2018-04-30
2018-04-30 Via Viator97 FINAL
Via Viator96
From your Mole, to all who see this in hopes that you will enjoy your visit to this site.
Bienvenue !
ίBienvenido!
Welcome!
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.
Your Mole has listed his 2018 New Year's Wishes below and hopes that the LACMTA WILL MAKE THEM COME TRUE.
THE QUESTIONS: The LACMTA spent lots of citizen's tax money to put up stop number signs around the system. How many were instaleed? How many were removed? Texting is still a viable option to find out bus arrivals, yet few stop retain their numbers. Why, exactly, were the stop number signs removed?
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!
AMERICA'S WORST!♪
No Stop Number Sign here either♪
Here are su Topo's 2018 New Year wishes:
That the LACMTA would be more open rather than secretive. For example, reporting to us how much they spent to put up and take down the STOP NUMBER signs. And exactly why the signs were removed. Thenagain some of the signs seem to be reappearing? Can they make up their minds? Yes, and then again, No.
That the LACMTA would be more considerate of the needs of their ridership.
That LACMTA would provide more and better security aboard trains and buses.
Conversely, my New YEAR WISH is that the RIDERSHIP would would have better manners. The answer to "Please remove your feet from the seats", should be, "yes, I'm Sorry". Not a string of curses and arguments — and this from a "lady"? Is it any wonder that more usual people try public transportation and soon give up? It is a function of SECURITY and good order. But since the LACMTA "management",except for the rare, politically motivated, photo op, how could they even know what their "service" is really like.
A Brief Rest, February 2018♪
Your Mole wishes that people, like the poor soul pictured above,
could find much better living conditions than those which she is experiencing.
People are quick to describe this as the greatest country in the world. Can that statement really be true when we cannot supply basic human needs —a warm bed, a simple hot meal and essential hygiene facilities— for the most needy among us?
Close Enough for LACMTA Work♪
That LACMTA would train their drivers to position their buses at the bus stop "flag" and close enough to the curb to be a safe, easy step away. Either the drivers are not trainable or they just don't care. which do you think it is?
—
Good Enough for LACMTA Work♪
That the LACMTA would supervise their bus stop cleaning contractors so that they actually clean the bus stop, not just do the absolute minimum. Shown above is an often seen condition, the dustbin inside the metal frame is emptied, well eventually. In this case the plastic liner has been removed and positioned adjacent to, above in the photo, the metal frame is adjacent to, below in the photo. But, within the metal frame, at the bottom waste continues to collect without ever being emptied. It accumulates in situ, over weeks or months, perhaps even years.
The LACMTA seems stymied as to how to deal with this situation. So, su Topo will advise them: (1) Send a letter to the CEO of each organisation which has the responsibility of cleaning bus stops. Say, "Payments will not be made when stops show that cleaning has not been properly performed. The portion held back will represent the total owed divided by the number of stops in the contract —the amount to clean a single stop— multiplied by the stops which have been inspected and found to be inadequately cleaned.;2) inspect the stops, note and photograph the deficiencies. You should see a flurry of activity to remediate the problems. You will also experience a decrease in poorly cleaned stops. There is a term for this activity, it is called MANAGEMENT! There is also a term for the manner in which the LACMTA presently conducts business in this area. It is called "paying good money for fourth-rate work".
That the LACMTA would supervise their contractors so that they set the volume of their on board stop announcements, dispatch radios [why can't they use the same "telephone" system used by Metro?]at a comfortable listening level.
That the LACMTA would supervise their contractors so that the contractor's drivers would not "entertain"riders by turning off the ASA and then singing out stops. many, if not most riders want a safe, quiet trip so that they can listen to personal audio equipment, sleep, read or just sit quietly.
That the LACMTA would collect fares from all passengers [see security above] rather than having income be drained away —it is a crime, theft of services.
That the LACMTA would disallow boarding of passengers with unpleasant body odors, dragging trash bags stuffed with recyclables, drunk and/or threatening, unruly etc., etc. [see security above].
That the LACMTA would add 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. Presently,both CCMBL and BBB scroll their drivers numbers.
That the LACMTA would insist that their drivers —regular and contractors—secure wheelchair passengers. Rather, they ask the 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.
LAWA Flyaway Bus with a METRO tribute!♪
The the LACMTA is spending the taxpayers money on Rent-a-Bike programs and other adventures only tangentially related to transportation, all the while their pockets are being picked by LAWA!
Riding LACMTA services is generally not that pleasant to begin with and is only made more unpleasant by experiencing the above "punishments".
2018-04-30 - Additional Suggestions
<holding for a May timeframe video of the crossing>
Re-route the 232 Line legacy path that is an artifact of one way streets which no longer exist. It wastes fuel, imposes unnecessary wear and tear on buses and travels an unnecessarily elongated route. The present route, and this applies only to the Northbound 232: turns left (EAST) from Sepulveda at Mariposa; follows Mariposa to NASH where it turns right (SOUTH) and proceeds to the bus stop and drops Green line passengers and picks up Long Beach bound passengers backtracks to Grand AV where it turns right; proceeds to Sepulveda where it turns right over-running it's first traverse. This is an artifact of a long-ago changed pattern of one-way streets.
The Mole's suggested reroute (for years): from Sepulveda turn right at Grand AV; proceed EAST to Nash; turn left and drop Green Line MARIPOSA STATION PASSENGERS on the EAST SIDE OF NASH; and pickups LAX bound passengers there as well; Make a left turn onto Mariposa; proceeds to Sepulveda where it make a right turn onto existing route. The existing stop at Sepulveda, just north of Grand, can be served from a new stop at Grand, just east of Sepulveda.
