A Car-Lite Lifestyle

I was dorking around on NPR.com and found an interesting interview from a few years back with Chris Balish, author of a book entitled How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, something that I will probably pick up in coming weeks when I'm done reading George Orwell's 1984.

In this interview, I appreciated that the author stressed enough along the lines of living without a car of one's own. Because anywhere you go, a car is going to sometimes be necessary. I mean, why else are there taxis in New York City?

Me, I love taxis, but only based on experiences in New York. Elsewhere, especially in LA, they're far too costly for the average person - a gauge I can understand due to the need versus the accessibility. (How many people have vehicles in NYC/Brooklyn as opposed to Los Angeles? That and everyone's got to make their dollar somehow.) Also, renting a car for the day can be expensive, but thankfully there are by-the-hour options such as Zipcar, for running around on errands or an evening out or something. (The only real con at the moment is that Zipcars aren't really located in or near the Valley, but at least it's proactive enough of a start.)

Also, living close to the Orange or Red Lines can prove to be a good option in a mass transit sense, however dependent upon the proximity of things one likes to do, or must do and everything in between, and the time of day or night in which they are to be done.

Local service would also do well to prove itself a Point A to Point B option. It is, in a lot of respects, but it could be better.

I'm more than aware that I'm beating a dead horse, but whoever's doing transportation planning - in the Valley, in Burbank, in Glendale and beyond - is not taking into account just how many people could benefit from local service seeing a bump in frequency and extended hours. If translated into dollars, making an investment in local service could stand to see Metro not having to cut jobs or lines as drastically as they have previously, and blah blah blah blah....

Suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to taking 30 pounds of cat litter home from the store sometime tomorrow. I promise I will stop snarking on things soon enough and instead highlight the benefits of reading on the bus (about bicycle repair, perhaps) or the awesomeness of even the slightest headwinds when you haven't done your strength training for the day (or month).

Happy cycling/busing/walking/running for it~

Local Buses: Part One

The other evening I was on my way home from Northridge when I saw a gentleman sitting on the northwest corner of White Oak and Saticoy waiting for the 239 bus to come. I was rushing home because I was about fifteen minutes late as far as getting ready to have dinner with a friend at a sushi place, which somewhat conveniently, was in the same block I was passing.

The only inconvenient things when my friend and I came back an hour later only to see the same gentleman sitting at the same spot, occasionally getting up and into the street, wondering where the bus was.

It's not rare that I'm in that same position. Sometimes it happens when I'm on Sunset Blvd waiting for the 2 (a line that I praise quite frequently), which can run ten or so minutes late heading west because traffic is awesome. (Very rarely does it run late coming from Beverly Hills.) But even though it's annoying when it happens, at least the 2 runs ever twenty or so minutes.

That said, an amount of local lines in the Valley run every 40-60 minutes midday, with a more than fair percentage of them being north-south buses. I really don't understand the reasoning behind it, and haven't for quite a while. If you've read here recently or at all, you know that I've come to the conclusion that local service needs attention if Metro's apparent goal of reducing fuel emissions and lessening traffic is ever, ever to get off the ground.

I only found out recently that there are local council meetings held in the Valley the first Wednesday of every month. Knowing that it's short notice, I still feel it worth mentioning that one will be held this evening at 6:30 pm at the following address:

Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center
6262 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406

The intended agenda is highlighted in full here, per Metro.net.

I almost challenge next month for local service to make its way on the agenda, or at the very least, an item not on the agenda open to discussion. Why? It's because the squeaky wheel (or brake, or chain) that gets the grease, gets the lube.

I also challenge that anyone who is affected by local service in the Valley - whether you drive, cycle, walk, or bus it - attend and take in the information, if not join in the topics. And if you're not in the Valley (and if you are) check out and see if there is a meeting you can attend soon. Being informed and having a voice are the strongest tools a person or collective group can have.

