Quick quiz- if you needed a bus pass right this minute, where's the nearest place to your house to buy one? How about your work? Do you know?
Bus pass distribution in the majority of the RTA service area, as in many suburban areas, is disproportionately concentrated at two sorts of establishments: liquor/convenience stores and check cashing shops. You can also purchase them at RTA's two offices in Riverside and Hemet, and at a few senior centers, city halls, and community service agencies, but those first two are the most prevalent. What does that say about how we think about transit?
Well, none of these establishments exactly screams upper-class, and check-cashing stores are explicitly targeted at the working poor, so there's a bit of classism for you. Furthermore, they're not the sort of places that many people would ordinarily find themselves at during the course of their day-to-day errands. Compare this with, for example, San Francisco, where you can reload your Clipper card at any Wallgreens (and a great many other grocery stores besides), or even Orange County, where you can pick up your bus pass at Ralph's when buying groceries.
Now, if you live in Riverside, you really should be buying your pass at the Public Works Department at City Hall, where you can get substantial discounts (and sign up for a pass by mail). But even then, why is this program limited to only one location in the City, only during normal business hours? How many people would find getting down to enroll in this program difficult, and why can't we handle enrollment via mail, and distribution via other outlets?
Obviously, I have a suggestion: automated pass machines at major transit centers. If you ride transit around here, odds are you'll probably end up passing through Moreno Valley Mall, Downtown Terminal, or Tyler Mall transit center at some point during your travels. How much easier would life be on the transit-dependent if, while waiting for their next bus, they could walk over to a machine and purchase their next pass? SunLine Transit in the Coachella Valley has one of these machines at their major transfer point, and they utilize a similar ticketing system to RTA. People seem to be able to figure out automated ticketing machines at the Metrolink station, and RTA's fare system is much less complicated. So how about it?
Showing posts with label octa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label octa. Show all posts
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Reminder- No Labour Day Bus Service!
Best of luck getting to those barbecues, folks. There will be no bus service on Labour Day- which is tomorrow, Monday the 5th. Both RTA and Omni are shut down. Riverside Special Transportation (for seniors and the disabled) is also not running. Metrolink is only operating the Antelope Valley Line, on a special holiday schedule. OCTA and Metro will run on holiday schedules, while Foothill will run on a weekend schedule.
If you need to get around Riverside, the bike lanes will be open. You can also pick up a ZipCar at UCR, if you can snag a reservation. Riverside's three cab companies are available at:
For inter-city transportation, Greyhound serves San Bernardino, Claremont, Santa Ana, Anaheim and LA. Amtrak also has one train daily to LA, leaving at 5:53am from the Riverside-Downtown station (south platform, over the bridge) and returning at 8:03pm.
Good luck!
If you need to get around Riverside, the bike lanes will be open. You can also pick up a ZipCar at UCR, if you can snag a reservation. Riverside's three cab companies are available at:
| Company | Tel. |
|---|---|
| AAA Inland Empire Cab | 1-888-333-TAXI (8294) |
| Yellow Cab Riverside | 951-286-6666 |
| Happy Taxi | 951-781-TAXI (8294) |
For inter-city transportation, Greyhound serves San Bernardino, Claremont, Santa Ana, Anaheim and LA. Amtrak also has one train daily to LA, leaving at 5:53am from the Riverside-Downtown station (south platform, over the bridge) and returning at 8:03pm.
Good luck!
Friday, August 5, 2011
The Rail-Bus Divide
I have written before on this blog about a problem faced by transit activists in promoting bus transit. Travel by bus is highly stigmatized, at least in the United States, and even people who are environmentally conscious may not be persuaded to ride a bus. (I'm looking here, of course, at my fellow middle-class white liberals.) This stigma is a cultural one, but it is also perpetuated by policy decisions in many places where buses and rail connect with one another. In order to have an effective public transit system, we need to allow people to travel easily regardless of mode. Some places do this better than others, and some do it much worse.
