ansoncfit

It Wasn’t Me

Even though I was still in Southern California when this bus was stolen, I promise I had nothing to do with it.

Read Full Post | August 18 2008 | Local News | No Comments » |

Switching to Public Transit

A fun article entitled “A couple of easy fixes and we’ll take the bus to work”

I think it has some pretty realistic and helpful suggestions for transit in Southern California. And, anecdotes like the following:

Hector Barbosa, 41, whom I encountered twice during the week as he traveled to and from his home in Pacific Palisades and his job in Beverly Hills, said local bus lines take some getting used to.

“The problems are especially huge when it comes to the homeless and the mentally ill,” he said. “Sometimes you see people getting violent, sometimes defecating.”

Or in my case, there was the elderly gentleman who sang what sounded like pirate chanteys for about 15 minutes.

Nice…

Read Full Post | June 18 2008 | Transportation News | No Comments » |

Metro Rail – The Future is Now

Pretty funny video from 1985:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=FkFoW5lr-tU[/youtube]

Read Full Post | June 17 2008 | Transportation News | No Comments » |

There’s been a lot of coverage lately about the recent increase in transit use due to high gas prices. SEPTA Regional Rail is seeing 11% more passengers than last year. Ridership on LA’s Gold Line has jumped 19% over last year. The BBC recently covered the LA subway’s rising popularity. Even Garrison Keillor is making fun of new bus riders.

Read Full Post | May 29 2008 | Transportation News | No Comments » |

Umm…

As annoying/intimidating/culturally insensitive as the LAPD and LA County Sheriff Department’s numerous helicopters are, it’s still a bad idea to shoot at them.

Read Full Post | May 22 2008 | News and Happenings | No Comments » |

Props to Metro Rapid

New York actually looks up to part of LA’s public transit system? Way to go, Metro Rapid. From the NY Times:

After watching New York City bus speeds struggle to the point where some Manhattan buses crawl at 4 miles per hour — only slightly faster than the average human walks — transportation planners now think that if they can make buses move even 10 percent faster, they can revolutionize travel in the five boroughs.

That’s right, just 10 percent.

In early May, a group of New York planners will visit Los Angeles to observe a program that has sped up buses there by 22 to 25 percent. The changes include designated bus lanes, straighter routes, easy-to-board low-floor buses, specially marked stations, far fewer stops, the elimination of schedules, and computerized signaling that gives buses priority at intersections.

[Full Article]

New York seriously needs to think about this…not that I’ve ever gotten screwed over sitting on a stationary bus in Manhattan…

Read Full Post | May 17 2008 | Transportation News | No Comments » |