Before the rain was slated to start, we took a trip on the Blue Line this morning. Our intention was to get a status report on the barriers that Metro promised to erect on Blue Line platforms in the wake of the unnecessary death of Cameron Cuthbertson, who was blind and stepped between two cars before being dragged south along the elevated rail line.
Metro promised that the installations would begin in May, and we are glad they have. (Our morning tour only allowed us to observe the platforms between 7th/Metro and Del Amo, the latter station being where Mr. Cuthberston met his gory demise.) We found that of the stations visited this morning (14 of the 22 along the Blue Line), only Del Amo had barriers on both sides and Artesia had barriers only on the uptown side (to Los Angeles). The remainder of the stations visited, from Compton north to 7th/Metro, remain bereft of barriers.
We hope that they see to finishing the job quickly.
-The Bus Bench
Erm... it's a start?
Posted by: Justin N | 06/01/2009 at 02:52 PM
They just might finish quickly. I was looking for your old thread to give an update this past weekend (couldn't find it and your format was screwed with all of the comments at the bottom) and my update was that there was no progress at all. So they must have installed barriers at Del Amo and Artesia sometime since Saturday. I actually saw some workers at Del Amo on Saturday so maybe that's what they were preparing to do.
Thanks for the update. The barriers in this pic look slightly different from the gold line ones. The base looks a little wider on the gold line. These might be less of a tripping hazard although I think that they should have just used a different surface rather than the poles. Maybe even these are just temporary?
Posted by: Shawn | 06/01/2009 at 08:24 PM
I think these barriers are an unnecessary blight on the stations. On the Gold Line they're not needed because all of those rail vehicles have chains or rubber guards between the trains. And if you aren't sighted then you can still fall behind the train. Our light rail vehicles can't stop in the same place every time so you'll often end up with this:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6329/img0335dxk.jpg
which caused several people to trip over them as they exited the train at Union Station. These barriers also fall below the window line of the trains so they're hard to see even if they're right in front of a door.
They really should just outfit all trains with chains between the cars which would safeguard the space in between cars no matter how long the train is or where it stops on the platform.
Posted by: Ray | 06/02/2009 at 11:23 PM
I would also prefer chains Ray, because I have also noticed the trains not stopping at the same point, especially when it rains. Chains are better if I were visually impaired I would rather there be chains than putting my faith in a conductor who may or may not stop where he or she is supposed to.
Still no barriers in South Central LA or at Compton Station. How long does it take to put up some plastic sticks?
Browne
Posted by: browne | 06/02/2009 at 11:49 PM
Chains won't work well because of the way that the cars angle at the ends. There would still be a gap.
And LA doesn't have conductors, just train operators. Since this is a transit blog of sorts the terminology should at least be correct.
As far as where the trains are stopped, Metro doesn't have car markers telling the operator where to stop depending on how many cars there are. I've noticed that on the gold line they just go all the way to the end of the platform now. That way the barriers are always lined up no matter how many cars the train has.
Posted by: Shawn | 06/03/2009 at 05:42 PM
Shawn if you are VI you have a cane. The reason the chains would work better is not just because of the gap it's because you could use your cane to see where you are stepping. It's not just about closing the gap, which would be better via bumper, but about giving a VI person who has a cane a consistent marker. The train operators aren't consistent.
I will make a note of the proper term of the train operator, but to me a conductor and an operator is the same thing. I know in New York it's different, but to me I see a guy driving a train he gets called a conductor, if I disrespected any conductors out there, sorry.
So what's the difference? I know I could google it, but I don't feel like it.
Browne
Posted by: browne | 06/04/2009 at 03:47 AM
On rapid transit/metro's in the US, the person operating the train is usually called a train operator. Bus drivers are also now more correctly called bus operators.
In NYC a conductor is the person that makes the announcements, opens and closes the doors, and changes the roll signs. The person that operates the train is a train operator or old school, a motorman. On Amtrak conductors are the ones that announce stops, punch tickets, and open and close doors. The person operating the train is an engineer.
LA's red line trains were designed to be operated by one person (or less), so they don't have conductors.
Posted by: Shawn | 06/04/2009 at 08:00 PM
Update (June 13): All of the stations on the blue line between Willow and Washington have barriers. San Pedro, Grand, Pico, and 7th/metro have none.
Posted by: Shawn | 06/14/2009 at 09:47 PM