Of the places where I've been, the west coast cities of San Francisco, Portland and Vancouver probably do the most to minimize the bus-rail divide. San Francisco's Muni runs both light rail and bus services, and the two are treated equivalently as far as fare policy is concerned. In many cases, the decision to run a bus rather than a train on a given route seems to be determined by the city's famous hills, rather than ridership demand, and bus frequencies compete with- and often overtake- rail frequencies. Bus and rail are shown as similar-weighted lines on the same system map, as if either is an equally valid choice for travel. Downtown, Portland does much the same thing. Buses and light rail run along the same transit mall, are shown on the same map, and accept the same tickets. Outside of downtown, TriMet's system more resembles Vancouver's TransLink, where rail is used as a long-distance trunk line, connecting to buses at each station. The connections are always well-signed, with clear explanations of where each bus goes.
Roughly in the middle of this scale are Chicago and New York. Each runs an extensive rail system, and an even more extensive system of bus lines. If you're downtown in either city, you can't help but see at least a transit bus or two, and Chicago's El is prominent anywhere you look in the Loop. Fares on bus and rail are the same, and passes cover travel on both. However, if you are at a rail station, the only lines you will see on a system map are the rail lines. New York's famous Map shows only bus connections to the two airports. Even New York bus riders would be hard-pressed to find one of the elusive borough system maps, which show both rail and bus service. (When I was in New York this summer, I spotted one on a bus- but it was a Staten Island map. We were in Brooklyn. I have heard they are available at local libraries, if you ask.) Chicago has a bus/rail system map, which is impressive indeed, but it is posted only at bus stops- in effect saying that you needn't know about bus lines until you've already indicated your willingness to ride a bus. (Chicago's bus numbering scheme leaves something to be desired as well- 151 is a frequent line along Michigan Ave., while 17 runs a handful of trips on the edge of CTA's service area.) Both New York and Chicago, however, are well-integrated when compared with our nations' capital.
Washington, D.C.'s major transit operator is WMATA, also known as Metro. Like many big cities, Metro operates both an extensive bus network and a rail system. However, the agency seems to do its best to ensure that these two systems are not integrated. As a tourist in DC, every pamphlet seems to have Metro Rail stations or maps listed. Metro offers a day pass for tourist travel, allowing unlimited use until the end of the service day for a flat $9. There's also a weekly pass, a "short trip" weekly pass (which covers only a certain distance during rush hour) and a regional smart card. However, there is no pass that you can buy which will cover a combined trip by rail and bus. (Critics may say that this is because Metrorail uses a distance-based fare system, but the other major distance-based rail system, San Francisco's BART, offers monthly flash passes for connecting operators and discounted transfers to local bus and rail systems. Our own Metrolink offers distance-based passes which include bus service.) Furthermore, there are no bus maps in the stations, and bus maps at the stops include only schematics of the route they serve. Even the D.C. Circulator, which seems to be an attempt to specifically alleviate the stigma of city buses, is not well-mapped nor integrated with Metrorail fares.
Most of the time during our vacation, Dani and I rode rail lines. They tend to be better-advertised, more predictable, and more frequent (as a class) than bus lines, and so they are often the default choice of somebody who doesn't know the system well. In every other city, however, we used buses at least a few times- while the networks were not as integrated or as legible as they should be, they were integrated and legible enough to be useful to even brief visitors such as ourselves. In D.C., however, we didn't ride even a single solitary bus. There were times when I very much wanted to, even- because of the layout of Metrorail in downtown D.C., a trip that should have been 5 minutes on a bus was nearly 30 on three different trains. However, the fact that I had paid for the rail day pass and didn't have change for the bus kept me underground, wasting my time. Policies like this, which actively segregate "rail riders" from "bus riders," make a transit system unnecessarily complicated and fail to leverage existing transit infrastructure. D.C. Metrorail has a severe crowding problem during the morning rush- how much of it could be solved by letting riders choose the bus instead?
