Browne Molyneux is a freelance journalist and a friendly gadfly in the LA based blogosphere. She formerly wrote a transportation column for
LA City Beat: Tracks and is a contributor to
LA Eastside and The LA Progressive. She does not own a motorized vehicle, but she does have a bike.
RANDALL (BusTard) FLEMING has spent two decades working in most every facet of publishing. A former magazine publisher (Angry Thoreauan, 1987-2001), he has also contributed to a great many books, periodicals and newspapers in Los Angeles and New York: New York Post, Brooklyn Spectator, Discover Hollywood!, Ben Is Dead, Flipside, Los Feliz Ledger, Sabotage in The American Workplace (Pressure Drop Press), Notes From the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture (Verso), and several of the Unreinforced Masonry Studio books about Los Angeles.
Art Gonzo was raised in Los Angeles. He is a visual artist. He has seen a bus. When not at The Bus Bench he is a contributor at LA Eastside.
Hey, my name’s aka Mika Muyo and I’ve been sitting on the bus bench since 4th grade. I’ve taken all sorts of public trans that varied on the scale of “not bad” to “you have to be kidding me, this is bullshit!”. At any rate, I currently live and cycle in LA and you can find me at various bike mobs, art shows, open bars and on Candied Cartel dot com.
Rogelio Gomez is a public transit rider and an avid cyclist. He blogs at My Daily Ride when he's not sharing his adventures on The Bus Bench.
Now here's something we agree on. I'd like to see some turnstiles for freeway on-ramps that verify that drivers have insurance, registration and a license before getting on the freeway. I would also like them to TAP their license so we can track where they drive. Oh, and I would like the trunk inspected to see if they are carrying any contraband.
I'm pretty close to fixing up my car and becoming a permanent driver again on principle alone. I would rather die on the freeway than have my stuff rummaged through without a warrant.
Posted by: Spokker | 07/15/2009 at 10:42 PM
I think if a terrorist would think of ways to ruin people in LA's day, I'm pretty sure that public transit isn't going to be the way to go. I mean if the terrorist was lazy and had tenure, yeah maybe, but a terrorist with initiative would go after LA's freeways. This is the car capital of the world, so with that why are we only tracing people who can't even get METRO to install barriers. We have the most deadly railline in the country, how does that even happen in Los Angeles, we only have three (ok four) rail lines that don't even run after midnight. Why would terrorist need to do anything maybe METRO is run by terrorist, incompetent terrorist.
Keep in mind I seriously don't want anyone tracked. I'm just saying the idea behind why this is happening is just ridiculous. A complete waste of money.
Posted by: browne | 07/16/2009 at 04:57 AM
Anyone notice that the TAP logo has an arrow which points to the wrong turn-stile?
Posted by: Erik | 07/16/2009 at 05:33 PM
Erik,
It does look odd, that arrow, but as those same style of turnstiles are used on PATH in NYC and Jersey, it will not be-providing such gates are properly installed. The problem may be in the lack of a magnetic reader (such as those found on PATH, and to a lesser extent, on NYC Metro) through which a straphanger guides the Metro card atop the divider. Metro appears to presume that people will have TAP cards in their right hands when the approach the turnstiles.
How will things work out? Time will tell.
Posted by: Randall BusTard | 07/16/2009 at 06:25 PM