Local service in the Valley is not the best, and during rush hour it is far from the worse. Thank goodness for the Orange Line and Rapid lines 741 (Reseda Blvd), 750 (Ventura Blvd), and 761 (Van Nuys Blvd). But what about Topanga Cyn Blvd? Winnetka Blvd? Balboa Blvd? Sepulveda Blvd? Laurel Cyn Blvd? Vineland? These streets heading in the north-south direction are just a few of the streets that benefit from local lines, but not frequently enough to efficiently serve the local areas. There are malls, schools, businesses, recreational facilities, bridges over the hill and accessibility to Metro itself that the having of more efficient local service would greatly benefit the economy. I don't even think the ways need counting. Aside from that, there are homes in which people hope to get to without having to walk three to five miles at the end of a work day.

I don't think I've left much out, and I'm not sure what else can be said at this point.

But if able to attend, whether tonight or next month, I highly encourage it. And if not, make use of Twitter regarding your thoughts and use the #metrolosangeles hashtag. Send an email. Write a letter. Start a blog. Take pictures. Get the grease, get lubed. It's a serious issue and I think it would be pretty cool to see local service boom.

From the Valley to West Hollywood (and Back)

I live in the Valley. My boyfriend lives in West Hollywood.

In this time in getting to know each other, I have learned quite a bit, especially transportation-wise. Transportation is always on my mind, even when I'm stationary, but let's just give it a go anyway:

1) There are three ways to get to West Hollywood, whether by car, bicycle or bus. (a) Take the 405 to the back end of Sunset and head to your destination that way, heading east. (Or, the 761 to the 2.) (b) Take the 101 to Highland, make your way to Sunset, and head to your destination via the boulevard heading west. (Or, the Red Line to Highland, and the 2.) Or, to me, at least, the most direct in the form of (c) taking the 101 or whatever side street of your choosing to Laurel Canyon where it bleeds into Crescent Heights, and head wherever it is you choose, because you're pretty much in the middle of it all. (Or, the 150/240 to the 218, then the 2. Feel free to write this down.)

I have not yet ridden my bicycle from the Valley to over the hill yet, but one of these days, I think I will. Bicycling in the Valley has made me brave and/or ambitious, which, in my vocabulary, can be substituted for crazy.

2) Depending on what you're doing, you don't have to drive much over the hill. Unless you're going to the El Capitan and then to Fred 62 and then maybe The Roxy for a late show, that is. Surprisingly, a lot of people walk and/or cycle in the particular area I'm referring to, so much so that to get in the car is a little strange, unless one is going to work.

3) The local 2 bus is thebomb.com. I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes for it, even on the weekend. And that's a fact. If the north-south buses in the Valley were as considerate, it'd be pretty nifty.

4) It's cool being on an island, as apparently West Hollywood is socially termed. And granted, there is always something going on. But it's nice going somewhere else every so often. I like the Valley, quite a bit. I used to not, but in recent years I learned how nice it is when something has the ability to become your own, or you learn where it lands in the scheme of everything else, geographically or otherwise.

Personally, I love the bicycle paths in the Valley, the hills, the hiking opportunities, the wide streets, the lake and art house theater down the street from my house, the parks and paved streets to run in, on and around, and the In-N-Out a block away... it's silly. It's a bit quieter. But it'll do for the next ten or so months as I finish up this current chapter in life.

And finally,

5) The distance between West Hollywood and the Valley really isn't the end of the world. This is coming from someone who does not drive the distance. I have mentioned before the one time I had been in a car after years of not driving and it felt like I was in a capsule and completely cut off from the world. Not to say that's how it feels to anyone who spends a lot of time driving, but I get not wanting to be behind the wheel. But comparing a convenience to the more time it takes to utilize public transportation is... maybe not silly, but let's just say I'm always open for a debate and/or discussion. On any front. Let's talk gas, insurance and waiting in traffic. Let's talk summer temperatures, and how going Metro takes about three times as long (but there's nothing a book and a fully charged iPod won't do to make it better). But still, even though Orange Line is a walk from my place, as it's always been, in about 25-30 minutes from that point I'm thisclose to being back over the hill, whatever it is I may be doing.