A new stop on the North Side of Mariposa at Continental will be necessary.
The SOUTHBOUND 232 can continue on its' current route without change; EXCEPT that it would be ideal to loop through Plaza El Segundo by turning left off Sepulveda into South Hughes Way; then following the route of the WESTBOUND 125 through Plaza El Segundo; Exiting at Park PLace with a left turn onto Sepulveda.
The LACMTA hates to move bus stops even when it is necessary and they end up with a ridiculous route.
The 115 Westbound bus, near the end of the route, passes the northwest corner of Sepulveda Bl and La Tijera BL
Then there is the 117 Line stop at Century BL and Aviation Bl near LAX. The stop was relocated to the northEAST corner of Century and Aviation while he Crenshaw Line flyover of Century Bl was being constructed. Now, years later the construction has been completed but the stop remains. Both CCMBL and BBB stop on the northeast corner of the Century Bl and Aviation Bl —in fact those organisation never changed their bus stops. This means that 117 Line passengers must debus at the stop on the northeast corner of Aviation BL, as noted above, cross a very busy intersection and walk almost a full block in total to make that connection. LACMTA!, revert to the former bus stop and save your passengers some hassle and provide a smooth transfer experience.
Mr. Washington: Please take action to place Porta-Potties at the LAXCBC. So as to suppress the PUBLIC URINATION which goes on there daily.
LAWA Flyaway Bus with a METRO tribute!♪
That the LACMTA fosters 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.
Riding LACMTA services is generally not that pleasant to begin with and is only made more unpleasant by experiencing the above "punishments".
Can this be true?♪
As I walked the halls of the Taj Mahal this month, as the guest of an employee who was not aware that he was talking to the Mole, la Taupe looked through the open door of a room identified as the Office of Incredible Ineptitude and took the photo shown above. It must be true because, as I rack my brain, I can add no accomplishment to their list. However I can make the suggestions below.
Limits♪
As I looked more carefully, at the other end of the room I saw another white board, took a photo of it and placed that photo above. You may not be aware that the LACMTA was criticized for spending taxpayers' money on entertaining themselves. It is good to note that the criticism was effective and they now have fixed spending limits on their entertainment.
2018-04-30 - Additional Suggestions
Mr. Washington here are some things which you can easily improve.
Institute a 740 stop at Imperial BL to connect with the 120 line.
Presently, riders of the southbound 740 must walk a longish one block plus plus and then endure a very dangerous crossing of the two lane on ramp of the 105 freeway!
<holding for a May timeframe video of the crossing>
Allow for request stops so as to better intersect with desired transfer buses. When a bus must stop for a red light at a curb and a metro stop is just steps away from the curb, allow passengers to exit. Example: The situation described just above exists at the intersection of Century BL and Hawthorne BL with the 40/740 northbound lines crossing South-North and the South bound 40/740 lines crossing North-South. If the Eastbound 117 stops for a red light at the SOUTH-West corner of the intersection, riders, like me –frequently, could walk a few steps in safety to catch the bus. Usually riders like me are FORCED by some edict that is supposed to be for “safety” to ride the 117 to the stop at the SOUTH-EAST corner of the intersection than cross BUSY, BUSY Hawthorne BL, after a long wait for a walk light, then doge heavy traffic to get back where they were (on the bus) minutes ago. Often the view they get of the 40/740 is the of tail-lights of the departing bus; missed it!!
Moving the bus stop at 96th Street and Airport BL just a few feet South so that no vehicle could pass a stopped bus. This is so easy, even for the LACMTA, that it is a no brainer. Eventually, someone who debussed at the stop, in the midst of crossing 96th Street, will be struck and seriously injured or killed by a vehicle which zoomed around the stopped bus.
Re-route the 232 Line legacy path that is an artifact of one way streets which no longer exist. It wastes fuel, imposes unnecessary wear and tear on buses and travels an unnecessarily elongated route. The present route, and this applies only to the Northbound 232: turns left (EAST) from Sepulveda at Mariposa; follows Mariposa to NASH where it turns right (SOUTH) and proceeds to the bus stop and drops Green line passengers and picks up Long Beach bound passengers backtracks to Grand AV where it turns right; proceeds to Sepulveda where it turns right over-running it's first traverse. This is an artifact of a long-ago changed pattern of one-way streets.
The Mole's suggested reroute (for years): from Sepulveda turn right at Grand AV; proceed EAST to Nash; turn left and drop Green Line MARIPOSA STATION PASSENGERS on the EAST SIDE OF NASH; and pickups LAX bound passengers there as well; Make a left turn onto Mariposa; proceeds to Sepulveda where it make a right turn onto existing route. The existing stop at Sepulveda, just north of Grand, can be served from a new stop at Grand, just east of Sepulveda.
A new stop on the North Side of Mariposa at Continental will be necessary.
The SOUTHBOUND 232 can continue on its' current route without change; EXCEPT that it would be ideal to loop through Plaza El Segundo by turning left off Sepulveda into South Hughes Way; then following the route of the WESTBOUND 125 through Plaza El Segundo; Exiting at Park PLace with a left turn onto Sepulveda.
The LACMTA hates to move bus stops even when it is necessary and they end up with a ridiculous route.
