First time on the subway in Los Angeles

The first time I took the subway in LA was with greenRELAY’s youth training program this summer. After living in New York City for two years my expectations where high, and to my surprise, the LA subway blew me out of the water. I was genuinely impressed. It was clean and spacious with fabulous art pieces; the trains came on time (and had scheduled times in the first place!); each station has an escalator, and it was cheap! The fare in NY is twice as expensive, the service is awful (I’m not sure that a schedule exists), the stations reek of urine and body odor, are crowded, dingy, dark and filthy. Few stations have an escalator or elevator to make traveling easier or transit more accessible for the handicapped. A friend and I even have a ‘How many rats’ game to pass the time while waiting for the trains. Despite that, nobody that I know, except for people who can afford cabs or monthly parking, hesitates to take the subway. Its a staple, and even though its pretty gross, it works.

I take the subway everywhere in NY. I would never drive there; it would be suicide. However, when I’m in LA my mindset totally flips. I never take public transportation, which is a major glitch in my relatively environmentally friendly lifestyle. So I’m making my transition to mass transit easier by going on random adventures with friends on the LA Subway. It has forced us to leave our Westside routine and explore many underrated parts of LA. My best friend and I decided to take the Purple line to the Red line to Hollywood last week. Because it would have taken too long to take a bus to the purple line on Wilshire, we drove 20 min to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, greenRELAY’s home base, and parked, walked 10 minutes to the subway stop at Wilshire and Normandie and transferred to the red line. It took us about an hour total, but would have been much quicker if the different systems were more efficiently connected.

The whole time I was thinking about how perfect it would be if LA had decided to spend more money on subways than on freeways. This already decent system would be so much more expansive and maybe actually reach its potential. As of now it isn’t that useful because it is only accessible from so few places in LA. I personally would like to see more subways put in. Hopefully this would be done equitably, which, apparently, is asking a lot of the MTA or the DOT. Increased mobility would do wonders for minorities and people dependent on public transit. More subways would make Jobs more accessible, could potentially relieve some of the effects of ghettoization, such as highly concentrated poverty and environmental abuse, and will reduce car ridership. I realize that buses are cheaper to install, operate and maintain, but I admit that I am partial to subways because they’re faster, they are more predictable in terms of scheduling because they don’t have to compete with cars for road space or stop at street lights, and admission is prepaid. A better hybrid system that increases completely grade-separated rail, improves bus efficiency with innovations like Bus Only Lanes, decreases freeway construction and expands bike paths would be an important first step in minimizing environmental injustices in LA because it would reduce the vulnerability of minorities.

As we walked to the Walk of Fame, we overheard someone say, in reference to Hollywood Blvd, ‘this is like the Manhattan of LA’. While I could list a host of reasons why he was very wrong, I think his point was that public transportation was easily accessible and there was a high density of walkers, both of which are common in NY and foreign to a lot of Angelinos. I would definitely like to see LA become more pedestrian and cyclist friendly, particularly in minority communities because it would combat the higher levels of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Better transit would reduce LA’s crippling  dependency on cars, and make it a healthier, cleaner and safer place to live.

Last Wednesday, the Transit Riders for Public Transportation campaign took action all over the United States. Big cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Portland, Chicago and Atlanta participated in the rally. The motivation for the day of action was to get Congress Representatives to co-sponsor H.R. 2746 which is a bill introduced by Representative Russ Carnahan that would provide funding from the federal government for public transit operations.  The day of action was to inform congress that public transportation is a huge necessity for cities all around the country and if it is not funded then mass transit will not be able to operate, affecting millions of public transit users and commuters who travel via bus or rail.

