2017-09-30
2017-09-30 Via Viator 91
I apologise that since I am on a business trip and for the first time in my memory I will not be able to post for October 2017.
Via Viator91
Via Viator91
From your Mole, to all who see this in hopes that you will enjoy your visit to this site.
ίBienvenido!
Bienvenue !
いらっしゃいませ!
When politicians involve themselves in technical matters, expect failures.
CEO's Question Time
Dear Mr. Washington:
I respectfully request answers to questions which puzzle me about the LACMTA operations. I would suggest that you present your answers to Los Angeles Times reporters who have my permission to edit, rephrase as long as the intent of the question is preserved and the publication rights to my questions without cost or obligation. With the understanding that the results of the Question and Answer interview be published in the Los Angeles Times. This allows the widest possible to your answers and I, as a Los Angeles Times subscriber, will also have easy access to your answers.
2017-09-30
The Silver Line has been using both door boarding for quite a while now. There is no question that the process speeds up the boarding queue. I have commented upon installing the both-door boarding equipment on standard buses.
These days I can hardly ride a bus without at least one wheelchair on board, and sometimes two of them. There is no question that the devices would speed up boarding when a wheelchair ties up the fare box in front. In the case of the three door, articulated buses I favour installing the device at the rear door location only &M:that keeps potential free-riders somewhat limited to the middle door and therefore they can be better observed by the operator.
THE QUESTION: Mr. Washington, when will you begin installing the devices which will make the buses, if not on time, at least, less late?
Still not convinced and need more detail? Here it is, please read this document about the San Francisco Muni's experience with All-Door-Boarding, since 2012.
P.S. It shouldn't rquire two years to begin improving service, just have your staff read all the back issues of this blog and they will have a work list to start on, like, right away! Oh, you are very welcome Mr. Washington!
Photo credit: LACMTA, Edited to show bicyclist not wearing helmet.
Does the LACMTA underestimate the risk?♪
This Mole thinks so! Biking without a helmet anywhere, but especially in Los Angeles indicates a strong death wish! Just crossing a Los Angeles street as a pedestrian can be a harrowing experience. But the LACMTA wants to rent bikes and no doubt, senses a strong cash flow just ahead$ along with a strong desire NOT to let reality intervene and scare away any customers. $They always have that feeling. Think TransiTV!
Please read about New York City's sad experiences with their Citi-Bike rental bicycle program.
AMERICA'S WORST!♪
There are many reasons why the LACMTA can claim this title!
It wasn't even that bright but, using the vending♪ machine was difficult.♪
Yes the LACMTA can purchase a machine and site it, but can they select a site that provides for optimal usability? Based upon this Mole's experience, he thinks not.
METRO's Plans Means: More Toonerville Trolleys!♪
The graffiti artists have been working on the posters aboard LACMTA conveyances! They made an excellent point as well. Vehicles which run at grade level and stop for stop signs and signals are not Rapid Transit, no matter how much one spins the topic, the truth cannot be avoided. Rapid transit is the first choice of major American cities, except for Los Angeles!
The LACMTA is promising a 15% reduction in commute time —although my understanding is that it will require 40 years to accomplish the task. Perhaps they might want to add a few more years because, as one can see in the photo above, the bar is set high.
METRO's Plans Means: More Streets Torn Up with No Bus Stops!♪
If only these taggers worked for the LACMTA we wouldn't be experiencing half the problems. But then these taggers ride the buses, see and understand both the problems and their solutions.
America's Worst LACMTA Transportation: Risible, NOT Rapid!♪
Punishment?♪
Now that the LACMTA has a fist-full of dollars will they, at last, begin to deliver the service which we deserve; including but not limited to:
Building restroom facilities where they are needed. They know the locations!
If the drivers have restrooms the ridership needs them as well;
Providing security at the LAXCBC and along bus routes especially at 96th ST and Airport BL where traffic frequently crosses white lines and darts ahead of a sometimes moving bus; The LACMTA devotes lots of money to "security", which is likely NOT cost effective, but almost nothing is spend on REAL system security. Providing an “app” or a telephone number is not providing security.
Training bus drivers who can DRIVE, which will be partly evidenced by positioning their buses at a bus stop equidistant and an EASY step to/from the curb. Many drivers lack a sense of professionalism and not all drivers are able to pull up to a bus stop properly; near the flag and close to the curb for the full length of the bus. It is probably just a case of the 98% giving the rest a bad name. Also, eliminating those drivers who break then accelerate and repeat, viz. rough and jerky driving —nothing focuses attention like a few firings for lack of aptitude.
Providing a pleasant on-board ambiance; no LOUD audio emanating from Metro vehicle's on-board audio systems, dispatcher radios or the riders' personal audio devices. NOT employing drivers who think they are there to provide entertainment —Silence is Golden!
Disallow boarding of passengers with unpleasant body odors, dragging trash bags stuffed with recyclables, drunk and/or unruly etc., etc.
Importantly, adding the bus drivers number to the scrolling sign inside the bus, so that riders can report those drivers who are rude, crude and have poor driving skills. Obviously, the LACMTA is unable to make those determinations. D
This would be an important addition to the scroll as the ridership WILL identify the rude and incompetent drivers whereas the LACMTA seems incapable of doing so.
This would be an important addition to the scroll as the ridership WILL identify the rude and incompetent drivers whereas the LACMTA seems incapable of doing so.