The 115 Westbound bus, near the end of the route, passes the northwest corner of Sepulveda Bl and La Tijera BL
Then there is the 117 Line stop at Century BL and Aviation Bl near LAX. The stop was relocated to the northEAST corner of Century and Aviation while he Crenshaw Line flyover of Century Bl was being constructed. Now, years later the construction has been completed but the stop remains. Both CCMBL and BBB stop on the northeast corner of the Century Bl and Aviation Bl —in fact those organisation never changed their bus stops. This means that 117 Line passengers must debus at the stop on the northeast corner of Aviation BL, as noted above, cross a very busy intersection and walk almost a full block in total to make that connection. LACMTA!, revert to the former bus stop and save your passengers some hassle and provide a smooth transfer experience.
Mr. Washington: Please take action to place Porta-Potties at the LAXCBC. So as to suppress the PUBLIC URINATION which goes on there daily.
Trash cans? We don't need no trash cans!
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 your only tool is a PR flack; then every issue seem soluble by issuing a boastful 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 your only tool is a PR flack; then every issue seem soluble by issuing a boastful 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.
These incursions happen multiple times per day so it is only a matter of time before an accident occurs.
Airport auto rental shuttle drivers, FlyAway 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 nor 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 Line drivers, it is a task for which the LACMTA so far has proved to be inadequate.
Office of Exceptional Ineptitude♪
Pasadena, CA -Metro Bike Rack-1♪
The LACMTA thought that they'd spent fist-fulls of taxpayer dollars and earn barrels of profit on this bike rental scheme.
Pasadena, CA -Metro Bike Rack-2♪
There are not so many empty slots in these racks because there are other options for bike rentals. Perhaps the LACMTA should stick to what they know best, er stick to their version of mass transit! Even the crowded, unfriendly buses are better on rainy days.
Pasadena, CA -Metro Bike "Infrastructure"♪
This truck, and perhaps more like it, has a driver who drives around and reclaims bikes that end up, wherever.
This costs money too. Your Mole feels that barrels of profit are not likely to materialise.
There is a downside too, as far as it appears, helmets are not rented with the bikes and when the lawsuits begin an outflow of funds could also follow. By not renting helmets there is an implied "safety" that doesn't exist on the streets of Los Angeles. The Metro advertisments show a woman riding down a wide, seemingly uninhabited country lane. See: Mole's post.
A Filthy Bus Stop, number 07547.♪
When one encounters a situation like this, try to rectify it by calling the number below which usually appears on the bus bench. When the stop is cleaned, the detritus inside the metal framework and under the blue litter can is almost never removed. The word "third rate" comes to mind. Also the words unsupervised and/or poorly managed play a large role in the way the LACMTA interfaces, if they do actually interface, with their contractors. This is a simple thin to correct; just supervise the vendors tasked to do the cleanup!
An even Filthier Bus Stop, number 08670.♪
This scene makes a statement about management; really about how management is breaching their fiduciary responsibility. Taxpayer funds are spent on cleaning bus stops; in actuality, taxpayer funds are paid to vendors who are contracted to clean the bus stops, whether the vendors do a good or extremely poor job, as in the situation pictured above.
Bus stop benches often have a contact number affixed to them. I can't say always because as you have seen, the LACMTA seems to lack effective processes —they could never conform to ISO 9000 requirements—.
As for calling maintenance, la Taupe called once, and surprise, no action was taken.
As for calling maintenance, la Taupe called once, and surprise, no action was taken.
A Stairway at a rail Station.♪
As almost everything associated with the LACMTA it is abominably maintained. In this case some riders cannot hold on their rubbish until they can properly dispose of it. Their thoughtlessness endangers their fellow riders, who could slip on the thoughtlessly disposed of plastic or other slippery materials and fall; all compounded by the fact that the LACMTA seems to be in no hurry to cleanup the mess.
Further evidence of the LACMTA's approach to maintenance.♪
We know that this is the Metro, but really, what are you trying to tell us?
An Accident Waiting to Happen!♪
Confused drivers, pedestrians, tired Train Operators, or any combination or permutation of these, which at grade level, can cause fatalities. Note the downward slope of the tracks which can result in an additional operator workload in controlling trains.
What bus am I riding?♪
The "shakeup" (bi-annual schedule changes) has been in effect for about three weeks and finding on-board schedules which match the route of the bus in which you are riding, is next to impossible. HINT: It is NOT the 128
Line! In April, four months after the "shakeup" either no schedules are available on buses OR the wrong schedules are in the racks; example: a 40 Line bus has 110 Line schedules.
Oops, trip on this OOII artifact and you'll be under the bus!♪
Extremely sloppy work! A bus stop flag pole was removed here leaving the pole's foundation very near the curb, for children, the aged or anyone at all to trip over and fall into the street. If one was hurrying, one might well end up under the wheels of the bus. All that needed to be done here was to remove the four nuts holding the base in place, remove the base and then with a metal cutting blade saw the protruding bolts level with the concrete. A professional could perform the job in minutes. But the LACMTA's failure to supervise its' workers or contractors results in the situation depicted above. Worse yet, is the LACMTA's failure to see what has to be done.
How will the LACMTA solve this problem? Well, the LACMTA will hold a series of meeting over months and then likely forget about the problem.
Your Mole proposes this solution: Whenever a training bus is covering a route, on the first and last trip of route training, the operator being trained and the trainer would both alight at each stop and check it for safety. Both parties would fill out a bus stop safety report. That way new operators would be indoctrinated into a culture of safety and know how to report bus stop safety issues; the experienced trainer would add to his/her knowledge and be able to discuss issues he/she had seen with their trainee.
Brilliant idea Mole! Hardly that, but it is logical thinking.
This is not related to the Office of Incredible Ineptitude, but rather another BBB work product which serves to show how a more honest transportation provider names their supplier's product, i.e., correctly, viz., "nextbus" and they kept the stop numbers and texting in place as a benefit for its ridership.