The Carnahan bill is an important issue. It can either make or break the infrastructure of public transportation, it can be a decision on whether or not transportation can can be operational or whether or not it can only be an exhibit of buses and trains that will not be able to run. This is the biggest gamble, and it would mean that if funding is not provided then public transportation could become obsolete. The hugest cities in the U.S. need this bill to survive these harsh economic times and  it is not an issue of whether or not the federal government has enough money to pass the Carnahan bill, its whether or not the government wants to, but it shouldn’t even be an issue of wanting to or not it needs to be passed. You cannot have a sustainable system of transportation without mass public transportation. If it does not pass, it will soon become an issue of whether or not the working poor will have to decide to buy a car, over buying groceries for their families. It will become an issue of whether or not a 50 mile commuter will have to make a decision to drive their high fuel emission cars to work along a high populated freeway.

H.R. 2746 needs to pass, it can only bring positive and more possible ideas for a better tomorrow, if the government can bail out corporations that have been irresponsible and contributed to the largest global economic crisis,  then they can bail out mass transit.

Robbery !

I am still reading my book titled Highway Robbery.  I have read now chapters three and four. Chapter three talks about transportation issues in Atlanta. Chapter three mainly focus on a group called MARTA, which stands for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (or as the authors would say, Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta).  MARTA services and responds to many lower income people of color.

In Chapter four, the authors talk about the details of how the construction of highways , parks, playgrounds, and housing will contribute to the shape of New York. It also talks about a guy named Robert Moses – how he was elected by no one but controlled everything like the parks and housing in New York. He also oversaw the construction of building new things that would have shaped the face of the modern New York. He was the symbol for the word wrong.  But finally the city of New York got rid of Mr. Moses and boy were they happy.

The reason I am still reading this book is because I enjoy learning new things. I also find it interesting that the same problems we face in California many others are facing all around the world. This transportation racism has to end, and we must try to help the activists who are trying to fight it, such as the BRU.

Metro Local Bus in the San Fernando Valley

Tomorrow morning, public transportation advocacy organizations around the country will be demonstrating in favor of increased federal funding for transit operations. From the Transit Riders for Public Transportation’s press release:

On Wednesday, July 22, the Bus Riders Union will be part of a national day of action by the Transit Riders for Public Transportation national campaign to call on Congress to restore federal funding for transit operations that includes transit advocates, civil rights and environmental justice organizations throughout the country. Advocates including Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, New York and Portland will be calling on their congressional representatives.

The BRU will be at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Western leading a mass education drive highlighting the connection between the need for transit operation funding is related to the service cuts threatening millions of transit riders across the country including bus riders in Los Angeles. With giant banners, call booths and petitions the BRU will be encouraging scores of residents and bus riders to call the Southern California Congressmembers and President Obama to support a greater share for operations funding . The goal of the nationwide coordinated events is to influence the debate over the authorization of the $500 billion Federal Surface Transportation Authorization Act (FSTAA) slated to dedicate roughly 80% of the funding to highways, freeways and roads, while providing only 20% to mass transit. Advocates and transit riders will hold press conferences, rallies, phone-banking drives, and street theater encouraging thousands to call on their congressional representatives to dedicate at least 50 percent of all transit funds in the bill to operate transit systems in response to the crisis across the country.

Nationwide Transit Crisis

Across the United States, major cities and regions are facing massive cuts in transit services, raising fares and implementing regressive measures to make up for declining tax revenues and government support. These cuts hit the most vulnerable communities, predominately low-income and people of color, escalating already-existing economic burdens. The numbers are stark. New York Metro raised fares early this year, while Oakland’s bus operator, AC Transit, announced proposed cuts in service ranging from 15-30% despite a fare increase that went into affect earlier this month. Los Angeles MTA has proposed fare increases for the next 30 years along with the elimination of 120,000 hours of bus service. Portland’s TriMet implemented service cuts in May that eliminated weeknight transit service.

Supporting H.R. 2746 as First Immediate Action

As a major first step towards restoring federal support for transit operations, advocates will urge constituents and bus riders in various congressional districts to call on their Congressional Representatives to co-sponsor the H.R. 2746 (Rep. Carnahan – MO). The marker bill would allow transit agencies in urbanized areas of over 1 million to use up to 30% of their federal transit capital funds for operations, and grant even more flexibility for smaller urbanized areas. In contrast, the FSTA currently allows only 5% of federal transit capital funds to be used for operation in large urbanized areas.