Many, if not most, bus drivers DO NOT secure wheelchair passengers. Rather, they ask passenger if they wish to be secured; most seem to reply "NO". In the event of an accident, these heavy wheelchairs could bounce around the bus and injure other passengers. But like many items, safety to passengers is extremely low on the LACMTA's priority list —if they even have such a list.
The LACMTA badly needs to foster a culture of openness and transparency! Providing quarterly and annual reports for each significant project, reporting which reflects project status in terms of ahead of or behind plan and a budget metric showing dollars over/under budget would allow the public to evaluate their competency.
In 2008 the MTA, the NYCMTA, not the one in Los Angeles County, prepared a Power Point presentation laying out a plan for the next 40 years. You can view that presentation here.
I searched for a LACMTA 40 year plan but, rien trouvé! Well, lots of verbiage was found and seemed to be mostly about how the LACMTA will spent the new found money that will flow from the taxpayers pockets. You can judge the value of the plan for your self by following this link to 81 pages of ?
Riding LACMTA services is generally not that pleasant to begin with and is only made more unpleasant by experiencing the above "punishments".
Then, since the LACMTA is spending the taxpayers money on their Rent-a-Bike program, they appear to not be too rigorous in working through cost/benefits. For the $240 required annually for a monthly pass, in one could buy a nice Peugeot bicycle in less than two years or so. This is going to turn out to be another TransiTV, lots of hype on the front end and a lingering death. A symptom of the LACMTA's failure to learn by experience.
Then, since the LACMTA is spending the taxpayers money on their Rent-a-Bike program, they appear to not be too rigorous in working through cost/benefits. For the $240 required annually for a monthly pass, in one could buy a nice Peugeot bicycle in less than two years or so. This is going to turn out to be another TransiTV, lots of hype on the front end and a lingering death. A symptom of the LACMTA's failure to learn by experience.
The photograph below documents the situation at the Maxella AV and Lincoln BL stop on the BBB number 3 Line. It is the sort of “work” one would expect from the LACMTA. They taped or caused to be taped shut the aperture in the plastic pipes associated with power poles. These pipes continue to be used as improvised trash cans. BBB N.B. The stop still needs a trash can!
BBB Maxella Trash Fix???♪
Su Topo will include this comment in every post with the above until BBB corrects the problem. For quite awhile BBB has been charging for inter-line transfers, reversing the long-standing policy of free transfers to other BBB lines. This presents the BB as less friendly to its ridership than in years past.
Too, BBB has spent lots of money to build a big headquarters on Colorado BL just east of 4th Street. Mr. King, just a few dollars for a trash can, you might need a few more to cover other bus stops too, will erase this section. After all, it is Marina Del Rey! :-)
Why a trash container is needed♪
The photo above shows exactly what people will do when a trash container is not provided. They will jury rig something. What they did, in this case, is rip off the tape which covered the plastic pipes at the base of the utility pole and stuffed their trash into the pipe, nice, huh?
Edward F. King, Director of Transit Services
City of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus
The man pictured above could ensure that trash containers are installed along BBB routes with a simple three-line memorandum.
White Line Incursion Series
Su Topo uses video to highlight the problem of scofflaw drivers endangering Metro bus passengers yet, no authority seems to want to take ownership of the problem. The issue is not unique to the particular site documented by your Mole, but is illustrative of a general problem. Your Mole encourages you to report similar problems to the appropriate agencies in your area(s) and hope that you will have better luck than he. In the youtube.com videos linked below one can see exactly what happens when the policing agencies fail to enforce traffic laws.
Further, when the agency responsible for public transportation is so lacking in every skill necessary for success yet will apply their only tool to the job. when you only tool is a PR flack; then every issue seem soluble by issuing a press release.
Further, when the agency responsible for public transportation is so lacking in every skill necessary for success yet will apply their only tool to the job. when you only tool is a PR flack; then every issue seem soluble by issuing a press release.
The video(s) linked below document the important fact that a never- ending stream of vehicles fail to use the lane as required by law.
Neither are the policing agencies active when it comes to protecting us by bringing these obvious and frequent traffic law violations to an immediate halt. The LACMTA is derelict as well, in that they fail to use the near hourly proof of the violations captured by the on board cameras, mentioned here, and discussed at length in the posting of 2012-05-31.
2017-09
In this video you will see a rent-a-car shuttle and cars, cutoff a 111 Line bus some of the cars may cutoff a bus while it is discharging passengers.
These incursions happen multiple times per day so it is only a matter of time before an accident occurs.
Airport auto rental shuttle drivers and others, if shown in the above videos, are all Class-B operators and should know better; but often they don't care and neither does the LACMTA and any of the policing agencies which have jurisdiction in the area.
Please carefully note that in some videos, pedestrians are pinned to the curb by the vehicles that cut in front of the bus —as a result these pedestrians are illegally denied the right-of-way. Which right-of-way would be unchallengeablely theirs IF, and only IF, Mr. Washington would review su Topo’s simple solution (vide infra) and implement it.
In spite of the potential for these violations to occur several times per HOUR, I have never seen a police presence at this location. One would think that with a bus schedule taped to the dashboard one of the several policing agencies would have made some arrests by now. Unless they have "more important" work to do than protecting bus passengers.
La Taupe feels that it is appropriate to dedicate these video(s) to ALL the agencies that should be protecting us. So, they are dedicated to (1): Airport (LAWA) Police, (2) the L.A.P.D., (3) the L. A. County Sheriff’s Department and (4) Mr. Washington who is the current CEO of the LACMTA.
