2018-05-30
2018-06-30 Via Viator98 WIP
We wish to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Fire Captain Rosa of Long Beach who went to fight a fire and was shot by a deranged man!
You may read some of the details here.
Then a shooting at the Capital Press in Annapolis, MD took the lives of fire staff members of the paper and injured others. We wish to express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those whose lives were taken by someone who thought that the paper's coverage of him was wrong.
No one could write more eloquently than the self-coverage provided by surviving staff members; here , here and here.
No one could write more eloquently than the self-coverage provided by surviving staff members; here , here and here.
Via Viator98
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!
To all my readers: Holiday Greetings for July
Happy Fourth of July!
And now our National Anthem played by The Marine Corps band.
Joyeux fête nationale ! Vive la belle France !
Joyeux fête nationale ! Vive la belle France !
When politicians involve themselves in technical matters, expect failures.
CEO's Question Time
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 installed? 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!♪
The LACMTA DOES have a priority for its' passengers!♪
On the topic of every cycle I'm paying more for less service: Your Mole has recently experienced having his pass declined on a DOT shuttle in DTLA. La Taupe explained that he'd ridden A DOT shuttle not so long ago; which the DOT driver denied after a longish discussion that the ad seen on board a METRO bus was now "inoperative [su Topo's word] and they were back to collecting DOT's full fare again. Of course, there were no notices on board buses which explained the change in policy —which is typical of the secretive LCMTA.
La Taupe searched for the "Metro Transfers Design Guide". He can't, in good conscience, provide you with a link because he felt that the guide is next to useless for the purpose of understanding how the new transfer policy will be implemented. That said, with more work, it would rise to the point of being useless.
The new transfer policy as understood by su Topo: iF you load money —I believe that $1 is the minimum amount, when you transfer (transfer on second boarding in Metro's terms) the agency (Big Blue Bus, CCMBL, Torrance Transit, Foothill Transit, DASH? to which you transfer, WILL DEDUCT THE TRANSFER AMOUNT. What does that mean?
For the LACMTA's take on their new transfer policy try this link, and good luck! N.B. They answer the question "will metro transfer prices increase?" NO. But since they are not selling transfers anymore, of course they are not increasing the price of something they no longer sell! SO, the agency to which you transfer could well charge you their full fare and you would never know. Only in the case where you don't have sufficient stored value; in which case la Taupe thinks that you will be denied a transfer fare and have to pay full fare.
I am sorry, but this Mole is extremely suspicious of anything involving money and the LACMTA and assumes —since they have never done anything which benefits the ridership— why should this be any different? No doubt, you will end up paying more money for less service. And when the LACMTA IS questioned about the policy; their answer will probably be along the lines of "Oh, we didn't anticipate that! Now it is all programmed and with so many involved it is so difficult to change. someone just misunderstood."
Now, it would be nice if the LACMTA would write a clear, complete explanation of how the new transfer policy is expected to be implemented. Emphasis should be placed on the TRANSFER COSTS WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO BE DEDUCTED FROM THE CASH STORED ON YOUR TAP CARD. Here is a sample of how it might be communicated.
Agency Transfer cost deducted from the TAP Card's "stored value"
Beach Cities ?
Big Blue Bus ?
Culver City ?
DOT Shuttle ?
Foothill Transit ?
Etc.
Su Topo will fill in the unknowns above, if and when they become defined.
Would that be so difficult? NO!
Would that be a benefit to the LACMTA's ridership? YES!
Will they do it? Probably not!
Do they even understand the details of the new policy? It depends, if the policy will put more money in somebody's pockets, they probably understand it otherwise, Maybe not!
An unwelcome sign!♪
Notices like these are frequently seen around or near bus stops. Businesses don't want LACMTA passengers in their facilities, neither does the LACMTA want to provide any creature comforts for their passengers either.
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, May 2018♪
Your Mole wishes that people, like the poor soul pictured above,
could find much better living conditions than those which are found here.
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.