It's not news that I'm planning for a car-lite existence rather soon-ish. Someone on another blog said it best, paraphrased: "I'm not car-free, but I like to pretend that I am." That's always been the goal.

I really do think that's it for now. Collected observations are my favorite.

Local Service Still to Improve

I am really excited at the thought of Metro expanding its rail service. The Orange and Red Lines have been really awesome in the years of their operation, and to be honest, the more the better.

However, the cost going towards the expansion of rail is depleting the function of local service. Let it be said, rail is awesome. But I feel that this is catering to the car culture even more.

Look, and cars are great, too. They definitely serve a purpose, especially since local service is virtually disappearing.

But if we're ever going to be reliable sans cars, or ever really achieve a 'car-optional' culture, local service needs a friggin' chance.

Back in March, The LA Times announced Metro's plans to cut local service in order to better transfer funds to the rail projects. As of June 26, these changes were implemented, which included the discontinuation of weekend lines, the shortening of lines in general, and some schedules have been changed to hourly. And yes, while others were extended or combined, the decrease of service is the most noticeable and is not the first change of its kind in recent months, nor will it be the last.

It almost seems like a moot point to even say anything about this because they are changes that will happen no matter what, in some capacity, at least. But I've always believed that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Hourly service does not cut it. Cutting lines doesn't cut it. Mediocre service doesn't cut it. Rail is awesome, but unless you have a car or are willing to pay exorbitant rates for a taxi, how exactly does one plan to get there?

If it's important enough (read: if it's bothering you enough), say something about it already.

And maybe, maybe in thirty years we'll see less backwards movement.

Photo via The Transit Coalition

On the Flyaway and Local Service

I've been back in Los Angeles/the Valley for a week, and it has been a great week. Catching up with friends, celebrating my birthday, and enjoying the warm weather has been an absolute blast.

Having landed at LAX, I took the convenient, reliable and affordably-priced Flyaway to Van Nuys, which is a hop, skip and a jump from where I live. But with two heavy rolling bags and, well, no car, it was a bit of a challenge in figuring how to get home. There were two options, sans car: (1) walk a couple of blocks and take the 163, then walk a bit more to my house; and (2) walk more than a couple of blocks and take the 165, then walk across the street to my house. The real challenge involved more of the idea of walking and then getting my luggage on the bus without pulling my arm out of its socket than actually figuring out how to do it.

Now maybe I over-dramatized it, but I thought it over enough to call my friend Adam and have him pick me up, which was a total relief because I love him and couldn't have been happier to see him. Also jet lag had hit me in the head something fierce and it was really time to be done with the day already.

What's funny is that I heard a lot of people on the Flyway bus calling people - roommates, parents, friends, etc. - to come pick them up from Van Nuys. I was thinking how nice it would be if there was a bus line that made some kind of perimeter route just North, South, East and West on Woodley to other connecting buses. Wouldn't it be a nice thought?

I know that the 169 goes East along Saticoy, South a portion to Sherman Way, then back North on Woodley to Saticoy, continuing East (and naturally in the opposite direction once at the end of the line), which is a great start. But what about a main line along Woodley and in conjunction with perhaps Lindley in some respect, connected by Parthenia and Burbank Blvd? Both North-Southbound streets don't have local buses running much on them, yet there is a major university on one and a service to LAX on the other, among other things such as residences and businesses. It's not an issue of frequency, but at this point an issue of being there at all. In doing so, Metro might be able to service points along major East-Westward streets, which would lead to better efficiency overall to its Orange and Red lines.

I realize I'm rambling. Please let me know whether or not this makes any sense. If you must know (rather, if it wasn't apparent enough already), I think about this kind of thing all the time.