The nextbus.com site, a valuable tool!♪
The Sign Most Dreaded by LACMTA Riders!♪
One can't find a loo when they are most needed! Does anyone really believe that the LACMTA management really cares? After all, they just tell their chauffeur to pull into the nearest coffee shop so that they can have a "break".
They are going to spend $8,000,000 on a few new restrooms and the rehab of a few more at Union Station! When will those restrooms be ready? La Taupe's estimate: it will be a couple of years and the restrooms in Union Station will likely be out of service for a long while too.
They are going to spend $8,000,000 on a few new restrooms and the rehab of a few more at Union Station! When will those restrooms be ready? La Taupe's estimate: it will be a couple of years and the restrooms in Union Station will likely be out of service for a long while too.
How BBB Gets It Done!♪
This worker, using a high pressure delivery system leaves a clean, really clean bus stop. Not like the messes found at LACMTA Transportation Centers, such as ITC! And at the many filthy bus stop around the city. Well ITC was cleaned up, kind of, but the outlines of the gum blobs were retained. How about a do0over with a higher pressure hose?
BBB has Nextbus!♪
This is not related to the Office of Incredible Ineptitude, but rather another BBB work product which serves to show how a more honest transportation provider names their supplier's product, i.e., correctly, viz., "nextbus" and they kept the stop numbers and texting in place as a benefit for its ridership.
While the LACMTA, sneakily, er, covertly did away with the stop numbers without offering a word of explanation.
Nextbus on my iPhone, it's GREAT!♪
I simply opened the nextbus.com site using my browser, it took over asked permission to use my location, which permission I granted and voilà; I was presented with all the bus availability at stops within reasonable walking distance of my position. Shown above is on the first screen of several. importantly, there is no need for an "app", because since Tim Cook stopped updating my iPhone at iOS6 which then froze all my apps, which, although had updates available, they were denied to me. When this iPhone fails, I'm going with Samsung!
The nextbus.com site, a valuable tool!♪
But, where there is the will, there is a way. Su Topo visited the nextbus page at nextbus.com: set the nextbus service provider to Los Angeles Metro, and using the drop down menu; set the bus route number to 130; selected the stop that I have used and will be using at some other time in the future, to Hawthorne Blvd and Artesia and voila, the stop number "00147" was filled in for me.
Now I can note that stop number and its location in my agenda and soon I will have reconstructed the subset of stop numbers which I require.
It would had been much easier if the LACMTA,stupidity, er, I mean, with lack of intelligence, had not rushed to waste money and removed the stop number signs which had cost quite a bit to install in the first place.
Please contemplate Mole's Law Number 1: "When politicians involve themselves in technical matters, expect failures."
Torrance Transit Uses NextBUS Too!♪
This is the way the LACMTA should have done it. Fast, simple and understandable.
Now I can note that stop number and its location in my agenda and soon I will have reconstructed the subset of stop numbers which I require.
It would had been much easier if the LACMTA,
Please contemplate Mole's Law Number 1: "When politicians involve themselves in technical matters, expect failures."
They Should Have just placed the stop number as shown above♪
That way the numbering system would have had relevance far into the future. it could been adapted to emergency services, 911 reporting when an incident occurs away from numbered houses or people have trouble pronouncing local street or intersection names.
Stenciling the numbers on the bus flag is economical and efficient - if you know what your Mole means. But no,the LACMTA seems to act before it thinks.
Stenciling the numbers on the bus flag is economical and efficient - if you know what your Mole means. But no,the LACMTA seems to act before it thinks.
Torrance Transit Uses NextBUS Too!♪
That is how we can tell that the LACMTA have made an error; because everyone else is using Nextbus texting and the LACMTA have removed most of their bus stop numbering signs.
LDOT has nice Stop Numbers!♪
This is the way the LACMTA should have done it. Fast, simple and understandable.
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.
“Buried beneath Fresno were some costly surprises for the California bullet train authority, which disclosed Tuesday that the price of utility relocations along a 29-mile section of railway has surged from a 2013 estimate of $69 million to $396 million. Although it was known that moving gas lines, sewer pipes, water mains and communications wire to make way for the route would be more expensive than originally expected, the magnitude of the increase — nearly a six-fold jump — puts into better focus why the project's costs are rising so sharply.”
The Times covers (Nelson) the LACMTA’s latest “ideas” about reducing congestion on L.A. area “freeways”.
Here is just a sample of what Ms Nelson wrote: “Last year, Metro officials said they were surprised to learn that up to 30% of morning drivers in the 110 Express Lanes were cheating the system by driving alone and switching their transponder to the carpool setting to avoid the toll.”
“Separately, Metro is also pushing to raise the carpool requirement to three people per vehicle in Los Angeles County lanes. That decision lies with Caltrans, which expects to make a recommendation this fall. Electric vehicles would not be affected by that change.”
Your Mole must often ride with co-workers to project sites and hear them complain about Fast Track pricing as we chug along in the HOV lane while the right-most lanes zip along. No one in those vehicles are praising Metro; although I can’t write here what they do say.
Please follow the links in Works Cited (below) and read Ms Nelson's full article.
The Times relates (Vartabedian) the never-ending Bullet-train problems. Mr. Vartabedian writes:
“Buried beneath Fresno were some costly surprises for the California bullet train authority, which disclosed Tuesday that the price of utility relocations along a 29-mile section of railway has surged from a 2013 estimate of $69 million to $396 million. Although it was known that moving gas lines, sewer pipes, water mains and communications wire to make way for the route would be more expensive than originally expected, the magnitude of the increase — nearly a six-fold jump — puts into better focus why the project's costs are rising so sharply.”