2018-03-31
In this video you will see Enterprise Rant-A-Car Shuttles cutoff a 111 Line bus. It represents the typical dangerous incursion of other traffic across a solid white line into the bus' lane
In this video you will see Enterprise Rant-A-Car Shuttles cutoff a 111 Line bus. It represents the typical dangerous incursion of other traffic across a solid white line into the bus' lane
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♪
Rumour Central
The plans are not yet final but there are leaks to the effect that the OOEI has considered out maneuvering Elon Musk, after the good press which obtained after he detailed his high-speed subway transportation system.
In light of the plans plans of private developers to build an aerial tramway to Dodger Stadium OOEI MAY be developing plans for transporting baseball fans to Dodger Stadium using a less expensive, more efficient aerial method. Please be on he lookout for future updates.
Exactly what might these plans entail?
Well, does the though of a puff of smoke out of a cannon barrel give you a hint? Please watch this space.
Exactly what might these plans entail?
Well, does the though of a puff of smoke out of a cannon barrel give you a hint? Please watch this space.
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.
The above photos are representative of the management's "sitting in the Taj Mahal and dreaming of ways to spend money".
What is needed is a hard-nosed Controller and an Inspector General who is dedicated to rooting out the extant waste, abuse and probably some fraud as well.
The controller should publish details of the agency's Budget position as well as a Profit and Loss Statement —methinks lots of loss!
The voters have given the LACMTA free rein to tap into the tax revenue stream for DECADES. If anyone feels that that is the manner in which to encourage responsible spending, they should lie down until the feeling goes away.
The above photos are representative of the management's "sitting in the Taj Mahal and dreaming of ways to spend money".
What is needed is a hard-nosed Controller and an Inspector General who is dedicated to rooting out the extant waste, abuse and probably some fraud as well.
The controller should publish details of the agency's Budget position as well as a Profit and Loss Statement —methinks lots of loss!
The voters have given the LACMTA free rein to tap into the tax revenue stream for DECADES. If anyone feels that that is the manner in which to encourage responsible spending, they should lie down until the feeling goes away.
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.
Bottle Scavengers took the plastic liner!♪ Stop number ITC♪
As one can see, the plastic liner is missing; taken to hold recycled bottles, most likely.
A contractor cleans up ITC♪
Pictured above, we can see an LACMTA contractor, WMS, putting IMC in order. As I waited for 740 bus, the four man crew was hard at work.
Extremely Dirty Parada!♪
It appears that the recyclers have attacked this rubbish bin, too. Emptying its contents and then taking the plastic liner and any thing that could be recycled.
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.
The conditions pictured above a clear indication that the LACMTA is incapable of managing its' contractors. Su Topo never hsitates to offer his considered opinion.
There is no question that the LACMTA lack an organisational structure to manage those who supply contract services to the agency. So, here is a solution: Stop all bonus payments to management and any others who are presently paid bonuses. The bonus, for people who adequately preform their job functions should be that they keep their jobs. Generally, LACMTA management are overpaid and supplied with too many perks. The perks, too, should be greatly reduced. Chauffeurs and company supplied cars should be eliminated. There are lots of buses and riding them may help management understand what is wrong with their system, e.g., too many free rider and some, perhaps only a few, rude operators.
Management should focus on the Metro ridership, making things move faster, smoother and more comfortable along with providing the much needed restrooms along the way.
Unfortunately, the management. IMHO, thinks that their job is to sit in the Taj Mahal and dream up ways to spend money.
Beverly Hills Bicycles♪
The conditions pictured above a clear indication that the LACMTA is incapable of managing its' contractors. Su Topo never hsitates to offer his considered opinion.
There is no question that the LACMTA lack an organisational structure to manage those who supply contract services to the agency. So, here is a solution: Stop all bonus payments to management and any others who are presently paid bonuses. The bonus, for people who adequately preform their job functions should be that they keep their jobs. Generally, LACMTA management are overpaid and supplied with too many perks. The perks, too, should be greatly reduced. Chauffeurs and company supplied cars should be eliminated. There are lots of buses and riding them may help management understand what is wrong with their system, e.g., too many free rider and some, perhaps only a few, rude operators.
Management should focus on the Metro ridership, making things move faster, smoother and more comfortable along with providing the much needed restrooms along the way.
Unfortunately, the management. IMHO, thinks that their job is to sit in the Taj Mahal and dream up ways to spend money.