Mr. Washington, Su Topo has recommended a simple solution to the problem. That is, have the 111 Line buses pull up to pedestrian crosswalk, stop there stop and discharge passengers. Doing so eliminates the space in front of the bus which the always-in-a-hurry scofflaws use to cut in front of the bus. But, with the LACMTA nothing is simple. Although the solution could be implemented with nothing more than a memo to the 111/311 Line drivers, it is a task for which the LACMTA so far has proved to be inadequate.
Metro's Flag a revés♪
At sea, a vessel in distress will fly its' flag upside down. It is only right that, given the dysfunctional LACMTA, we should fly Metro's flag in that manner.
In this section it is su Topo's intention to call your attention to situations which he has observed that highlight the "LACMTA Way" of doing things.
An homage for her "contribution" to L.A. transportation.
Your Mole would like the former head of LAWA remembered for her "contribution" to Los Angeles area public transportation. She was quicker than her contemporary, the former bus driver and former head of the LACMATA, to implement the lucrative FlyAway service and discouraged all attempts, however feeble, to bring other modes of transportation to LAX.
Too, we should memorialize her attitude vis-à-vis public transportation directly to LAX in following the transportation direct-to-airport access pattern used by many, if not most, world-class airports, to wit, "you go under the airport, it is fraught with problems, ...” [hardly a get it done attitude!].
The Mole reads the papers and other things, obviating the necessity of your doing so.
The Los Angeles Times reports (Nelson) on the closure of "Angels Flight" —and so soon after opening too. Please read Ms Nelson's article which is linked in "Works Cited", below.
Which will provide proof that su Topo isn't making this up; The LACMTA's fingerprints are not on this particular debacle anyway.
Sadly, in what is undoubtedly a likely view of the future for Los Angeles is found here, in two articles from www.amny.com, in the Big Apple.
An amny report (Barone): "A Citi Bike rider was hospitalized with extensive leg damage Monday morning after being pinned under a turning dump truck in midtown, according to the police department."
"The 27-year-old woman was riding alongside vehicle traffic heading east on 30th Street about 11:33 a.m. when she attempted to cross the intersection at Seventh Avenue, police said. As she continued straight, the cyclist was hit by the truck making a right turn pinning the woman underneath it."
Another amny report (Fox): "A cyclist riding a Citi Bike was in critical condition on Sunday after being struck by a car in Chelsea, police said."
"The collision comes just months after 36-year-old Dan Hanegby was struck and killed by a bus in June while using the ride-share program. Hanegby was the first Citi Bike rider to be killed since the program debuted four years ago."
Reporting from healthline.com (Gillian), we find that the lack of public restrooms in California has deadly consequences. The dramatic spread of hepatitis is documented by a graph.
"Epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flew to San Diego to help local health officials fight back against the outbreak as well as to test samples."
"Officials are setting up hygiene stations. Pop-up shelters are also expected to be erected so that people can have better access to shelter and restrooms. However, the cases are still increasing."
Which will provide proof that su Topo isn't making this up; The LACMTA's fingerprints are not on this particular debacle anyway.
Sadly, in what is undoubtedly a likely view of the future for Los Angeles is found here, in two articles from www.amny.com, in the Big Apple.
An amny report (Barone): "A Citi Bike rider was hospitalized with extensive leg damage Monday morning after being pinned under a turning dump truck in midtown, according to the police department."
"The 27-year-old woman was riding alongside vehicle traffic heading east on 30th Street about 11:33 a.m. when she attempted to cross the intersection at Seventh Avenue, police said. As she continued straight, the cyclist was hit by the truck making a right turn pinning the woman underneath it."
Another amny report (Fox): "A cyclist riding a Citi Bike was in critical condition on Sunday after being struck by a car in Chelsea, police said."
"The collision comes just months after 36-year-old Dan Hanegby was struck and killed by a bus in June while using the ride-share program. Hanegby was the first Citi Bike rider to be killed since the program debuted four years ago."
Reporting from healthline.com (Gillian), we find that the lack of public restrooms in California has deadly consequences. The dramatic spread of hepatitis is documented by a graph.
"Epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flew to San Diego to help local health officials fight back against the outbreak as well as to test samples."
"Officials are setting up hygiene stations. Pop-up shelters are also expected to be erected so that people can have better access to shelter and restrooms. However, the cases are still increasing."
Please follow the link in "Works Cited", below, and read this important article.
Although Mr. Gillian’s coverage emphasizes how this lack affects the spread of hepatitis, there is no better venue for the spread of hepatitis and other communicable diseases than public transit.
Our dysfunctional LACMTA plays its role, as scrooge, by refusing to spend a single penny on this important necessity. Not to be ignored is the fact that the homeless population is frequently seen aboard trains and buses! Their unclean hands touch the same places we do!
The LACMTA could have easily provided for public restrooms throughout the system and jobs for those who provide the important service of cleaning the restrooms. But, the LACMTA, who are always focused on the $$, and think of providing even the most essential amenities to their ridership as superfluous!
The San Gabriel V alley Tribune informs us (Scauzillo) of a new plan by the LACMTA to involve private investors in their build out.
They will “… help with three different projects: Designing and building a train through the Sepulveda Pass; Building a light-rail line from downtown Los Angeles to southeast L.A. County cities And creating additional pay lanes on crowded freeways”.
