Los Angeles is finally rediscovering transit. This
super-sized city said goodbye to its extensive streetcar system by
the early 1960s in favour of wide boulevards and freeways. For 30
years, Angelenos who did not drive had to endure one or two hour bus
rides, and many still do. For some, the opportunity of car-free
mobility began only 15 years ago when the suburban commuter rail
system began running trains into L.A.’s lovely Union Station. Around
the same time the city’s first subway line opened, followed by a
north-south light rail line.
Two more LRT lines were built in the last decade,
and a new bus-only corridor called the Orange line opened last
October. This route follows an old rail trolley route, and links
with the subway in North Hollywood. At last, a fledgling network
provides a limited alternative for getting across this congested
megalopolis. Metrolink commuter trains circulate throughout the day
on several rail lines, although most routes shut for the weekend,
similar to GO Transit.
For many citizens of the second-largest metropolitan
area in the U.S., the only way to get to your destination by transit
is in a bus. The region-wide Metro system runs local buses as well
as “Rapid” lines that travel express, stopping only at major
intersections. In this sprawling place, many buses are scheduled to
arrive at intervals of 20 minutes or more. With the notorious
traffic slowdowns on many roads, you can wait an hour for a vehicle
to show up. TTC customers might gripe when our buses bunch together,
but that mostly happens in peak periods on routes with frequent
service. Thank goodness the weather is so favourable in LA, as buses
here can be unreliable on any route at any time. There are also few
bus shelters.
Metro’s light rail and subway trains do not arrive
as often as in Toronto, but at least there are system maps to help
you switch from one line to another. It can be confusing for an
outsider to navigate the bus network, and it’s tough to find a map
that shows all the routes. You can look online at
www.metro.net or call a toll-free
number, but forget about looking in the Yellow Pages, or at bus
stops. I did not see one schedule posted at a bus stop, although
paper timetables were often available once you got on board.
Many buses have both audio announcements of upcoming
stops as well as two overhead display monitors. They might be a
great help, but apparently it is rare to find both systems working.
No such problem with the two or three television screens in each bus
– they did not fail to deliver weather forecasts, ads and news in
English and Spanish.
Although Metro’s cash fare seems low at around $1.45
Canadian ($1.25 US), you have to pay again when boarding another
vehicle. A day pass is economical at around $3.45, and most people
use passes good for a week or month. Coming up: San Diego’s
trolleys.