Competition is Encouraged
Beverly Hills Bicycles♪
The photos above show some of the competition which has been encouraged by the LACMTA, whose pricing umbrella provides a profit opportunity for companies like, Bird, Beverly Hills Bicycles, etc.
Lime Bike♪
This cluster of lime Bikes was seen in DTLA.
As was this cluster of Metro Bikes. There seem not to be many rented.
Metro Bikes-1♪
As was this cluster of Metro Bikes. There seem not to be many rented.
Metro Bikes-2♪
Here are more Metro Bikes seen in Downtown Los Angeles.
Not so many rented here either! The LACMTA'S idea of getting rich by renting bicycles while solving the "Last Mile" problem may have come to the usual end of such LACMTA plans! I'd really like to see the original proposal, budget and the P & L statement on this project!
Apropos to the topic of Bicycles, is an article which appeared in La Opinión
Here is an overview:
"Philip Rodriguez, a resident of Wilmington, said he uses his bicycle as a means of transportation but also has a car and knows how dangerous and careful it must be in both cases.
Apropos to the topic of Bicycles, is an article which appeared in La Opinión
Here is an overview:
Peligro en dos ruedas: aumentan los choques fatales entre bicicletas y autos en Los Ángeles
Danger on two wheels: fatal crashes between bikes and cars in Los Angeles increase
"Ser cauteloso mientras anda en bicicleta puede salvarle la vida".
Being cautious while riding a bicycle can save your life.
22 mayo 2018
“Philip Rodríguez, residente de Wilmington, dijo que él utiliza su bicicleta como medio de transporte pero también tiene un carro y sabe lo peligroso y cuidadoso que debe ser en ambos casos.
Para mí lo que más he visto cuando ando en bicicleta es cuando los carros van a salir [de estacionamientos] y solo voltean para un lado, no voltean para el otro donde pudiera venir un ciclista”, detalló. “También muchos se la pasan texteando en el teléfono”.
"Philip Rodriguez, a resident of Wilmington, said he uses his bicycle as a means of transportation but also has a car and knows how dangerous and careful it must be in both cases.
For me what I have seen the most when I ride a bicycle is when the cars are going to leave [a parking spot] and the driver only looks to one side, [they] do not turn [and look] to the other [side] where a cyclist could come," he explained. "Many also spend their time texting on the phone.”
Bicycle safety is of critical importance in Los Angeles.
Muchas gracias a La Opinión y a la Sra. Gracia por su trabajo.
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.
AWARDS ARE NOT GIVEN, THEY ARE EARNED!
This seems to be a proper place to make an award to the LACMTA for their weak, ineffective attempts, if any, to provide for the comfort, convenience, safety of their ridership while providing them with value for their money. See the award below, enlarged for easier viewing.
1/4096th Star (The Mote)♪
The fractional five star award♪
This is the easiest award to win. It requires almost no effort.
The fractional five star award♪
This is awarded for the LACMTA'S unparalleled efforts in vitiating Los Angeles transportation.
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 many, if not most, of 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 Next Bus: Using the drop down menu; set the bus route number to 130 (Or your desired choice of the route; 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.
Mr. Vartabedian provides some detail about the work performed by the lead contractor.:
The times reports (Nelson) on plans for developing a labour pool that could be used on Los Angeles transportation. Ms Nelson presents fair coverage
In considering developing a disused property: Ms Nelson writes: “Their pitch? A transportation boarding school, free to its students.
The school would offer a vocational and college-preparatory curriculum, tightly tailored to train students for jobs in the transportation industry. Officials say some could find work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority or local contractors after graduation; others could go on to college to study engineering, architecture or urban planning.”
Please read the entire article by following the links in “Works Cited”, below.
The Times reveals (Nelson²) that Tutor Perini and its' wholly owned subsidiary has been selected to build some of the infrastructure for “the subway to the V.A. Hospital”.
If you find the name Perini familiar, it is because in this same posting you may have read about Perin’s problems with bridge building for the CHSRA’s “Bullet Train”.
Ms Nelson writes: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday [June 26, 2018] selected a contractor and set a $1.37-billion budget for the design and construction of twin subway tunnels between Century City and West Los Angeles."
If you find the name Perini familiar, it is because in this same posting you may have read about Perin’s problems with bridge building for the CHSRA’s “Bullet Train”.
