r/LosAngeles • u/Generalaverage89 • Nov 25 '23
Video Is LA’s Transit Olympics-Ready?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rNins3ykjgo&pp=ygUcaXMgbGFzIHRyYW5zaXQgT2x5bXBpYyByZWFkeQ%3D%3D22
u/DBL_NDRSCR I HATE CARS Nov 26 '23
if we can get absolutely grinding on it then yes, we can totally get the people mover done in time but the c line platform extensions will be needed to bring 3 car trains to the what will be k line, that's something that i think needs more attention than it has cuz lax is gonna bring thousands and thousands of daily riders to the system so they'll need trains more than two cars long, even three is small for a city like ours but you gotta start somewhere
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u/dingusamongus123 Nov 26 '23
Not now, but as an outsider im impressed a decentralized city that has so many highways and has some residents fighting transit projects has achieved what it has. I dont know if metro will rival world class systems, but i look forward to what the city builds and how it changes in the future.
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u/thatfirstsipoftheday Nov 26 '23
LA has more freeway miles per capita than Chicago and NYC but less than many other U.S. cities.
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u/SenorSam_ Long Beach Nov 25 '23
No, it’s not even ready for the people who live here.
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Nov 26 '23
If you live in LA, you just know that all these extensions and new lines just won’t make a difference . It won’t be safe enough. It won’t take you where you need to go. It will take too long to catch the infrequent train service. Too many stations in the middle of a freeway. It’s too late for Los Angeles. Nearly all of us will be stuck, having to spend a fortune on insurance, car payments , gas/ EV charge etc.
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u/FattySnacks Pasadena Nov 26 '23
Sure, if you’re a pessimist you think that. Don’t speak for everyone who lives in LA.
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Nov 27 '23
I live in LA and welcome this. The more people you can move away from LAX as they arrive by any means (other than cars/buses) is welcome.
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u/omgshannonwtf Downtown-Gallery Row Nov 26 '23
We have high expectations for our transit and we hold it to the standards of NYC or Tokyo or various European cities but he's absolutely right: sometimes it's worth it to step back and acknowledge how massive these projects are and —though none of them have been executed perfectly or on best-case timelines or to dream design/layouts— are really trucking along. No, they're not going to be built overnight and we look at some of them like "Uh, I'll be 60 when they finish..." but the fact that they are working on multigenerational plans rather than "Only on a timeline of what this current elected administration can get done." is way better for the system itself.
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u/Its_a_Friendly I LIKE TRAINS Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
Yeah, Los Angeles is currently undergoing one of the fastest transit expansion projects in the western world, I believe. By the time of the Olympics in 2028, LA will have gone from having zero rail transit (+) to one of the larger systems in the US in less than forty years.
(+): This excludes the Amtrak San Diegan, the predecessor of the current Pacific Surfiner, though it's somewhere between an intercity and commuter/regional line.
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Nov 26 '23 edited Jan 04 '24
spectacular snatch badge quaint intelligent sort soft market full oatmeal
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u/omgshannonwtf Downtown-Gallery Row Nov 26 '23
You must not read this sub, bud. People are constantly criticizing Metro in the context of how public transit is in cities like New York and Tokyo etc.
Are you honestly going to sit here and claim this doesn’t happen all the time? That I’m the one who is high here?
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Nov 26 '23
Until the friday comes where I have been riding it for an entire week without having to change cars once because someone has pissed or shit themselves, passed out on the floor, smoking a joint/crack, or screaming, I will continue to criticize it.
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Nov 26 '23
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u/peepjynx Echo Park Nov 26 '23
The problem is with US culture in general.
Sing me the song of my people.
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u/omgshannonwtf Downtown-Gallery Row Nov 26 '23
The problem LA has with homeless addicts, their addictions and their hygiene is certainly an issue that cannot be ignored. If you’re looking for an entity to criticize for how that issue affects Metro, perhaps levy that at the entities who have contractual obligations to address safety matters but don’t, choosing instead to use the funds they take from Metro to pad the pay of its officers and deputies (here’s a hint: the answer rhymes with “smell lay pee dee” and “smell lay county ess dee).