Your Mole feels that someone in authority should make a “stop loss” decision and bring this ill-fated, perhaps even cursed, project to an end; along with the high volume spending of the tax payers’ money. They are attempting to educate people who will, if this one is allowed to run its’ course, never build another rail line.
Mr. Vartabedian has all the detail in his report, so please follow the links in Works Cited (below) learn about the disaster which is the CHSRA.
In what la Taupe believes to be her first appearance in his blog, we have Times coverage (Parvina) by Ms Sarah Parvini of an accident on the Gold Line; she writes: “Metro suspended Gold Line train service between Memorial Park and Allen Station. Bus shuttles will be in service between the two stops until the tracks are cleared.”
Welcome Ms Parvini! Please use the link in Works Cited to read the details of the three vehicle accident which caused the closure.
NBCLA reports (Rendon) that “Three people were hospitalized Wednesday after their vehicle was struck by a Metro Expo Line Train in Santa Monica, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.” Please follow the link in “Works Cited” (Below) to read all the details and see the video with on-scene reporting by Christine Kim.
This unfortunate accident come as no surprise to La Taupe as he has frequently pointed out the dangers associated with mixing trains and vehicle, at grade.
This is point is clearly stated in the Times archival coverage (Song):“Much of the Metro light rail system is at-grade, and accidents involving both cars and pedestrians have been an issue for years [Emphasis, Mole].”
Of course, this on-going risk will continue to forever haunt the LACMTA for their short-shortsightedness in building at grade (mass transit) instead of elevated lines like the Green Line (rapid transit). There is no question that, in the long run, the “savings” which accrue to the LACMTA by building at grade, will be spent in other ways. Or as Robert Burton said, “Penny wise, pound Foolish”.
The Time exposes (Nelson) another transportation scheme which seems to have the LACMTA buy-in. This time it will involve an NGO —a private funder. Ms Nelson’s coverage includes:
“Thousands of baseball fans have thought longingly of visiting Chavez Ravine without idling in snarled, rush-hour traffic in a car or on a bus, sometimes missing the first pitch.
Now, a company funded by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has proposed a possible solution: a gondola lift that would whisk passengers from Union Station to Dodger Stadium by air in five minutes.
It's an unorthodox proposal in a city where big ideas often flare up and die out — like a similar pitch for an aerial system to the Hollywood sign. But this time, backers say, the plan is for real.”
Involving the LACMTA, from your Mole’s perspective paves the way for another scar on the landscape which the agency has already scarred —with accident prone at-grade public transportation.
The Metro already offers free buses to the Dodgers’ venue; what could be better than free? Certainly not a $20 tram ride, although it is being advertised as costing less than parking at the stadium; Mmmm, I feel a parking price increase coming.
An aerial tramway which is the name of entire system; which they insist on calling it a “gondola” which is the passenger carrying portion.
When I first heard that terminology, it made me think that they’d be digging canals.
I have also heard that the free Metro buses convey about 5% of the baseball fans headed to Chavez Ravine; the aerial tramway is “estimated” to attract about 10% of the fans. To su Topo that is not a percentage which will allow the LACMTA to take too much of the credit.
Please read the entire piece which is linked from Works Cited, below.
“Thousands of baseball fans have thought longingly of visiting Chavez Ravine without idling in snarled, rush-hour traffic in a car or on a bus, sometimes missing the first pitch.
Now, a company funded by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has proposed a possible solution: a gondola lift that would whisk passengers from Union Station to Dodger Stadium by air in five minutes.
It's an unorthodox proposal in a city where big ideas often flare up and die out — like a similar pitch for an aerial system to the Hollywood sign. But this time, backers say, the plan is for real.”
Involving the LACMTA, from your Mole’s perspective paves the way for another scar on the landscape which the agency has already scarred —with accident prone at-grade public transportation.
The Metro already offers free buses to the Dodgers’ venue; what could be better than free? Certainly not a $20 tram ride, although it is being advertised as costing less than parking at the stadium; Mmmm, I feel a parking price increase coming.
An aerial tramway which is the name of entire system; which they insist on calling it a “gondola” which is the passenger carrying portion.
When I first heard that terminology, it made me think that they’d be digging canals.
I have also heard that the free Metro buses convey about 5% of the baseball fans headed to Chavez Ravine; the aerial tramway is “estimated” to attract about 10% of the fans. To su Topo that is not a percentage which will allow the LACMTA to take too much of the credit.
Please read the entire piece which is linked from Works Cited, below.
The Times documents(Nelson) the joint political efforts; involving the City of Los Angeles and the LACMTA to marry in incredibly botched rail system to an "as designed almost $5 billion "people mover".
Ms Nelson tells us: “To applause from a City Hall audience, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved up to $4.9 billion to design, build, operate and maintain an elevated train that will whisk passengers in and out of LAX's central terminal area and carry them to a car rental facility, a ground transportation hub and a station on the Metro Crenshaw Line.”
This Mole is already betting on cost overruns given the number of contractors involved and a low bid that is $700,000 lower than the nearest competitor.
Additionally, the moving walkways will involve yet more luggage handling.
I found the map provided in the article somewhat lacking in detail; street names other than Aviation BL were not visible etc.
I have spent lots of time in airline seat belts; fortunately the places to which I travel allow me to exit the aircraft and in a relatively short time be in a vehicle, usually a train, headed to city center.
