LOS ANGELES | Transportation News & Discussion

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by LA21st

I took it today. It's a 3 block walk to ocean ave. 1 block from mall/promenade. .

I'm avoiding it like the plague for about a month. I figure I wait for the crowd to die down and check it out another weekend. I know it will be busy but there won't be the craziness like this weekend.

I guess it's time now for me to go check out the gold line to a Azusa, since all the focus will be on Santa Monica now. If you haven't checked it out, there's a very good Mexican restaurant not too far from the station in Azusa. La Tolteca, you should check it out. http://latoltecaazusa.com/ it's worth a trip.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

The big news of course, is that today, LA County's Metro Rail is now 105.8 miles in total track length. Woo hoo!

I actually find this graph fairly exciting already. Hard to figure how decent the network is turning because of the huge size of the metro area, but it looks better than usually accepted stereotypes. Should be enough to cause some surprises here already, and to advertise transportation relying on rail services for better urban forms to those still skeptical.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by fflint

Honestly, that is the one part I cannot figure out either. How are passengers traversing that 'last mile' from the terminus to the beach? I won't be able to get down there and ride the newly-opened segment for a while, unfortunately.

It's literally a 5-10 minute walk from the downtown Santa Monica station to the pier. People will manage.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

It's literally a 5-10 minute walk from the downtown Santa Monica station to the pier. People will manage.

There was a absolute crush of people outside of the station. It was like Manhattan crowds. Most went towards the mall/promenade which is right next door.

Others walked down Colorado. It's not a issue at all.

[BrandonJXN]

^ Well yeah. There hasn't been a train to the beach in 60 years. Of course there's going to be a crush of people.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by LA21st

There was a absolute crush of people outside of the station. It was like Manhattan crowds. Most went towards the mall/promenade which is right next door.

Others walked down Colorado. It's not a issue at all.

Yeah, proximity wasn't my concern as I know that it is a short walk to the mall and the pier. From what I read it sounds like a lot of thought went into the planning of funneling pedestrians to and from the beach and promenade. I won't be able to get down there and check it out myself for a few weeks and was curious if they did as good a job as it sounds.

[bobcat]

Here's a video someone posted of their ride to SM. The last few minutes shows the walk past the mall down to the pier. Seems like a fairly pleasant stroll.

• Video Link

[ocman]

The Expo line is going to be a major boost of motivation for people to want more lines now that they’ve got a taste of what’s possible with a line that goes through so many important destinations.

45 minutes from the beach to DTLA is still not good enough though if car during rush hour only takes 15 minutes more. Hopefully in the future, they’ll find a way to cut the time by 10 minutes.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by ocman

The Expo line is going to be a major boost of motivation for people to want more lines now that they’ve got a taste of what’s possible with a line that goes through so many important destinations.

45 minutes from the beach to DTLA is still not good enough though if car during rush hour only takes 15 minutes more. Hopefully in the future, they’ll find a way to cut the time by 10 minutes.

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/w...ide-Subway.png

[Swede]

Why does the Crenshaw line only go to the Purple line and not keep going to the Red line?
Is it just a matter of what in this phase of planning and what's expected to come in the next?

[bmfarley]

Originally Posted by Swede

Why does the Crenshaw line only go to the Purple line and not keep going to the Red line?
Is it just a matter of what in this phase of planning and what's expected to come in the next?

That is an old map. The draft expenditure plan for the proposed November 2016 ballot initiative proposed that the Crenshaw Line is extended north all the way to the Hollywood/ Highland Red Line Station. It would provide a transfer connection to the Purple Line at either La Brea, Fairfax or La Cienega.

[Eightball]

New normal on the expo line is packed af at all times. Insane this morning train completely full when it pulled into the Culver City station.

When we catching it home from the DT SM station yesterday so many people qued up to board they stopped letting people into the station. Train was completely full before it left the first stop.

I forget who predicted not too many people would ride it (someone on here) but maaaan they were wrong

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

I'm avoiding it like the plague for about a month. I figure I wait for the crowd to die down and check it out another weekend. I know it will be busy but there won't be the craziness like this weekend.

Smart man. My partner and I rode the Expo Line yesterday on its first day of actual fare service, and though I'm sure it wasn't as hectic as the days that it was free, it was still somewhat of a mess. The thing with going on the free days that a new line opens (my partner and I have learned from earlier experiences from when the Gold Line eastside extension opened and when the first leg of the Expo Line opened) is that you encounter large crowds of people who are riding the train just to ride the train; they don't seem to be going anywhere in particular, so they walk around all slow and lackadaisical, and of course they don't know anything about train etiquette, like waiting for people to get off first, before you get on; we knew not to try riding it on the free days.

My ride yesterday on the Expo Line from 7th/Metro Center to Santa Monica was OK; I noticed it started getting more and more crowded probably from the La Brea station on, as it headed west. By the time we got to the Downtown Santa Monica Station, the train was packed, and there was a large crowd at the station. My partner and I hung out and ate at the Monsieur Marcel on 3rd St. Promenade, we walked around a bit, and then when we got back to the Downtown SM station we saw the long lines; there were Metro staff there, but we weren't told anything---as it turned out, the long lines were to buy the TAP cards at the machines; it only took me a few seconds to figure out, though, that we didn't have to wait in the long line; we already had our day passes loaded onto our TAP cards, so we walked to the turnstiles; some people didn't even know the concept of the turnstiles, and the Metro staff were telling people how to tap their cards and go through. While waiting for the train, we heard some people actually complaining about the TAP card thing; I assume they weren't familiar with riding the train. And then once we got on the train, we had the misfortune of sitting next to these old men who loudly complained the whole way back to 7th/Metro Center, complaining about how the train was waiting at the station for 5 minutes before it started (even though that's common for end-point stations), how slow the train was through some sections...