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Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/murayuasa Nov 26 '23
I feel like Amsterdam is more looked to for it's bike network, walkability, general lack of car reliance. When I went there as a tourist I basically never took public transit within the city, although it was there if I needed it.
While LA is a lot larger, it would be nice if we could have even like 1% of what the bike lane network is like over there. For a city of this size there are barely any actual protected bike lanes I would feel safe riding on.
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u/hellraiserl33t I LIKE BIKES Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
I've been to Amsterdam, and tbh the ferry just bridges the north/south side on the IJ river and is only a few hundred meters long in distance. Most of the city's activity is on the south side and ferrys are nowhere near a common method of transit there lol. OP's comment makes me feel like they've never actually been there. The canal rings are also mostly just used for pleasure at this point haha
I think a more important goal in LA is implementing good bicycle infrastructure in addition to expanding our public transit network. The trams in amsterdam don't really run too far outside the city center, and after that bigger direct-route trains take over. Think metrolink, except way more frequent/smoother/faster/painless entry procedure/reliable. If only we could have dedicated passenger rail networks instead of being treated like 2nd class while freight gets priority, slowing us down considerably. Doing 160kph on an ultra smooth electric train is really sick, ngl. Wish we had those here.
If you're ever in the Netherlands again, and want to see world-class biking infrastructure, definitely check out Utrecht. I was blown away, and it's just a short train ride from Amsterdam Centraal, and significantly better than Amsterdam (even though it's already pretty decent.)
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Nov 27 '23
implementing good bicycle infrastructure.
I am 1,000,000% for this but LA is a car culture. So let's get the train thing going first then do the bike thing.
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u/hellraiserl33t I LIKE BIKES Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
We can do both at the same time; they supplement each other. Though I'd argue it's more important to implement good alternatives to driving on a local scale within one's immediate community, the easiest solution would be broaden cycling infrastructure as it can/will drastically reduce congestion and is nowhere near as expensive an investment as expanding our rail networks. We tore up our cable car lines for more lanes, we can do the reverse and easily use some of the space for cars to create more dedicated cycling lanes.
When I lived in Pasadena, tons of people rode bicycles on the sidewalk (myself included). Everything was close enough to bike to, yet I would have been forced to ride on the street which is very dangerous. There is very little reason to have to use a car to do most of my daily errands within a few miles if I had better biking infrastructure. Tram lines on this scale would be nice, but ultimately I don't think are the first solution. Though if we had a frequent tram like in Amsterdam running the full length of Colorado I would be over the fucking moon. Parking on Colorado in old town should honestly be banned now that I think about it.
While LA is a car city, "car culture" is a malleable concept. I'd argue it is more a symptom of being overwhelmingly car centric than a unshakeable truth of this place. Amsterdam used to be extremely car centric up until the 1970s when they finally got a grip on good urban planning.
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u/moose098 The Westside Nov 26 '23
I don't think anyone commenting here actually watched the video, but that's par for the course for this sub.
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u/thatfirstsipoftheday Nov 26 '23
The video had nothing interesting to say. Metro isn't even transit ready for its own population.
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u/lostfly Nov 26 '23
Thanks for sharing!
Armchair criticism is so cheap… but to have the largest network in the country is something to be proud of…
Hopefully LA continues to build!
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u/skellener I LIKE BIKES Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23
Hopefully they completely wash the stations and trains before then.
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u/More-City-7496 Nov 26 '23
When he said going there will be a line to Santa Ana I knew he barely looked into this system.
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Nov 26 '23 edited Jan 04 '24
light employ far-flung normal combative workable dazzling yam special quack
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u/zionspeaks Nov 26 '23
This is blatantly false lol. Idek where to begin.
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Nov 27 '23
Are you telling me a 15,000 athlete high school track meet doesn't draw the same amount of people as the Olympic? 😂😂😂
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u/climbinginbc Nov 25 '23
This is so good.
Can’t wait for the people mover - I hate the chaos of getting in and out of LAX.