rail, 1985

Ahh, such optimism in 1985! Check out this oh-so-aged filmstrip from 23 years ago (!) mapping out the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD)’s plans for rapid transit. Groundbreaking for the first rail project (the blue line) took place the following year. METRO RAIL: THE FUTURE IS NOW!

Before we get to the video, a few highlights:

The 150-mile rail system, as originally envisioned.

The Red Line subway, as originally envisioned — before the Ross Dress for Less methane explosion in the Fairfax District. Ahh, what coulda been! (Seriously — the subway would have passed right next to my office.)

The subway’s various stations, as originally conceived.

And now, the video. Put on your time machine goggles — I’d forgotten that such dry filmstrips were still being produced in the mid-80s.

Retro Friday: L.A.’s Long-Gone Streetcars

Retro Friday: L.A.’s Long-Gone Streetcars

Above, the yellow cars. Below, the red cars. With gas at $4/pop and traffic at a standstill, I frequently wonder what L.A.’s transporation system would be like today.

Retro Friday: The Fairfax District Methane Explosion

It’s why we don’t have a subway to the sea — or even west of Western — these days. In 1985, a methane gas explosion injured many shoppers and severely damaged the Ross Dress for Less store at Fairfax and 3rd (read about it here). Soon after, Rep. Henry Waxman spearheaded a successful effort to stop plans to extend the Metro subway west under Wilshire.

Here’s news coverage from KCBS/Channel 2 in the wake of the incident; a young Ann Curry is among the reporters seen in this heavily edited clip.

By the way, Waxman finally reversed course, and his ban on the use of federal dollars for a subway was finally repealed at the end of last year. OK, so where’s our subway to the sea now?

Retro Friday: The Fairfax District Methane Explosion

It’s why we don’t have a subway to the sea — or even west of Western — these days. In 1985, a methane gas explosion injured many shoppers and severely damaged the Ross Dress for Less store at Fairfax and 3rd (read about it here). Soon after, Rep. Henry Waxman spearheaded a successful effort to stop plans to extend the Metro subway west under Wilshire.

Here’s news coverage from KCBS/Channel 2 in the wake of the incident; a young Ann Curry is among the reporters seen in this heavily edited clip.

By the way, Waxman finally reversed course, and his ban on the use of federal dollars for a subway was finally repealed at the end of last year. OK, so where’s our subway to the sea now?

The Battle of the Buses Is On

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x52zko&v3=1&related=1
BusRace2008

Bus Race! Bus Race! Will Campbell writes in Blogging.la that today’s the day he faces off with The Bus Bench’s Bus Tard to see who makes it to Downtown first.

Will explains:

I’ll be on the MTA’s No. 439 catching up on my reading of Mercedes Lambert’s “Dogtown” and he’ll be bribing the driver of Big Blue’s No. 10 to skip stops as we travel from our respective points of embarkation deep in the westside sometime shortly after the 5 o’clock hour then call crawl our separate ways across town to see who gets to Clifton’s at 7th and Broadway first. With fingers crossed that we both get there before the place closes at 7:30 p.m., we will then retire inside for loser-buys dinner with perhaps whiskeys at Seven Grand afterward, or just we’ll pass around The Bus Bench Publisher Browne’s bottle of Everclear.

Will will be posting his progress via Twitter.