By the way, a commenter earlier mentioned to me an interesting development in the field of bus-rail integration right here in SoCal. Along with six new intra-county OC Line trains (which, I believe, represent the first non-IEOC Line trains not to stop at LA Union Station), OCTA is now promoting the "OC Link" pass. For only $7 on weekdays, riders get a day of access to any OCTA local bus and any Metrolink train within Orange County. This is a commendable venture, allowing riders a quick, inexpensive way of making intermodal journeys and using spare capacity on LA-bound Metrolink trains. I'm still disappointed in RTA's one-transfer-only Metrolink policy, and they're certainly a long way away from something like this. (I should mention that I proposed a similar agreement for RTA some time ago.)
Of the places where I've been, the west coast cities of San Francisco, Portland and Vancouver probably do the most to minimize the bus-rail divide. San Francisco's Muni runs both light rail and bus services, and the two are treated equivalently as far as fare policy is concerned. In many cases, the decision to run a bus rather than a train on a given route seems to be determined by the city's famous hills, rather than ridership demand, and bus frequencies compete with- and often overtake- rail frequencies. Bus and rail are shown as similar-weighted lines on the same system map, as if either is an equally valid choice for travel. Downtown, Portland does much the same thing. Buses and light rail run along the same transit mall, are shown on the same map, and accept the same tickets. Outside of downtown, TriMet's system more resembles Vancouver's TransLink, where rail is used as a long-distance trunk line, connecting to buses at each station. The connections are always well-signed, with clear explanations of where each bus goes.
Roughly in the middle of this scale are Chicago and New York. Each runs an extensive rail system, and an even more extensive system of bus lines. If you're downtown in either city, you can't help but see at least a transit bus or two, and Chicago's El is prominent anywhere you look in the Loop. Fares on bus and rail are the same, and passes cover travel on both. However, if you are at a rail station, the only lines you will see on a system map are the rail lines. New York's famous Map shows only bus connections to the two airports. Even New York bus riders would be hard-pressed to find one of the elusive borough system maps, which show both rail and bus service. (When I was in New York this summer, I spotted one on a bus- but it was a Staten Island map. We were in Brooklyn. I have heard they are available at local libraries, if you ask.) Chicago has a bus/rail system map, which is impressive indeed, but it is posted only at bus stops- in effect saying that you needn't know about bus lines until you've already indicated your willingness to ride a bus. (Chicago's bus numbering scheme leaves something to be desired as well- 151 is a frequent line along Michigan Ave., while 17 runs a handful of trips on the edge of CTA's service area.) Both New York and Chicago, however, are well-integrated when compared with our nations' capital.
Washington, D.C.'s major transit operator is WMATA, also known as Metro. Like many big cities, Metro operates both an extensive bus network and a rail system. However, the agency seems to do its best to ensure that these two systems are not integrated. As a tourist in DC, every pamphlet seems to have Metro Rail stations or maps listed. Metro offers a day pass for tourist travel, allowing unlimited use until the end of the service day for a flat $9. There's also a weekly pass, a "short trip" weekly pass (which covers only a certain distance during rush hour) and a regional smart card. However, there is no pass that you can buy which will cover a combined trip by rail and bus. (Critics may say that this is because Metrorail uses a distance-based fare system, but the other major distance-based rail system, San Francisco's BART, offers monthly flash passes for connecting operators and discounted transfers to local bus and rail systems. Our own Metrolink offers distance-based passes which include bus service.) Furthermore, there are no bus maps in the stations, and bus maps at the stops include only schematics of the route they serve. Even the D.C. Circulator, which seems to be an attempt to specifically alleviate the stigma of city buses, is not well-mapped nor integrated with Metrorail fares.
Most of the time during our vacation, Dani and I rode rail lines. They tend to be better-advertised, more predictable, and more frequent (as a class) than bus lines, and so they are often the default choice of somebody who doesn't know the system well. In every other city, however, we used buses at least a few times- while the networks were not as integrated or as legible as they should be, they were integrated and legible enough to be useful to even brief visitors such as ourselves. In D.C., however, we didn't ride even a single solitary bus. There were times when I very much wanted to, even- because of the layout of Metrorail in downtown D.C., a trip that should have been 5 minutes on a bus was nearly 30 on three different trains. However, the fact that I had paid for the rail day pass and didn't have change for the bus kept me underground, wasting my time. Policies like this, which actively segregate "rail riders" from "bus riders," make a transit system unnecessarily complicated and fail to leverage existing transit infrastructure. D.C. Metrorail has a severe crowding problem during the morning rush- how much of it could be solved by letting riders choose the bus instead?