Ms Nelson writes: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday [June 26, 2018] selected a contractor and set a $1.37-billion budget for the design and construction of twin subway tunnels between Century City and West Los Angeles."
Please use the links supplied in Works Cited and read the entirety of Ms Nelson’s reporting. After which, you will likely be wondering: "Exactly why did the LACMTA pick Perini for this project?"
The Los Angeles Daily News time travels (Grigoryants) back to the closing of the Pacific Red Cars lines. Ms Grigoryants interviews a senior who rode on a closing line’s trains. This is interesting historical data! So please, use the link in “Works Cited” to read Ms Grigoryants’ writing. This is here first appearance in this blog, and we welcome her!
The above is a great article! That said, your Mole feels that in the past too much time has been spent on the “Red Cars” iconizing them as the epitome of all that is to be desired from transportation. In truth, they were OK for their time but resulted in the MASS NOT RAPID of today, all running “at grade” as much as feasible, viz. Toonerville Trollies!
Amny.com features (Barone) a piece about reducing fares for people who need some economic assistance . This is what I’m talking about :reducing fares by 50% and commute time from 2 hours + down to 45 minutes. The NYC MTA shows how it‘s done on 10 stations! These stations are described as poorly served by subways and are in a transportation desert! Fare reductions unheard of in Los Angeles. Here it's not a service? Too bad!
The Chicago Sun-Times reports (Tanveer) on a slight decrease in the elevated ridership. Mr. Tanveer writes: “Ridership on the L [elevated railway Mole] is falling, CTA [Chicago Transport Authority] figures show — a decline one expert attributes to “a perfect storm” of factors including competition from ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
For the first three months of this year, the CTA provided 52.7 million L rides — down 3.7 percent from 54.7 million in the same period last year.”
Your Mole has been a passenger on all of Chicago’s modes of transport; the L began operation in June 6, 1892! So the people in the Windy City know quite a bit about rapid transit.
The times exposes (Vartabedian) yet another misstep in the construction of the “Bullet Train”. Mr. Vartabedian writes: “Engineers have built about 24,000 bridges in California over the last century, but a new one under construction in Madera County for the state’s bullet train project shows that they can still lead to serious blunders.”
I found interesting the, 15%/85% design division of labour. Please read the entire piece in order to keep up-to-date on this ongoing, what?, tragedy.
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♪
«Il n'est de richesse que d'homme.»
Jean Boudin (1530~1596)
[There are no riches but man.]
Merci beaucoup à http://evene.lefigaro.fr pour la citation et à google.fr pour le matériel biographique.
Ars longa vita breva
Valentin de Boulogne (1591~1632-08-19 Voir des exemples de son travail ici. (N.B. Some of the works may be suitable only for adults).
Valentin de Boulogne (1591~1632-08-19 Voir des exemples de son travail ici. (N.B. Some of the works may be suitable only for adults).
¿Musica?
Henry Dumont (1610~1684-05-08)
écoutons Henry Dumont's (1610~1684-05-08) Memore. Merci Beaucoup à Yagor Yanka pour le téléchargement !
As an encore, shall we listen to Anton Aronsky'S (1861-07-12~1906-02-25) Piano Trio in D Minor, OP, 32?
Thank you youtube.com for allowing us to hear these beautiful, historical performances.
Henry Dumont (1610~1684-05-08)
écoutons Henry Dumont's (1610~1684-05-08) Memore. Merci Beaucoup à Yagor Yanka pour le téléchargement !
As an encore, shall we listen to Anton Aronsky'S (1861-07-12~1906-02-25) Piano Trio in D Minor, OP, 32?
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 a more convenient listening time. Here is is an example of the musical genre heard on Seranata de Trios. Aqui es SerenataInolvidable con Los Grandes Tríos Vol 5
¡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.)
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.
2018-05-02 and other days. At one time I thought that the CCMBL was the absolute greatest system; but recent experience has shown that there has been some slippage. For example: one of the passengers on a Rapid 6 bus reported the the time on the display was an hour of and suggested that the driver report it. Her answer to him, "Why don't you call and tell them." As I waited at the LAXCBC I overheard a woman ask "How soon will a northbound number 6 show up? The driver
2018-05-24: Your Mole rides a 40 Line bus, southbound on Hawthorne BL: A passenger boards. He immediately starts asking Latinas on board or who board for money. Unsuccessful, he delivers a sermon.
