Posted on 01/27/2016 2:05:09 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
For almost a decade, transit ridership has declined across Southern California despite enormous and costly efforts by top transportation officials to entice people out of their cars and onto buses and trains.
The LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the region's largest carrier, lost more than 10% of its boardings from 2006 to 2015, a decline that appears to be accelerating. Despite a $9-billion investment in new light rail and subway lines, Metro now has fewer boardings than it did three decades ago, when buses were the county's only transit option.
The decline suggests that Southern California policymakers are falling short of one of their longtime goals: drawing drivers out of their cars and onto public transportation to reduce traffic congestion, greenhouse gases and the region's reliance on fossil fuels.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Just raise the state gas tax to $10.00 a gallon. That will fix ridership.
People who no longer have real jobs don’t take the busses or trains to get to them.
It doesn’t matter how much public transportation cost - or how few people use it.
What matters is how liberals ‘feel’ about themselves when they support it...
One of the big factors working against public transit in SoCal is that there is nothing resembling a downtown where everyone heads off to work.
We are headed in a thousand different directions from a vast sprawl of suburbs. It’s a region that developed with the car and the freeway.
And as DoughtyOne mentioned the buses that do operate are largely a transportation system built for illegal aliens, not that plenty of them don’t drive their own unregistered cars.
Light rail has been the wet dream of every libtard going back as long as I can remember. (and I’m 70 y.o.)
It is a ridiculous waste of billions. For the enormous costs, it benefits very few.
Here in Denver they recently completed a Union-Station-to-Federal-Center line. Great for the relatively few Government asswipes who want to use it, a crushing tax burden for the rest of us.
:) same here in Phoenix area. putting in light rail and from what I hear ridership not supporting cost. Taking away car travel lanes so it’s clogging up traffic more.
though I did just meet a man in wheelchair and I can see how it would be a help to him, but he doesn’t live anywhere near it - so he is considering moving into the city more.
crazy stuff we do, to help some, inconvenience others :)
My son has been mugged twice in 18 months riding public transportation in Los Angeles. This doesn’t help ridership.
Having read all the posts in response to this point I see one major reason for the failure of the mass transit not mentioned, and that is people don’t feel comfortable riding with people they don’t know, people whose hygiene seems lacking, and people whom seem odd to them. Not everybody is adventurous with their lives, and think riding such platforms is an invitation to a near death experience, or at least one that could be harmful to ones health.
We at FR aren’t the only ones reading about the TB, Hep, and other horrible diseases returning to our once healthy Nation. Public transportation is looked upon with disdain due many of the sorts that occupy the seats.
I know I’m going to get some flack from some that are compelled to use the services of the public transportation system, but truth is truth. It is unhealthy, and can be dangerous in todays society, and mainly thanks to Democrats.
The communists want to control where you go,when you travel,how you travel,and have the ability to track your movements. This why they love mass transportation and hate the automobile.Everything else is just a smokescreen to hide the real agenda.
Yes you’re right.
I agree with your thoughts on it too.
When the goobermint bus system (Metro) here in Houston ended up costing taxpayers more than publicly funded taxis would have, goobermint planners unveiled their next "servicing" of the public - "light rail". And last I heard, besides costing us $23K PER PASSENGER TRIP, there have been over 100 WRECKS involving the toy train.
Bend over and smile, folks.
high tech crony capitalists
unionized construction workers
statists who desire to get rid of personal vehicles
carbon fearing nut jobs
None of whom actually use mass transportation themselves...
When I was younger I rode the bus system in our town back and forth to work. Was easy and fast. Now you couldn’t get me to ride it. Filthy, nasty people on it and the transfer stations are dangerous. What used to be a 15 min ride turned into a 45 minute ride since they all go their route to the transit station and you have to transfer to another bus. Like everything else they made it difficult.
I worked for Coopers and Lybrand and was part of the audit when the LACTC and the RTD merged into the MTA. I can’t tell you how many inconsistencies we found in A/P re checks going to Tutor Saliba
You can’t public transport around a place like LA. It’s just not realistic.
Yeah, sure if you have four hours a day to burn and feel like connecting 25 times and still walking 4 miles, it could probably be done but I don’t know anyone up for that.
Self driving cars will help the handicapped a lot more than mass transit ever could.
I’m with you 100%.
Great story! Similarly, I strongly suspect that people just like the freedom to go where they want and for as long as they can afford it, that’s what they’ll do.
Re: “as long as they can afford it...” I know, I know, Mrs. Clinton and Bernie Sanders have a plan about that...
#1 More like $160 billion.
Over $100 billion was the estimate some 2 years ago.
#14 I moved here in 1988 and they were working on the freeway project then. Anytime I went thru the Sepulvada pass I asked myself when is this going to be finished! They now have a carpool lane after near 25+ years of delaying traffic because of construction.
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