By the way, a commenter earlier mentioned to me an interesting development in the field of bus-rail integration right here in SoCal. Along with six new intra-county OC Line trains (which, I believe, represent the first non-IEOC Line trains not to stop at LA Union Station), OCTA is now promoting the "OC Link" pass. For only $7 on weekdays, riders get a day of access to any OCTA local bus and any Metrolink train within Orange County. This is a commendable venture, allowing riders a quick, inexpensive way of making intermodal journeys and using spare capacity on LA-bound Metrolink trains. I'm still disappointed in RTA's one-transfer-only Metrolink policy, and they're certainly a long way away from something like this. (I should mention that I proposed a similar agreement for RTA some time ago.)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
PE Editorial Board Says Something Stupid
Really, that happens so often it shouldn't be news. When it's about transportation, however, I feel a duty to report it. The editorial in the paper yesterday calls on the federal government to lend Riverside County $400 million in order to further widen the already 13-lane-wide 91 freeway through the Yorba Linda canyon, up to I-15 in Corona. They say that this project is necessary because of the congestion that plagues this stretch of freeway- and don't be mistaken, traffic truly does suck there, all day long, every day. But, as we all know around here at RiR, widening freeways to reduce congestion is like loosening your belt to reduce obesity- it's just not going to happen.* What the 91 freeway corridor needs, and needs desperately, is transportation alternatives.
As it stands today, the Metrolink IE-OC and 91 lines, the OCTA 794 and the RTA 216 travel through the canyon. This sounds impressive, but it actually means very little in terms of congestion. Both Metrolink lines serve the area primarily during peak commute hours, and neither has impressive weekend service. (IE-OC has one train a day, and the 91 Line has none at all.) The 794 is similarly peak-commute oriented, and also makes no stops from Corona to Costa Mesa. The 216 runs 4-5 buses a day. This is simply not enough transit capacity to make a real dent in the 91 freeway. What we need to be doing to this corridor is not expanding the freeway, but expanding bus and rail service on and along it. No matter how many multi-billion-dollar construction projects we undertake, there will always be traffic on the 91 freeway. Latent demand along the corridor is such that, no matter how many lanes we add, drivers will be poised to fill them up. It would be a better use of our money and time to give drivers a choice- do they want to deal with soul-crushing traffic, or would they rather take transit?
Remember, by the way, that $400 million would be enough to DOUBLE RTA's annual budget for 10 years.
The fact that Riversiders generally, and the PE editorial board in particular, are ignorant of the vast body of research on the subject doesn't surprise me. However, I must wonder about the traffic engineers at RCTC.
*See:
Chen, Donald D.T. 1998. “If you build it, they will come: Why we can’t build ourselves out of congestion.” Surface Transportation Policy Project Progress 2(2):1–4.
Hansen, Mark and Yuanlin Huang. 1997. “Road supply and traffic in California urban areas.” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 31(3):205 – 218.
As it stands today, the Metrolink IE-OC and 91 lines, the OCTA 794 and the RTA 216 travel through the canyon. This sounds impressive, but it actually means very little in terms of congestion. Both Metrolink lines serve the area primarily during peak commute hours, and neither has impressive weekend service. (IE-OC has one train a day, and the 91 Line has none at all.) The 794 is similarly peak-commute oriented, and also makes no stops from Corona to Costa Mesa. The 216 runs 4-5 buses a day. This is simply not enough transit capacity to make a real dent in the 91 freeway. What we need to be doing to this corridor is not expanding the freeway, but expanding bus and rail service on and along it. No matter how many multi-billion-dollar construction projects we undertake, there will always be traffic on the 91 freeway. Latent demand along the corridor is such that, no matter how many lanes we add, drivers will be poised to fill them up. It would be a better use of our money and time to give drivers a choice- do they want to deal with soul-crushing traffic, or would they rather take transit?