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).
2018-05-02 and other days. At one time I thought that the CCMBL was the absolute greatest system; but recent experience has shown that there has been some slippage. For example: one of the passengers on a Rapid 6 bus reported the the time on the display was an hour of and suggested that the driver report it. Her answer to him, "Why don't you call and tell them." As I waited at the LAXCBC I overheard a woman ask "How soon will a northbound number 6 show up? The driver
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.
Reserved♪
2018-05-13: As your Mole waits for a bus, he must stand because someone else has claimed the bus bench.Reserved♪
WHAT Bus an I aboard?♪
2018-05-23 around 14:30, on board a bus: But Which Bus? The schedules in the rack should be some heal, but that is not the case. although there are more than seven schedules in the rack, none of them are for the 232 Line bus! This is frequently the case with the LACMTA and their contractors. It was sline contracted by MV Transportation, the 232/
Early morning At the LAXCBC♪
Someone is enjoying an early morning nap at the LAXCBC. They are aware that they will never be awoken by a security patrol.
2018-05-24: Your Mole rides a 40 Line bus, southbound on Hawthorne BL: A passenger boards. He immediately starts asking Latinas on board or who board for money. Unsuccessful, he delivers a sermon.
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 magic?♪
And of one is to believe the Metro website♪
And of one is to believe the Metro website♪
The section of a metro.net webpage (above, highlighting - Mole) indicates that they are still installing stop numbers; yet many, many have just disappeared.
The highlighted section reads: We are making plans to place these numbers on our bus stop signs (flags - Mole) on the street.
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 which he added. The LACMTA will have no excuse for not having done this before the next "shakeup" (i.e., semiannual schedule change). Although every stop will not be available —as the schedule only shows timed points— one will still be able to estimate a given bus's time of arrival at a nearby stop. This will be true even when the schedule, is old because the stop numbers should not 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 an interesting piece about EM drive. From Popular Mechanics, it is available here.
Then I read about the Alcubierre Drive here, which allows faster than the speed of light travel without surpassing light speed. The concepts are interesting and some devices have been constructed, but there seem to be many skeptics.
Finally, an everything you need to know about EM drive here.
These articles seem to have a special appeal to those ''who a free ride", that is, traveling fast and far in space without paying a weight penalty for fuel.
Review these articles and reach you own conclusion.
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)
DTLA = DownTown Los Angeles
DTLA = DownTown Los Angeles
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
Tanveer is in the link in the first ugly box;
Tanveer is in the link in the first ugly box;
Barone,
Vincent. “LIRR Atlantic to slash ticket
prices for 10 Brooklyn and Queens stations”.
amny.com. May 23. 2018. Web. https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-lirr-atlantic-pilot-1.18662674
Gigronts,
Olga. “Remembering the Red Cars, What California’s ‘light rail looked like in
1911 and decades thereafter”. Los Angeles
Daily news. Jun. 26, 2018. Web. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/06/29/remembering-the-red-car-what-southern-california-light-rail-looked-like-in-1911-and-decades-thereafter/
Nelson, Laura J. “Building L.a.’s rail system will create thousands of jobs, Can a transportation boarding school fill them?” Los Angeles Times. Jul, 18, 2018. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-lb-586-45045-la-me-ln-transportation-boarding-school-20180617-htmlstory.html
Nelson², Laura J. “Metro picks a contractor to dig the Wilshire subway tunnels through West L.A” Los Angeles Times. Jun. 28, 2018. Web. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-wilshire-subway-20180628-story.html
Tanveer, Ali. “Ridership on the L is down 3.7% with 119 of 343 stations showing decline”. Chicago Sun-Times. June. 15, 2018. Web. https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/ridership-on-the-l-is-down-3-7-percent-with-120-of-143-stations-showing-decline/
Vartabedian, Ralph. . “California bullet train authority ordered
part of a flawed bridge torn down”. Los Angeles Times. Jun. 8, 2018. Web. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-bridge-blunder-20180608-story.html
An artifact from 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 @ 10:38 