New Opportunities to Improve the Environment

The U.S. must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% over the next twenty years if it is to meet the goal of achieving a 90% cut in emissions by 2050. Congress has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create first class transit systems and dramatically curb emissions with the passage the FSTAA. As a first step, the bill must preserve the integrity of our current transit systems and provide the funding to operate them at full capacity.

The TRPT campaign calls on the Obama Administration and Congress to break with the last two decades of favoring toxic highway expansion by making massive investments in a clean-fuel, world-class transportation systems that meet both the needs of transit riders and international emissions-reduction targets.

Mayor Villaraigosa speaking with members of the Bus Riders Union

The MTA Board of Directors decided this afternoon to postpone the approval of their Long Range Transportation Plan because community groups (and, as it turns out, the Directors themselves), had less than 24 hours before the meeting to review the 63 page document.  Despite the short notice, the Bus Riders Union was able to distribute this press release, and many groups were able to make it to speak at the meeting.

Many politicians from the San Gabriel Valley advocated the Gold Line Foothill extension, and it was honestly a bit disheartening to hear so many people emphasizing “shovel-readiness” for a long range planning document that is supposed to broadly guide transportation investment for the next thirty-five years.

Damien Goodmon spoke on behalf of Fix Expo, highlighting the environmental injustices of the Expo Line (currently under construction in South LA) included in the LRTP.  Damien Newton, who tweeted the meeting for Streetsblog LA,  asked the Board where funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects in the 2008 Draft LRTP had gone.  He was not the only advocate of complete streets.  The LA County Bike Coalition and the Bus Riders Union stressed the importance of funding walkability and bikeability enhancements that help increase transit ridership.  The BRU also spoke against the billions of dollars in the proposed LRTP going to ineffective (see induced demand) and environmentally unsustainable highway expansions.  Instead, BRU speakers urged the Board to consider their Clean Air and Environmental Justice Plan, which would prioritize improved bus service and reduced fares.

After the meeting, BRU members spoke briefly with Mayor Villaraigosa.  He tried to assure them that communities of color would be protected from fare increases, either through temporary freezes or the implementation of zonal fares.  These assurances, however, seem a bit hollow when the LRTP is mandating a 33% fare recovery ratio.  If the MTA expects riders to cover one third of the systemwide operating cost, the agency’s long history of transportation racism makes it pretty clear who will pay the most: the bus riders who can afford it the least.

[Read the Proposed LRTP here (PDF, 30 MB)]

Member organizations of the Transit Riders for Public Transportation campaign will be in Washington on Tuesday to advocate better funding of public transportation in the renewed Federal Surface Transportation Act.  Along with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, they will be hosting a Congressional briefing on the importance of transit.

Want to take action?  Learn more about the issue by watching the quick 20-minute video below.  Then call your Representative and let him/her know that you want to avoid service cuts and fare hikes by using federal money for transit operating expenses.

The federal government’s transportation funding bill is up for reauthorization this fall.  The current law, SAFETEA-LU, was in many ways a step backwards from the intermodal policies laid out in its predecessor, ISTEA.  Reauthorization this fall is an opportunity for transit advocates to come together and challenge the dominance of the auto and highway lobbies, and mainstream media is starting to give this opportunity some coverage.  CQ Politics gives an overview:

For more than half a century, highway advocates have been the loudest voices on transportation policy, but that may change this year as some lawmakers push to include more funding for public transit in the next authorization bill.

The article goes on to discuss the political battles of trying to increase funding for transit.  While many highway and trucking groups would support an increase in the gasoline tax, they would withdraw their support if some of that revenue was put towards transit.  So even though lawmakers are discussing ways to increase gasoline taxes and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), they still may cave in to the highway lobby and underfund transit.  To learn more, check out the Transit Riders for Public Transportation campaign.