Remember, by the way, that $400 million would be enough to DOUBLE RTA's annual budget for 10 years.
The fact that Riversiders generally, and the PE editorial board in particular, are ignorant of the vast body of research on the subject doesn't surprise me. However, I must wonder about the traffic engineers at RCTC.
*See:
Chen, Donald D.T. 1998. “If you build it, they will come: Why we can’t build ourselves out of congestion.” Surface Transportation Policy Project Progress 2(2):1–4.
Hansen, Mark and Yuanlin Huang. 1997. “Road supply and traffic in California urban areas.” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 31(3):205 – 218.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Crazy Irvine-Corona Tunnel Plans Shelved
For background, RCTC and OCTA were cooking up an 11.5-mile megatunnel under the Cleveland National Forest that would provide 104 feet of traffic right-of-way between Irvine and Corona, along with a tunnel for unspecified rail service. It was slated to connect to the future Mid-County Parkway in Riverside County, and the Eastern Corridor Toll Road in Orange County. Over the last several years, we've spent a little over $7m in federal grant money studying the project.
Well, the study is over, and the agency in charge of the project has voted unanimously to scrap it. Turns out that the cost of the tunnels would run at a spendy $28.3 bn- keep in mind, that's half of the cost of the entire state's high speed rail system. Also, the toll-increment financing method that the agency wanted to use proved untenable. (Personally, I also want to remind OC pols that the last time they tried to build a toll road and count on toll revenues, it didn't work out so well.)
The remaining $7.5 million in grant money can be spent on projects in the CA-91 corridor. I can only hope that that might include expanded Metrolink or bus (216 and 794) service through the canyon... but who am I kidding? This is Orange County. That's freeway money.
Well, the study is over, and the agency in charge of the project has voted unanimously to scrap it. Turns out that the cost of the tunnels would run at a spendy $28.3 bn- keep in mind, that's half of the cost of the entire state's high speed rail system. Also, the toll-increment financing method that the agency wanted to use proved untenable. (Personally, I also want to remind OC pols that the last time they tried to build a toll road and count on toll revenues, it didn't work out so well.)
The remaining $7.5 million in grant money can be spent on projects in the CA-91 corridor. I can only hope that that might include expanded Metrolink or bus (216 and 794) service through the canyon... but who am I kidding? This is Orange County. That's freeway money.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Summer Transit HOWTO: Museums, Zoos and Other Attractions
The third and final part of my Summer Transit HOWTO series will cover museums, zoos and other attractions in the southland. You can also find and read part 1- amusement parks and part 2- beaches and the outdoors.
As in earlier instalments of this series, all directions are from downtown Riverside.
First off, why not start locally? Downtown Riverside is a veritable treasure trove of museums. The Riverside Metropolitan Museum, the Riverside Art Museum, the UCR-California Museum of Photography, and the Mission Inn Museum all reside right downtown. If you're reading this post after this October, you'll also find the UCR-Culver Centre for the Arts, which will contain the Sweeny Art Gallery among other things. Best of all, you can visit all four of these institutions combined for under $10- the Metropolitan Museum is free ($5 suggested donation), the UCR-CMP is free until September 1st, the Riverside Art Museum is $5, and the Mission Inn Museum is $2 (not including the tour). The Metropolitan Museum, Riverside Art Museum and Mission Inn Museum are all within a block of each other on Mission Inn between Market and Lemon. The UCR-CMP is on the Pedestrian Mall just past University.
Further south in the City is the California Citrus State Historic Park. This working citrus farm celebrates the economic legacy of Riverside and the surrounding region, and is a great place to snag cheap, farm-fresh oranges as well. Best of all, there are no fees for pedestrians or cyclists. Take 1, 10, 12, 13, 14 or 15 to the Galleria at Tyler (1 is usually the quickest, followed by 14) and grab a Hemet-bound 27 to Magnolia & Dufferin, or take the 22 to Van Buren and Trautwein and catch the Riverside-bound 27 in to the same stop. Barring that, the park is only a block or two from the excellent Victoria Avenue bikeway- just take 14th street to Victoria, turn right and keep riding.
