Can you still claim you drive faster than the Gold Line?

Some people say that they can drive faster than the Gold Line, well this video calls you a storyteller.

You'd think the marketing executives at Metro would have come up what this, but of course they all have cars.

GoldLineFreewayRace_29dec2008
Uploaded by shametrainla

Comments

[Ed Greenberg]

Two things badly impact public transportation efficiency. Dwell time at stations and, even more critically, dwell time waiting for the bus or train. This is especially a time killer at transfers. So the question is not whether the train moves faster than the cars between stations, but rather whether the entire trip takes longer.

The trip must be defined to include: initial travel to the station, walking from parking to the platform or stop, waiting for the arrival of the bus or train, actual travel, dwell time at intermediate stations, dwell time at transfers and the final walk to the destination.

Anything that the transit operators can do to address the dwell times is critical to public acceptance and use of the system. This includes:

* Predictability - that the transit vehicle arrives on time, not early or late. This means both realistic schedules and driver discipline.

* Reliability - no (or few) missing trips.

* Good connections and good routes - don't leave me waiting on an intermediate stop burning precious time. Don't make me take three or four segments when two would do.

* Safe efficient stations. Sufficient parking at the origin, without surprises, so that I don't have to allocate 15 minutes to drive around looking for a space. Secure bicycle parking, so I don't have to get my bike stolen. Lighted and patrolled public spaces so that I don't get mugged (or worse.)

That said, I'm a daily bus commuter and have not brought my truck to work one single day since moving to Los Angeles in May 2008. My commute is the LADOT 573 from Van Nuys to UCLA, and the Metro 2 or 305 from UCLA to WeHo. Is the system perfect? Of course not. Does it work for me? Daily.

[browne]

The Gold Line from Pasadena to a destination in Downtown LA is quicker than driving at 5pm. Now PT isn't always faster, but The Bus Bench feels that if you factor in parking in downtown LA and the madness of the traffic down there (and the occasional game) that the Gold Line is faster and less stressful and the vastly superior option.

If the Gold Line takes longer if you factor in transfers (which are almost non problems in downtown LA) or a Red Line ride once you got in into downtown, you would take maybe at the most an extra 15 minutes, which really if you think about it once you get to work how many people go to work and immediately visit a coffee store...so if you factor in that habit that you would be able to do on the way (since you are walking) instead of once you checked in same amount of time.

The Gold Line in Pasadena is safe. The Sierra Madre station has ample secure parking for your car and the way its set up I think your bike would be pretty safe. I don't know any station in Pasadena that I wouldn't feel completely fine parking my car or bicycle or waiting on the station.

Your bike is just as safe at the Gold Line station than it would be if you just rode your bike the entire way and locked it up outside your destination and of course you always have the fold bike option (which comes electrified.)

The Gold Line through Pasadena is one of the few places that Metro did a great job and for people in Pasadena to not use it (after all those soundwalls Metro put up and the careful planning and consideration Metro gave them, which they didn't give to Highland Park) in a major way is a true tragedy, especially if they work in Downtown LA or even in Hollywood along the Red Line.

The Gold Line in Pasadena goes through the nicer and very walkable parts of town, right by businesses and parks a few blocks and easy bike ride or walk to the station so I'm not understanding how anyone in Pasadena who works in downtown or Hollywood thinks the Gold Line isn't a viable option.

Browne

Browne

[www.TheBusBench.com]

I have to say though Ed going North (towards the SFV) or South via public transit can be very difficult. The only place north that is easy to get to is Pasadena and that's a problem. Trying to take public transit from other parts of the SGV such as Arcadia, Monrovia, San Gabriel can at times make you want to get on the phone and scream at a MTA customer service rep, no it doesn't fix anything, it just makes you feel better.

Browne

[Gary Kavanagh]

Of course transfers and station wait times need to be factored into commute comparisons, but I think videos like this are important to show people that for certain routes and at certain times of day, cars are not the fastest way to go. In fact many stretches of freeway at peak times are no faster or in fact slower then a bicycle, so it's not surprising to me to see the train whizzing past the traffic.