Not here in Los Angeles, my home town, for years they have avoided linking LAX with rapid transit and now they are hyping a people mover as the answer to the last mile. When all is said and done, your Mole believes that the opinion of the riding public which measure the “system” and that FlyAway will be the best mode because it will involve the least luggage hauling. The politicians who “green light” these marginal ideas, have drivers who take them right to their terminal at LAX further, they almost never ride mass transit and there is no rapid transit to speak of here in L.A. This month the “Politicians Design Show” has provided me with lots more humor than usual.
The daily News informs us (City News Service) that “The Metro Board of Directors voted Thursday to study [ emphasis Mole]installing showers and hygiene stations in or near some of its train stations as a response to the growing homeless problem in the county.”
“Board member and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin noted that the city of Los Angeles already has a mobile shower program for the homeless.”
So, the board thinks it is important to duplicate the city of Los Angeles efforts to provide sanitation facilities for the homeless? Councilman Bonin seemed not to gain traction by pointing this out. Methinks that most of the Board senses the future availability of funds.
But no one raised the extremely important idea of providing restrooms which could be used by the LACMTA’s ridership as well as the homeless?? Also embarking on the slippery slope of “study” could weel mean entering “analysis paralyses”.
The Los Angeles Daily News reports (Gonzales) on the crash of a truck onto the Gold Line tracks.
“At about 1:30 a.m., a Volkswagen Jetta heading west on the 210 near Lake Avenue rear-ended a Fedex truck hauling a trailer, according to the California Highway Patrol.”
“CHP Officer Ryan Bejar said a second Fedex tractor trailer later collided with the sedan. The truck then veered to the left, hit the center divider and overturned. One of its trailers overturned onto the Metro Gold Line tracks and hit a power pole.”
Your Mole sees this as an excellent reason to begin improving safety on the Gold Line by installing more substantial barriers between freeway traffic and the station platforms. These barriers could also serve to muffle traffic noise —which is extremely loud on these mid-freeway station platforms. Although the trains were likely not operation at this late hour, who can say what the situation will be at the time of the next accident?
Please use the links provided in "Works Cited", below to read this and all the other articles by these hard working reporters covered herein.
The LACMTA's Own Crumbling Infrastructure♪
Elevator at the Harbour Freeway Busway Station
Note the filthy condition of this elevator. The LACMTA never seems to fix or clean anything.
The Los Angeles Toonerville Trolley experience♪
«Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage.»
Joachim du Bellay (1522-05-01~1560-01-01)
[Happy is one who, like Ulysses, made a beautiful journey.]
Merci beaucoup à http://evene.lefigaro.fr pour la citation et à google.fr pour le matériel biographique.
Ars longa vita breva
Georges de La Tour (1593-03-14~1652-01-30) comme un exemple de son travail, voici son Dice Players Review additional works (N.B. Some of the works may be suitable only for adults) by Georges de La Tour by clicking on this link.
Georges de La Tour (1593-03-14~1652-01-30) comme un exemple de son travail, voici son Dice Players Review additional works (N.B. Some of the works may be suitable only for adults) by Georges de La Tour by clicking on this link.
Merci bien à www.google.fr pour le matériel biographique.
Thank you! to the National Gallery, London for allowing us to link to this excellent painting.
Thank you! to the National Gallery, London for allowing us to link to this excellent painting.
¿Musica?
Let's listen to a Compilation Chansons historiques de France vol.2 (XVIIe-XVIIIe s.) Merci Beaucoup à ill rec pour le téléchargement !
Thank you youtube.com for allowing us to hear these beautiful, historical performances.
Let's listen to a Compilation Chansons historiques de France vol.2 (XVIIe-XVIIIe s.) Merci Beaucoup à ill rec pour le téléchargement !
Thank you youtube.com for allowing us to hear these beautiful, historical performances.
Here is something from a musical genre which I hope you'll like.
Serenata 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 is an example of the musical genre heard on Seranata de Trios. Here is Serenata Inolvidable Con Los Grandes Tríos 3 - CD completo Muchas Gracias a Discos Completos for the upload, and thank you to youtube.com for allowing us to present this music!
¡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!♪
Inured? You'd better be inured if your only transportation is Metro! Look at the rear of this bus and see that the prescient graffiti artists have warned you about the future of Los Angeles transportation.♪
The Mole rides again so that you don't have to see the unintended consequences which result from the actions of others.
(dates are ISO8601 format, times are expressed in the 24 hour system.)
Unintended Consequence.
The small photo above shows the unintended consequence of ignoring the "Do not feed the birds signs".
i
Improvised Loo at the LAXCBC.♪
If the LACMTA doesn't provide the facility, the ridership will work out their own, less than desirable solution. How can anyone look at this picture and not think that Los Angeles is a third world city?
The graffitists have done a professional job of "tagging" this poster. We'll have to follow up on this because it appears to be a work in progress.
This bus poster was expired but a graffitist didn't mind♪
BETTER TOGETHER, OR NOT?♪
Bus Flags without Stop Number♪
This is just another example of quite a number of bus flags which don't have stop numbers indicated. The intention was to be able to text the Next Bus, oops, I mean the Next Trip system. This Mole will never understand the reason was it was renamed from the original developers and owners designation, Next Bus, to Next Trip.
2018-04-02, around 11:00 on board a 111 Line bus headed for the LAXCBC: I am able to now better understand why LACMTA ridership is down. Several people on board have a large Blue Tooth speaker set a a loud volume, they drink from cans concealed in paper bags.
It is good when they debus!