The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands is an excellent institution, with an extensive natural history collection that shows the geological and biological past of the Inland Empire. At only $8, it's a bargain. Take Omni 215 to Mt. Vernon & Centrepoint, then cross the street and grab the Redlands-bound Omni 19 to Redlands & Nevada. Walk north on Nevada to Orange Tree Ln, then west on Orange Tree until you get to the museum. There are also a number of museum remote sites that you can visit- check Google Transit for directions.
For the rock star in you, there's the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts in Corona. The museum is a short walk from the North Main-Corona Metrolink (91 and IE-OC Lines), or you could ride the 1 to Belle & 6th, walk over to Main & 5th and catch either the 3 or the Corona Cruiser Blue Line to the stop adjacent to the Corona Plaza shopping centre, within half a block of the museum.
If you like trains, like I most obviously do, you can visit the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris. Wandering around their extensive collection of the golden age of both passenger rail and streetcars- including what's left of the Los Angeles Electric Railway and Pacific Electric fleets- is free, but on weekends, the museum operates some of their equipment. An all-day pass to ride costs $12. To get there, take the 22 to Perris Transit Centre, walk west on 4th street to A, turn left and walk about a mile to the museum. However, if it's a weekend, you have the option of arriving in style- the museum trains run from 11am to 5pm, and you can simply purchase your ticket at the Perris Depot (adjacent to the Transit Centre) and ride the rails to the museum. (I previously wrote about the OERM, and took lots of pictures on my last visit.)
If your tastes run more to the warm and fuzzy, the Santa Ana Zoo may be just the thing. Joseph Prentice, the man who donated the land for the zoo, did so with the stipulation that the City of Santa Ana keep at least 50 monkeys on site at all times. At an adult admission price of $8, that's 16 cents per monkey. Take the Metrolink IE-OC Line to Santa Ana station, then either walk the ~1.2 miles to the zoo (east on Fruit St., then right on Eastwood Ave., left on 4th St., right on Grand, left on 1st and right on Elk) or catch the OCTA 59 on Santa Ana Blvd. (just walk north on the Metrolink platform to the street, then turn left) to Grand & Chestnut, then cross the street and walk east on Chestnut to the zoo.
There are, of course, plentiful museums and attractions in Los Angeles. For all of these, you'll need to ride the Metrolink to Union Station. On weekdays, take the Riverside Line directly there. On weekends, you'll need to ride the IE-OC line to Orange and then the OC line north, or take the Omni 215 to San Bernardino, walk or take the Omni 4 to the San Bernardino Metrolink and ride the San Bernardino line to LA. All directions for the following attractions are given from Union Station.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles features a wide variety of, well, contemporary art. The museum is spread across two sites. The MOCA Grand Center is located at Grand & 3rd, a short walk from the Civic Center station on the Red and Purple Lines. From the station, walk northwest on 1st to Grand, and then southwest on Grand to the museum. For the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, take the Gold Line towards Soto and get off at Little Tokyo/Arts District. Walk northwest on 1st and turn right at the plaza between the buildings. Adult admission is $10 and is valid at both sites, and admission is two-for-one with your valid transit ticket. (Note- to get from one to the other, just walk the ~6 blocks down 1st street, or take the Metro 30 from Broadway & 1st to San Pedro & 1st.)
The Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the California Science Center are both located in Exposition Park, across from the USC campus. Each have enough science-y goodness to delight any geek or geek in training. Take the Metro Red or Purple Line to 7th/Metro Center and catch theLADOT DASH F from 7th/Flower to Exposition Park. Note that this part of the route is a turnaround loop- to go home, board at the same stop where you were dropped off. Dani and I got stranded in Los Angeles once because we didn't know this. (With the newly-completed Exposition Line, simply transfer to that at 7th/Metro, exiting at either Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont.) Show your valid transit ticket for $2 off admission to the Mummies of the World exhibit at the Cal Science Center.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits are on opposite sides of a park from each other. Satisfy your curiosity about the art of the past century, or the flora and fauna of the last Ice Age, with one convenient bus trip. Take the Metro Red or Purple Line to Wilshire/Vermont, then catch the Metro 720 or 920 Rapid to Wilshire & Fairfax. Walk back the way you came to get to the Page Museum. LACMA is behind the field of street lights.