Overall, though, it was nice being able to get to Santa Monica from South Pasadena without even getting into a car.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

...they don't seem to be going anywhere in particular, so they walk around all slow and lackadaisical, and of course they don't know anything about train etiquette, like waiting for people to get off first, before you get on; we knew not to try riding it on the free days.

Does LA suffer from the 'escalefters,' the people who stand on the left side of the escalators and thereby prevent other passengers from walking down?

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Does LA suffer from the 'escalefters,' the people who stand on the left side of the escalators and thereby prevent other passengers from walking down?

Yes it does. Somehow, though, I feel that the percentage of those "escalefters" has been dropping slightly; I feel that slightly more people know to stand to the right, but then of course you encounter couples/pairs who insist on standing side-by-side on the escalator, and even though it's obvious people are walking up or down the escalator, the person standing on the left seems to not have a clue that they've stopped someone who was walking on the left.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Yes it does. Somehow, though, I feel that the percentage of those "escalefters" has been dropping slightly; I feel that slightly more people know to stand to the right, but then of course you encounter couples/pairs who insist on standing side-by-side on the escalator, and even though it's obvious people are walking up or down the escalator, the person standing on the left seems to not have a clue that they've stopped someone who was walking on the left.

This has been my experience as well. The number of people who know to move to the right has grown exponentially over the years lol. Great to hear all the positive feedback regarding Expo.

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Does LA suffer from the 'escalefters,' the people who stand on the left side of the escalators and thereby prevent other passengers from walking down?

As the others have said. Sadly we do. Its epidemic everywhere, from the train stations to the malls to even theme parks. LA is so car centric, we even forgot pedestrian etiquette

[caligrad]

Here's a random question.

Now that the Expo line is open, and Purple extension and Crenshaw lines already under construction. What's next on Metros agenda ? or are they waiting to see if measure R2 or R3 or whatever its called to be put to a vote, Because what if it doesn't pass? then what ?

I like to be optimistic about my fellow Angelenos needing and wanting transit but I'm afraid some of us might be getting blind sided with cheaper gas prices.

[mhays]

Contratulations LA! I wish this had been open seven weeks ago when I visited.

From LAX to DTLA had good mid-day ridership as well. And Expo to USC on another day. The system seems to be well used.

The ability to get to the beach will be HUGE. It seems like the main risk would be overcrowding of that section of coast until more beach access points are added.

If I was a DTLA hotel I'd adertise the hell out of the new line. Access to everything...

[JDRCRASH]

So I had quite an adventure Saturday. My friend (who has never taken Metro before) and I took Gold Line at Duarte and got off at Del Mar and picked up some cupcakes from Dot's.

Got back on and we had quite an interesting conversation with a young couple who looked about our age; it was their first time trying out Metro. My friend who loves cooking and music even exchanged phone numbers with the guy as they just clicked on those subjects. When we got off at Union Station and parted ways with them, I told my friend that I feel like these kinds of unique experiences just can't be had in an insular, car-lead lifestyle.

Anyway we met up at Union Station with a friend of ours from San Bernardino that had taken Metrolink. I have to say, Union Station has improved a lot, but the restrooms there are just dirty. We walked over to El Pueblo and Chinatown and got a bite to eat at Phillipe's. So much history to that building, as an employee there explained that there used to be a distillery in the building. Walked around Chinatown and got lost in a little marketplace that seemed like a maze. After that, our friend's sister and her husband from NoHo met up with us, we talked with each other for a bit, and then they decided to leave. Our girl friend decided to go with them. It was still only 7pm and my friend and I were tired, but I convinced him that I REAALLY wanted to try Expo. So we took Red/Purple 7th St/Metro, and then transfered onto Expo. As expected, the South Park-USC portion of the ride was SLOW, but it really started to speed up after Vermont.

We rode it all the way to the terminus and walked around a bit. MY GOD..... I know it was free rides, and I rarely venture out to Santa Monica, but man that little 11-block section from Wilshire to Colorado and 4th to Ocean was HOPPING. People of all ages walking everywhere, and all the restaurants were packed. After checking multiple places out we decided to eat at Del Friscos and got some BOMB sandwiches, we walked back to the terminus at around 10:30 for the long journey home, which took roughly 2 hours.

My friend LOVED the experience and said he's gonna be doing this way more often.

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

I'm avoiding it like the plague for about a month. I figure I wait for the crowd to die down and check it out another weekend. I know it will be busy but there won't be the craziness like this weekend.

I guess it's time now for me to go check out the gold line to a Azusa, since all the focus will be on Santa Monica now. If you haven't checked it out, there's a very good Mexican restaurant not too far from the station in Azusa. La Tolteca, you should check it out. http://latoltecaazusa.com/ it's worth a trip.

Been going to La Tolteca ever since I could talk, LONG before they moved to their new location (old location was one block south).

Every night after my old congregation's weekday meetings a huge group of us would go there for a late dinner. Practically a tradition.