Sounds great? The LACMTA is going to spend Measure M and likely other funds to have others build what the LACMTA is supposed to and in this Mole’s opinion, what the LACMTA has close to zero ability to do. It is patently obvious what the LACMTA is attempting: to spend money in such a manner so that it appears that they are doing the work while transferring the work to other parties. In the end the usual finger pointing, cost overruns and a less-than-adequate result will obtain. I feel the end of Mr. Washington’s career is nearing. Remember when he said words to the effect, if it doesn’t get done, you can fire me.
The LACMA is organized to spend money, then not to accomplish much because they lack an organizational structure to achieve results. A long time ago a prior CEO described the LACMTA as a [funds] transfer agent.
Please read this story by using the link provided in “Works Cited”, below, noticing the full court press by the LACMA to sell this maneuver. Mr. Scauzillo has done an excellent job of presenting the facts in this latest of a long line of “think, maybe we can avoid this work" schemes.
The sad thing is we are left with lots of fifth-rate projects littering the landscape.
The safe fix? Terminate the LACMTA and reformulate a new agency with transportation professionals not politicians, in the driver's seat. Stop ALL PROJECTS in progress and reevaluate them one-by-one. Don't let the Olympics add any urgency because visitors will view any results obtained by the LACMTA as inferior, when compared with what is available in their home countries; with the possible exceptions being true third world countries.
The San Francisco Chronicle offers us (Johnson) something more pleasant along with a colourful photograph. Ms Johnson documents the first change in Muni uniforms since 1981 along with a description of the old brown uniforms.
The agency’s 2,100 operators now have a choice between dark gray shorts, skirts or slacks, paired with polo or button-up shirts and accessorized with either red or gray ties. The shirts are a lighter shade of gray, reminiscent of a postal worker’s uniform. The drivers can choose to wear them under either a black or fluorescent yellow safety jacket with a reflective Muni logo.”
“The outfits are an upgrade from Muni’s signature brown garb, which many said were itchy and hot, and have been in use since 1981.”
The Chicago Tribune reports (Kamin) on a new Loop Elevated station. “The first new Loop elevated stop in 20 years, the $75 million Washington-Wabash Station stands out because the canopies covering its passenger platforms appear to undulate, like the skeleton of a skinny reptile.”
If you are not affiliated with the LACMTA, then, by all means follow the "Works Cited" link and watch the video.
Chicago has a great rapid transit system; comprised of elevated trans; subways; direct connections to the city's two airports and a nice municipal bus system which is complemented by local area buses. I remember catching a bus when I was in Chicago during winter for some training, in Glen Ellen where the stops are "anywhere the bus can safely stop and pick you up".
These systems want to serve their ridership. Approaches like that, along with the depiction of Rapid Transit makes this piece contra-indicated for LACMTA staff.
Our Own Crumbling Infrastructure♪
Elevator at the Harbour Freeway Busway Station
Note how filthy this thing is. The LACMTA never seems to fix or clean anything.
The Los Angeles Toonerville Trolley experience♪
«Le style est, pour l'oeuvre d'art, ce que le sang est pour le corps humain.»
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-01-27~1879-09-17 )
[The style is, for the work of art, what blood is for the human body.]
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-01-27~1879-09-17 )
[The style is, for the work of art, what blood is for the human body.]
-
Ars longa vita breva
Jean Fouquet (1415/20~1478/81) un peintre et enlumineur du XVe siècle. Voici son 004.jpg004.jpg.
Jean Fouquet (1415/20~1478/81) un peintre et enlumineur du XVe siècle. Voici son 004.jpg004.jpg.
Review additional works by Jean Fouquet by clicking on this link.
¿Musica?
Assemblée de Jacques Moderne, directeur Joel Suhubiette Ensemble de Jacques Moderne, directeur Joel Suhubiette
Merci bien à www.google.fr pour le matériel biographique.
Thank you!" to www.youtube.com for allowing us to appreciate this beautiful music. We also thank Matica de Ruda who uploaded the audio.
Here is something from a musical genre which I hope you'll like.
Seranata de Trios - KXLU . Musique en Eapañol Sunday evenings Pacific Time.
One can also listen on kxlu.com at Pacific Time or at the UTC day/time noted, record the broadcast if you can. Su topo uses VLC ) to Record Internet broadcasts for more a more convenient listening time.
Here is Trio Hermanos Rigual with La vida es un sueno
Thank you youtube.com and to The Orchard Enterprises for the upload!
¡Muchas gracias a Serenata de Trios y KXLU for their terrific music and inspiration!
Here is Trio Hermanos Rigual with La vida es un sueno
Thank you youtube.com and to The Orchard Enterprises for the upload!
¡Muchas gracias a Serenata de Trios y KXLU for their terrific music and inspiration!
Serenata de Trios on KXLU, (88.9 FM Los Angeles) features authentic acoustic musica, which your Mole really likes! :-)
Metro Area – Lower your expectations!♪
The Mole rides again, so that you will not have to listen to the rants of those who are of uncertain mental conditions and are lacking even the most rudimentary manners.
(dates are ISO8601 format, times are expressed in the 24 hour system.)
2017-09-08 evening: On board a 111 Line bus departing from the LAXCBC: The operator #84559, turns right from the bus bay and heads directly out the entry way, hen she should have made two rights and continued to the exit, at which point she should have turned left and headed south on 96th street.
2017-09-23 approx 09:00 On board a southbound 40 Line bus. A rough looking guy who loudly proclaims Bloods membership: curses continually, shouts out "Feliz Navidad", pushes an elderly Latina out of his way and tells her to "MOVE!". He continues, insulting fellow passengers modes of dress, tattoes. etc.