Stop Number as a Texting Artifact!♪
These signs are rarely seen these days. But they can be found by the careful observer.
As promised here are la Taupe's estimate of the costs involved in affixing these texting Artifact signs and removing them. But no costs have been developed for replacing some of the signs??
The above is portion of my spread sheet which shows your Mole's total estimated costs in US$ for the installation an partial removal (pictured above is a reinstalled signl).
2018-04-02, around 11:00 on board a 111 Line bus headed for the LAXCBC: I am able to now better understand why LACMTA ridership is down. Several people on board have a large Blue Tooth speaker set a a loud volume, they drink from cans concealed in paper bags.
It is good when they debus!
2018-03-18 morning @LAXCBC♪
Underscoring the fact that there is no security anywhere in the LACMTA system, here we see someone sleeping into the morning. Over several days at the LAXCBC, I've seen several men micturating near or behind the on-site skip located in the north-east corner of LAXCBC. Of course there is never any security at the center to put a stop to this kind of behaviour.
2018-04-06 ITC, mid-morning. The object in the photo above resulted from people, in spite of the signs prohibiting doing so, feeding the birds. I cropped the photo, making it less graphic; it is still unpleasant to view.
Stop Number as a Texting Artifact!♪
Texting for the bus arrival times has been a highly hyped feature and now stop numbers seem to be disappearing from the flags?
Is this yet another case of the LACMTA becoming enamoured with something that is too costly, or requires too much maintenance to continue? Think TransiTV!
Your mole has theories: Either (1) they put signs up in the wrong order; (2) the texting load was to great for the LACMTA's IT infrastructure; (3) they found a way to charge for the service using an "app";
Your mole has theories: Either (1) they put signs up in the wrong order; (2) the texting load was to great for the LACMTA's IT infrastructure; (3) they found a way to charge for the service using an "app";
These sign keep reappearing, as if by mgic?♪
All that needs be done is to add stop numbers!♪
It appears that la Taupe has to do everything. Well here it is, a typical bus schedule, this one for the 102 line, which shows stop numbers. The LACMTA will have no excuse for not having done this before the next "shakeup" (i.e., semiannual schedule change.
2018-03-23 on board a southbound 740 bus: the woman behind me has been carrying on a "louder than necessary" cell phone conversation and I avoid it a best I can. Then she starts explain Los Angeles Mass transit: "The Rapid bus stops at major streets. The regular bus stops at every M. F-ing stop. If the rapid doesn't stop where you want it to, then you have to walk. If you don't wanna walk, then you have to ride the bus that stops at every M. F-ing stop. (she said the complete words).
Why is ridership down? Really, who would ride in such company if they didn't have to or they felt compelled to write a blog? :-)?
The worst ever trip that I have ridden is the 115 to/from Playa del Rey at going to or returning from school times. One can hear the N-word more times in half an hour than most people hear it in a life time. One can also hear quite a few other unpleasant words, as well. The drivers have to put up with a lot, too!
2018-03-23 on board a southbound 740 bus: the woman behind me has been carrying on a "louder than necessary" cell phone conversation and I avoid it a best I can. Then she starts explain Los Angeles Mass transit: "The Rapid bus stops at major streets. The regular bus stops at every M. F-ing stop. If the rapid doesn't stop where you want it to, then you have to walk. If you don't wanna walk, then you have to ride the bus that stops at every M. F-ing stop. (she said the complete words).
Why is ridership down? Really, who would ride in such company if they didn't have to or they felt compelled to write a blog? :-)?
The worst ever trip that I have ridden is the 115 to/from Playa del Rey at going to or returning from school times. One can hear the N-word more times in half an hour than most people hear it in a life time. One can also hear quite a few other unpleasant words, as well. The drivers have to put up with a lot, too!
2018-03-24 aboard a southbound 740 bus: A woman boards and proceeds down the aisle opening windows as she goes. A man takes exception to her actions and says: "It's cold and I don't feel well" as he closes the window. She returns and opens the window again, he closes it. She asks: "I open it, you close it. Are we going to continue like that?" He replies, "yes". She responds: Nobody cares that you're sick , you old F...! Your mole thinks, if this woman didn't have bad manners, she would have none at all!
Meanwhile, the LACMTA wonders why ridership is down.
Stop Number Signs Install & remove Costs♪
The above is portion of my spread sheet which shows your Mole's total estimated costs in US$ for the installation an partial removal (pictured above is a reinstalled signl).
There are 15,967 bus stops, along an estimated 2,661 miles of bus routes, transportation and labor costs. I estimated that a 5 person crew could install 300 stop number signs per day, remove 600 signs per day and that there would be four of these crews in operation.
The LACMTA may say either (1) "we could never had done it so cheaply!" or (2) "He is way too high!" Or (3) An even larger figure if the work contracted. We will never know. But when your read (vide supra) about the $8,000,000 they plan to spend on two new and fixing up two or three existing toilets, they will probably say (3).
Crenshaw Line - Rapid Transit♪
This portion of the Crenshaw Line is rapid transit, i.e., grade separated (Manchester at La Brea).
Crenshaw Line - Mass Transit (In Process)♪
This portion of the Crenshaw Line is at grade (Arbor Vitae north of
Aviation) and therfore mass transit. It is a street car that will bring traffic on this busy street to a halt and possibly halt itself and definitely proceed at a reduced sped, after the barriers are lowered and then creep across the street.
At one time the LACMTA knew how to build rapid transit, example: the Green Line. They stopped building rapid transit when they felt that saving money was more important. A likely decision when you consider that LACMTA management almost never ride their system. It management rode the lines, all stations and bus centers would have restrooms!