A passenger is heard asking the operator why we have to listen to such talk and put up with such behavior and why she doesn't press the police call button? Her reply was something along the lines of, by the time the police get here he'd be gone. The obnoxious passenger got off at the Hawthorne/Lennox Station and, no doubt, he was off to harass Green Line passengers.
The takeaway, there is no security on Metro buses and trains —however much we hear about such security, how the Sheriffs and LAPD Officers are exchanging duties blah, blah, blah, etc.
2017-09-17 @ 12;35: Aboard a northbound 40 Line bus. As we pull up to the stop in from of McDonald's, at the northeast corner of Hawthorne and El Segundo BL, the ASA tags the stop announcement with “Connection to the Green Line”. Yes, one could make a connection to the Green Line at this stop and walk a longish distance, but the very next stop is the real “Connection to the Green Line”, which requires walking the minimal distance. This is the one of the main problems with the LACMTA, they don't perform MAINTENANCE, no one cares enough to pay attention and correct the error. As a result, a certain fraction of the north bound 40 Line ridership alights too early and has to walk unnecessarily.
Unclean Bus Stop♪2017-09-17 @ 12;35: Aboard a northbound 40 Line bus. As we pull up to the stop in from of McDonald's, at the northeast corner of Hawthorne and El Segundo BL, the ASA tags the stop announcement with “Connection to the Green Line”. Yes, one could make a connection to the Green Line at this stop and walk a longish distance, but the very next stop is the real “Connection to the Green Line”, which requires walking the minimal distance. This is the one of the main problems with the LACMTA, they don't perform MAINTENANCE, no one cares enough to pay attention and correct the error. As a result, a certain fraction of the north bound 40 Line ridership alights too early and has to walk unnecessarily.
:
2017-09-27 early morning: This is the stop on the southeast corner of the Aviation Blvd and Arborvitae. But first please take a look at a few pages of this LACMTA document from 2007.
The above bus stop is far from being pleasant! The sidewalk is filthy,there is litter and on the few occasions which I've used this stop, the accumulated trash on the bottom of the trash container continues to accumulate, it seems never to have been cleaned. This is just one of the marked divergences from what the LACMTA says it will do and its ability to get it done properly by its contractors! The contractor for this site is Martin Outdoor Media at 855-441-1300. Each bus bench, as far as su Topo knows, has contact number for the servicing contractor stenciled on the base of the bus bench .
Another View of an Unclean Bus Stop♪
Note the rubbish container, it seems empty; but Martin Outdoor never seems to clean the rubbish which accumulates underneath the rubbish container.
Two things are wrong here: 1. the contractor, Martin Outdoor, is supposed to provide a service and seems not to be fully providing it MDASHI'd call it hit and miss.; 2. the LACMTA, the contracting agency, is paying Martin Outdoor and not receiving value for money, yet they seem to exercise no supervision over the contractor An attorney could likely find waste, fraud and abuse in the prior two numbered statements, but apparently the LACMTA cannot.
There are other contractors for bus stop cleaning and la Taupe will be on the lookout for any shoddy work which is apparently left undone or performed in a shoddy manner.
Of course, I first covered this issue on 2017-06-30; in which post I gave simple advice on how bus stop cleaning contractors COULDMDASH and SHOULD be supervised. Your Mole attempted to find the cost associated with the cleaning vendors using this search argument: "disbursements +"Martin Outdoor" +"shelterclean" +site:metro.net".
The google.com reply was unsurprisingly: "Votre recherche de disbursements +"Martin Outdoor" +"shelterclean" +site:metro.net ne correspond à aucun document.
Suggestions :
- Vérifiez l’orthographe des termes de recherche.
- Essayez d'autres mots.
- Utilisez des mots clés plus généraux.
- Spécifiez un moins grand nombre de mots."
Perhaps we should ask the LACMTA to present us with more transparent records?
Parada sin numero♪
This is just one example of quite a number of bus flags which don't have stop numbers indicated. The intention was to be able to use the Next Bus, oops, I mean Next Trip as the Next Bus system, for some reason, was renamed from the original developers and owners designation, Next Bus.
If you require more examples of the LACMTA's ability to perform maintenance here is another one. The photo was taken on the southwest corner of Hawthorne Blvd and El Segundo Blvd, there is no bus stop number posted! This also make is slightly more difficult to make a report of dirty bus stops with complete specificity.
Bringing better service to others, by bypassing you♪
So, equal taxation but unequal provision of service that is the LACMTA way. But it is time to bring an end to that approach. This Mole has commented on the Rapid service in the past. Pointing out that Rapid lines don't always stop when the cross other LACMTA lines, nor do they stop at county facilities, e.g., the excellent Los Angeles County Libraries. Why not? Well one could ask the Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Association.
So what if the line took six minutes longer but, some students could get to a library sooner. And while they're at it, stops should be added for Los Angeles City Libraries too!
This Is Not Rapid Transit♪
The photo above concretises the idea that the EXPO line will not deliver deterministic travel because, look at the signals and the traffic folks, it isn’t RAPID TRANSIT.
At one time the LACMTA knew how to build RAPID Mass Transit, viz. the Green Line. Take the Green Line ratio of aerial portions of the line to total length of the line, let's call this the Mole's Index of Rapidity [MIR in acronimic form].
For the Green Line the ratio is 100/100! Not so with other recently built lines; the Expo and Crenshaw Lines which both have lower indices of Rapidity. Any value less than 1 shows that determinate travel times are impossible. The overall MIR for the LACMTA's built portion in miles is 20/105 which is equal to 0.1904 ... much less than 1! The result is a fifth class transportation system; one befitting a third-world country.
Your Mole feels that by showing you month-by-month examples of the LACMTA's failures, you will come to see that throwing more money at this dysfunctional organisation is not the path to solution. It is a direct path to more money wasting by the LACMTA.
Eye (and Ear) to the Rail
Transit as unseen and unimagined by the LACMTA
The LACMTA (Subordinate to LAWA)
Presents
Every Which Way But Right!
OR
Four (OR Five) Seats to LAX!
OR
The LACMTA Tries Again; Asymptotically to LAX!
OR
Metro is the worst way from the City Center to the Airport, LAX, that is!
The purpose of this section is to make people aware that the LACMTA is not home to many problem solvers. I hope to accomplish this end by presenting the solutions adopted by other cities, some in foreign countries, in solving the city to airport rapid transportation challenge.
Cautionary Note: Those employed by the LACMTA, LAWA or CHSRA should NOT view the following video(s). The speed of the train(s), the fact that they neither share the right of way nor stop at stop lights, because they are truly rapid transit, will likely make you dizzy, nauseous, confuse and frighten you.
FINAL WARNING: N.B. LACMTA, LAWA OR CHSRA staff and management, avoid cognitive dissonance, DO NOT CLICK on THE LINK BELOW!
While the LACMTA attempts to hype its Toonerville Trolley system and CHSRA ponders the necessity of safety features, forward thinking planners in 2007 have already bullet trains at speeds in excess of those planned for California.
This section has been devoted to pointing that the LACMTA is far behind the rest of the world in rapid transit. La Taupe has pointed out that fact on innumerable occasions. Their approach, rather than providing Los Angeles with a transportation legacy of which to be proud, prides themselves on building cheap, loo-less infrastructure.
CHSRA struggles with "Bullet Train" technology of the past, while the rest of the world is building high-speed comfortable Mag-Lev trains.
Here is a list of world-wide Mag-Lev projects or plans. There is quite a bit of data available, so I'll leave it in place through the end of 2017, with the caveat that LACMTA related staff should avoid this information. People that design and build rail where the distance covered is greater than the point to point distance due to the roller coaster like hills underpinning the rails and due to at grade contention for the route resulting in non-deterministic travel times, will neither be comfortable with the concept nor the application of Mag-Lev transportation.
Your Mole says "Thank you!" to the University of Washington at Seattle for their Website to which I've linked.
Cosmology
Scientific American reports about a newly discovered at CERN'S (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The particle is speculated to be several things. The most interesting to me is that it may be a "... graviton, the predicted carrier particle for the force of gravity."
Please read this interesting piece by "Clara Moskowitz is Scientific American's senior editor covering space and physics. She has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz." Please see: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/potential-new-particle-shows-up-at-the-lhc-thrilling-and-confounding-physicists1/
The BBC turned me on to the Square Kilometer Array [SKA] radio telescope which is building in South Africa and countries off Africa to the east and in Australia and Tasmania.
A brief quote from their site, regarding computing: "The computer power needed for the SKA will be about 3 times more powerful than the most powerful supercomputer in 2013 and equivalent to the processing power of about one hundred million PCs of the same era. It is on the order of a trillion times more computing power than sent humankind to the Moon, in what is generally regarded as the greatest technological achievement in history, and will surpass even enormous science projects like the Large Hadron Collider in terms of computing power requirements."
Please see the official, beautifully designed and informationally dense site here. And Thank You BBC! [www.bbc.co.uk] Search for "SKA Astronomy".
Scientific American reports about a newly discovered at CERN'S (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The particle is speculated to be several things. The most interesting to me is that it may be a "... graviton, the predicted carrier particle for the force of gravity."
Please read this interesting piece by "Clara Moskowitz is Scientific American's senior editor covering space and physics. She has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz." Please see: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/potential-new-particle-shows-up-at-the-lhc-thrilling-and-confounding-physicists1/
The BBC turned me on to the Square Kilometer Array [SKA] radio telescope which is building in South Africa and countries off Africa to the east and in Australia and Tasmania.
A brief quote from their site, regarding computing: "The computer power needed for the SKA will be about 3 times more powerful than the most powerful supercomputer in 2013 and equivalent to the processing power of about one hundred million PCs of the same era. It is on the order of a trillion times more computing power than sent humankind to the Moon, in what is generally regarded as the greatest technological achievement in history, and will surpass even enormous science projects like the Large Hadron Collider in terms of computing power requirements."
Please see the official, beautifully designed and informationally dense site here. And Thank You BBC! [www.bbc.co.uk] Search for "SKA Astronomy".
Fare Box OOS and related Lists of Shame
I.D. Numbers of buses with Out of ServiceFare Boxes: Date/Time, Line/Bus #, Direction, e.g.,
route/bus#(date,time); direction
1. 704/ 8071 (2017-09-16 15:00); South Bound
2. 232/ N/A (2017-09-13 17:15); South Bound
route/bus#(date,time); direction
1. 704/ 8071 (2017-09-16 15:00); South Bound
2. 232/ N/A (2017-09-13 17:15); South Bound
Note: No or few entries above do not necessarily mean all fare boxes are in operation.