At one time the LACMTA knew how to build rapid transit, example: the Green Line. They stopped building rapid transit when they felt that saving money was more important. A likely decision when you consider that LACMTA management almost never ride their system. It management rode the lines, all stations and bus centers would have restrooms!
Push for NEXTBUS, er, NEXT-RIP♪
La Taupe took a ride to the valley and discovered this!
CLICK HERE to hear the announcement.
If would be a good idea if the LACMTA would make up its mind —if it has one— about how it would deliver bus arrival announcements. By text message, no that seems to be mostly abandoned? By buttons, like the one shown above; no that seem an expensive way to do it, there seem to be very few of them and has the additional disadvantage of being exposed to vandalism.
I now use text and that seems to be the way the BBB and TT and others have adopted. From my computer I use NextBUS.com It produces an nice clean format as shown below.
Next Bus is GREAT!♪
At the bottom of the screen:
"Valid as of Monday, February 19, 2018 3:03 PM"
is displayed. One can perform the simple addition to determine that the next bus will show up at around 15:08 and the one after that at about 15:37.
For those who like maps, nextbus offers a map option as pictured below.
Next Bus Maps are GREAT, too!♪
Please visit the site and acquaint yourself with the agencies it serves in the United States. It travels well! :-)
Its alive!♪
Crenshaw Line, Expo Line (and other lines) as Mess Transit!
Combine rapid and mass Transit in one line and you have created Mess Transit.
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.
Your Mole says "Thank you!" to the University of Washington at Seattle for their Website to which I've linked.
Cosmology
Your Mole read a great article, entitled, "It's The Power Of Quantum Mechanics That Allows The Sun To Shine" explores fusion.
It is written by Ethan Siegel and appeared in Forbes.com in June 2015, the concept won't have changed by now. Here is a sample of Mr. Siegel's work:
"At temperatures over about 4 million kelvin* and at densities more than ten times that of solid lead, hydrogen nuclei (single protons) can fuse together in a chain reaction to form helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons), releasing a tremendous amount of energy in the process."
Thank you Forbes.com!
You may learn the complete details by reading the article here.
*7,199,540℉ Even warmer than Arizona!
An interesting piece appeared in http://www.agenciasinc.es/en/ It appeared on April 10, 2018 and is headed "cosmic-gorilla-effect-could-blind-the-detection-of-aliens" and was written by Enrique Sacristán who differentiates between types of civilizations: "An example of Type 1 civilizations is ours, which could be ephemeral if it mishandles technology or planetary resources, or if it does not survive a cataclysm. But it could also evolve into a Type 2 civilization, characterized by the long longevity of its members, who control quantum and gravitational energy, manage space-time and are able to explore galaxies."
The also define "inattention blindness", which your Mole feels is a contributing factor in accidents where drivers text while while operating their vehicles.
Please read the full piece here.
Fare Box OOS and related Lists of Shame
I.D. Numbers of buses with Out of Service Fare Boxes:
2018-04-15; Bus #N/A Westboundn117 Line.
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.
LDOT = Los Angeles Department of Transportation
LDOT = Los Angeles Department of Transportation
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 blogger 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
City News Service. “Metro Board considers public showers at train stations”. dailynews.com. Apr. 26, 2018.Web. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/26/metro-board-considers-public-showers-at-train-stations/
Gonzales, Ruby. “Truck on 210 Freeway crashes onto 2 sets of Metro Gold Line tracks in Pasadena”. Los Angeles Daily News. April 26, 2018. Web. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/26/truck-on-210-freeway-crashes-onto-2-sets-of-metro-gold-line-tracks-in-pasadena/
City News Service. “Metro Board considers public showers at train stations”. dailynews.com. Apr. 26, 2018.Web. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/26/metro-board-considers-public-showers-at-train-stations/
Gonzales, Ruby. “Truck on 210 Freeway crashes onto 2 sets of Metro Gold Line tracks in Pasadena”. Los Angeles Daily News. April 26, 2018. Web. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/26/truck-on-210-freeway-crashes-onto-2-sets-of-metro-gold-line-tracks-in-pasadena/
Nelson, Laura J. “Metro wants to end free rides for clean-air vehicles in toll lanes”. Los Angeles Times.Apr. 25, 2018. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-toll-lane-20180425-story.html
Nelson², Laura J. “City Council approves long-awaited people mover to LAX”. Los Angeles Times. Apr. 11, 2018. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lax-people-mover-20180411-story.html
Parvini, Sarah. “Overturned FedEx truck blocks Metro Gold Line tracks in Pasadena; lanes closed on 210 Freeway”. Los Angeles Times. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-210-crash-20180426-story.html
Rendon, Karla and (Video) Kim. Christine. “3 People Hurt in Crash Against Metro Expo Line Train in Santa Monica”. nbclosAngeles.com. Apr. 18, 2018. Web. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Three-People-Hurt-in-Crash-Against-Metro-Expo-Line-Train-in-Santa-Monica-480098383.html
Song, Jason and Dolan, Jack. “Expo Line train hits car near USC; 12 injured, one critically” Los Angeles Times. Mar. 28, 2015. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-train-crashes-into-two-cars-near-usc-20150328-story.html
Vartabedian, Ralph. “High-speed rail project vastly underestimated cost of relocating utility lines beneath Fresno”. Los Angeles Times. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-utilities-20180418-story.html
An artifact of the streets of Los
Angeles, created by a brother Mole!
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The above is ### 30 ### in Braille
Footnotes
Footnotes
# posted by LAMETROmole @ 11:01 