I.D.Numbers of Distracted Drivers: xxxxx (i);
None included here, but observations of a minor nature may be included in the main posting;
Codes: (i) Extended conversation(s) with passenger(s) or (ii) cell phone call(s). Frequently, details can be found in the text above, (ii*) cell phone call(s) which are aggravated by some other action, (iii) Self-distracted. Codes (ii*) and (iii) will ALWAYS be explained in the posting.
I.D. Numbers of Buses Defaced by WhoIs stickers: xxxx;
~UR or +UR = (+URsticker and the ugly residue left after passengers partly remove the sticker. (~UR) = Only the ugly residue left after passengers almost completely remove the sticker. +L = an old (legacy) sticker black letters on a plain white background –these are the original form of the defacement.
* Another reason for displaying the operator's ID on the internal display and the headsign.
ID numbers of Buses whose Head and Tailsigns disagree: Not noted xxxx/xxxx;
Format is Bus number followed by Headsign number/Tailsign number.
ID numbers of Buses without Braille signs: xxxx;
METRO drivers Lack of Basic Technical Skills Report
The format is Driver number F[{Y/-n/+n}] C[{Y/N+/-}]. Meaning of F if Y the driver stopped with the Bus stop “flag pole” somewhere between the bus front door frames. A negative number, e.g., -3 is the approximate distance in metres (think yards dear readers) between the nearest bus door vertical frame member and the flag pole signifying that the bus stopped short of the flag. A positive number, e.g., +3 (metres) is the approximate distance between the nearest bus door vertical frame member and the flag pole signifying that the bus stopped past the flag. The value for C[{Y/N}], “Y” tells us that the driver stopped within an easy step from the curb to the bus, “N” means it was NOT an easy step from the curb to the bus. It is this Mole's belief that an average experienced good driver should be able to control his bus so as to position in near the curb and with the flag pole slightly to the front of the bus.
I.D. numbers of drivers who are unable or unwilling to position their buses parallel to the curb, a short step from the curb and/or equidistant from the vehicles exits. At the present time (2016-05-31) there are too many drivers to name, whose skill at parallel parking is deficient .
XXXXX F[+0] C[Y]; F[+7], C[Y]; xxxxx F[Y], C[Y]; xxxxxF[Y], C[Y]; N.B. distances are in metres, think yards.
13 metres is this is MORE than a 40 foot bus length. nnnnn* = Contract Driver
I.D. numbers of drivers who are almost guaranteed to give you a Rough and Jerky (R& J) ride: xxxxx;
I.D. numbers of drivers who will give you a potentially life-threatening ride:
LINE/OP ID XXXXX(L/T) date; XXXX-XX-XX(code);
LINE/OP ID XXXXX(L/T) date; XXXX-XX-XX(code);
Codes: S = not wearing seat belts; J = bad judgment (unsafe driving practices).
111/84559(L/T) 2017-09-08(J)
La Taupe's Abréviations
ADADO = Automatic Destination Announcement (on) Door Opening. This feature is installed on many buses and operates on extremely few. Another “money down the toilet” LACMTA investment. La Taupe that this is intended for the visually impaired because people who can see can read the “head signs”.
ASAS = Automatic Stop Announcement System the GPS (Global Positioning System) driven mechanism for generating audio for the upcoming stops. N.B. Because of the low power (read weak) processors used in the on-board stops may be too close to identify stops separately. This is known as a granularity problem. Then too, if the driver operates the bus at speed above the speed limit you will find the system “back announcing” stops which you have already passed. I find that this will NOT keep some drivers from complaining “that you didn’t signal (ring) in time”. They don’t understand their relationship to the system and how, by driving faster than the GPS computer, they can bias it.
BART = Bay Area Rapid Transit – Please note the use of the word “Rapid” because it is a word we almost never hear in Los Angeles.
BBB = Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus
CHSRA = California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is the equivalent, in more
ways than one, of the LACMTA.
CC or CCMBL = Culver City (Municipal) Bus (Lines)
CCTC = Culver City Transportation Center this is the place formerly known as FHMTC = the Fox Hills Mall Transportation Center (Sepulveda& Slauson)
FFE = Full Fare Equivalent (presently $1.75)
GTrans (Gardena transit?) formerly GMBL = Gardena Municipal Bus lines
ITC = Inglewood Transit Center
LAWA = Los Angeles World Airports.
LAXCBC = the LAX City Bus Center.
OCTA = Orange County Transportation Authority.
OOS = Out Of Service.
Rapid Transit = does not compete for right of way, that is, it will not run at grade unless it has EXCLUSIVE DEDICATED USE of the right of way).
R&J = Rough and Jerky [ride].
TT= Torrance Transit.
T1= the normal type of driver/staff.
T2= is the non-stop talker type of driver/staff, on the phone or to passengers,
T3= the uncommunicative type of driver/staff, sometimes surly.
WLATC = the West Los Angeles Transportation Center (Fairfax & Apple)
Su Topo’s Disclaimer and apologia
Your Mole always attempts to write an easy-on-the-eyes page using text input. Blogger.com however, has other ideas and will often not stay with a single font type or point size, produces extraneous spacing and etc. I wish I had time to debug the HTML which they produce, it is NOT the straight text which I pasted into the form, but I don’t. Therefore, I apologize on behalf of Blogger.com for the changes which they make, of which I do not approve. Sometimes, what I see, thankfully you don’t, is 24 point type –it is giant and other times they swallow my text, although it still seems to be there. In fairness to them, things seem better, although this is partly because I do understand which of their “features” do the most damage to me and consequently do not use them. Communicating these problems to them, for me, is something like having teeth extracted without the benefit of anesthetic, actually it is less fun than that. By their design, there is no simple e-mailing them with "Please look at my say, posting of 2009-06-28, it is weird!” I have been submitting feedback and experiences slow but positive progress. Until all issues are resolved, lo siento. [Addenda 2014-07-31]: Things have been much better lately. There is a more responsive feedback system now. [Addenda 2015-08-22]: Recently, even the "Feedback" mechanism has failed to submit problems. [2015-12-31] The feedback section disallows screen shots which show problems with the "final posting", such as, orange sections which cover blocks of text and change the font size. All it would take is allowing and attachment. But, ... [Addenda 2016-03-31] Since Blogger.com forced me to learn HTML 5, I can fix "many" of the problems which apparently were caused by using Word notation in "imported" files. The mystery failure to save problem still occurs but have diminished. [insert crossed fingers icon here :-) ].
I like blogger.com very much, and IF things ever normalise, I will consider deleting this "Disclaimer and apologia" section.
Your Mole’s Copyright Statement
All original photographs and original written materials are copyrighted © 2007~2016 by LAmetroMole. As of 2016-06-01 copyrighted photographs will include copyright text. ♪Clicking a photo will often* present you with an enlargement (sometimes successive clicks will further enlarge the photo). *This feature is dependent upon the Internet browser which you use and possibly other factors. Single use publication rights are granted provided the following statement is prominently displayed below the photograph: "copyrighted © 2007~2016 by LAmetroMole (http://lametromole.blogspot.com)"
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains or provides links to copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, sustainable development, environmental, community and worker health, public disclosure, corporate accountability, and etc. We have often included relatively brief quotes from articles and etc., sometimes in addition to a simple link, because we have found that links frequently go "bad" or change over time. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without fee or payment of any kind to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes and to those who access the site via any and all other channels. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Music or other recorded material on this site, or referred to by this site are copyrighted by their respective artists and are made available here for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists you like by buying their commercial CDs, MP3s and downloads.
Your Mole’s Conflict of Interest Statement
This is to certify that I, the bloger who is known as the LAmetroMole, with respect to this blog, except as described below, am not now nor at any time during the past year have been, nor is it my current intention to ever be:
1) A participant, directly or indirectly, in any arrangement, agreement, investment, or other activity with any vendor, supplier, or other party doing business with any of the entities about which I have written, which has resulted or could result in personal benefit to me.
2) A recipient, directly or indirectly, of any salary payments or loans or gifts of any kind or any free service or discounts or other fees from or on behalf of any person or organisation engaged in any transaction with any of the entities about which I have written.
Any exceptions to 1 or 2 above are stated below with a full description of the transactions and of the interest, whether direct or indirect, which I have (or have had during the past year) in the persons or organisations having transactions with any of the entities about which I have written.
There are no exceptions.
Date: 2009-06-24 s/LametroMole
Works Cited
Fox, Alison. “Citi Bike rider struck and injured by a car in Chelsea, police say”. amny.com. Sep. 24, 2017. Web. http://www.amny.com/news/citi-bike-rider-struck-and-injured-by-a-car-in-chelsea-police-say-1.14265228
Johnson, Lizzie. “Muni’s drivers to get an all-new look after 4 decades in brown” The San Francisco Chronicle. Sep. 6, 2017.
Barone, Vincent. “Citi Bike rider hit by truck in midtown, NYPD says”. amny.com. Sep. 11, 2017. Web. http://www.amny.com/news/citi-bike-rider-hit-by-truck-in-midtown-nypd-says-1.14141780
Johnson, Lizzie. “Muni’s drivers to get an all-new look after 4 decades in brown” The San Francisco Chronicle. Sep. 6, 2017.
Web. http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Muni-s-drivers-to-get-an-all-new-look-after-12178171.php
Kamin, Blair.“First new Loop 'L' station in 20 years creates curvy gateway to Millennium Park”. The Chicago Tribune. Aug. 30, 2017. Web. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kamin/ct-washington-wabash-station-kamin-met-0830-20170829-column.html
Mohney,Gillian. “How a Lack of Public Restrooms Helped Spread a Deadly Hepatitis Outbreak”. healthline.com. Sep. 21, 2017. Web. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/lack-of-public-restrooms-helped-spread-deadly-hepatitis-outbreak
Nelson, Laura J. “Angels Flight, closed after just four days because of a damaged part, is expected to reopen by Thursday. Los Angeles Times. Sep. 5, 2017.Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-angels-flight-shutdown-20170905-story.html
Scauzillo, Steve. “Metro wants to speed up decades-long projects, including a Sepulveda Pass train, with private investments”. San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Sep. 28, 2017. Web. http://www.dailynews.com/2017/09/28/metro-wants-to-speed-up-decades-long-projects-including-a-sepulveda-pass-train-with-private-investments/
Scauzillo, Steve. “Metro wants to speed up decades-long projects, including a Sepulveda Pass train, with private investments”. San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Sep. 28, 2017. Web. http://www.dailynews.com/2017/09/28/metro-wants-to-speed-up-decades-long-projects-including-a-sepulveda-pass-train-with-private-investments/
An artifact of the streets of Los
Angeles, created by a brother Mole!
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The above is ### 30 ### in Braille
# posted by LAMETROmole @ 12:07 