Griffith Observatory is an astronomy geek's dream. The site has been a centre for public education about the stars since the turn of last century, and continues to stun visitors after its recent renovation. Unless you're a big, big fan of hiking, this is a weekends-only trip. Take the Metro Red Line to Vermont/Sunset, then grab the LADOT DASH Griffith Park Shuttle, which will take you straight to the observatory. This route is not in Google Transit, so do your own trip planning.
The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA is an art museum and botanical garden of the highest calibre, and has one of the most popular museum free days in the area (1st Thursday, reservations required, August is already sold out). Unfortunately, it isn't terribly easy to get to on transit, but if you feel like 1.5 miles worth of walking, take the Metro Gold Line to Allen and either start walking south on Allen or catch the Pasadena ARTS #10 to Del Mar & Allen, then start walking.
Finally, Los Angeles also has a zoo. Take the Metro Red Line to Universal City, then the Metro 96 to the zoo. Keep your transit ticket- it's good for $3 off the $14 adult admission charge.
Oh, and a special mention to a location that ought to be on here, but isn't- the Getty Center Los Angeles is one of the premiere art museums in the country, if not the world, and it's free. So why not include it in this guide? The transit trip to the Getty is over 5 hours. With Metrolink being Metrolink, by the time you get to the museum, you'd have a whole half an hour there before having to turn around and come back- barely enough time to ride the tram from the entrance gate to the museum grounds. For the curious, it's a ride on the Red line to Universal City, then a trip on the 750 to Ventura/Sepulveda and the 761 south to the museum. DO NOT TRY THIS, unless you have somebody bringing you home. If you want to take transit to the Getty, advocate for the Subway to the Sea- phase one of the Purple Line will bring riders to Wilshire/Westwood, where you could catch the 761. In the meantime, you could snag a ZipCar.
As always, standard disclaimers apply. Plan your trip carefully, and make sure you're not so lost in your outing that you miss the last bus home. RiR is not responsible for bad trip planning.
As in earlier instalments of this series, all directions are from downtown Riverside.
First off, why not start locally? Downtown Riverside is a veritable treasure trove of museums. The Riverside Metropolitan Museum, the Riverside Art Museum, the UCR-California Museum of Photography, and the Mission Inn Museum all reside right downtown. If you're reading this post after this October, you'll also find the UCR-Culver Centre for the Arts, which will contain the Sweeny Art Gallery among other things. Best of all, you can visit all four of these institutions combined for under $10- the Metropolitan Museum is free ($5 suggested donation), the UCR-CMP is free until September 1st, the Riverside Art Museum is $5, and the Mission Inn Museum is $2 (not including the tour). The Metropolitan Museum, Riverside Art Museum and Mission Inn Museum are all within a block of each other on Mission Inn between Market and Lemon. The UCR-CMP is on the Pedestrian Mall just past University.
Further south in the City is the California Citrus State Historic Park. This working citrus farm celebrates the economic legacy of Riverside and the surrounding region, and is a great place to snag cheap, farm-fresh oranges as well. Best of all, there are no fees for pedestrians or cyclists. Take 1, 10, 12, 13, 14 or 15 to the Galleria at Tyler (1 is usually the quickest, followed by 14) and grab a Hemet-bound 27 to Magnolia & Dufferin, or take the 22 to Van Buren and Trautwein and catch the Riverside-bound 27 in to the same stop. Barring that, the park is only a block or two from the excellent Victoria Avenue bikeway- just take 14th street to Victoria, turn right and keep riding.
The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands is an excellent institution, with an extensive natural history collection that shows the geological and biological past of the Inland Empire. At only $8, it's a bargain. Take Omni 215 to Mt. Vernon & Centrepoint, then cross the street and grab the Redlands-bound Omni 19 to Redlands & Nevada. Walk north on Nevada to Orange Tree Ln, then west on Orange Tree until you get to the museum. There are also a number of museum remote sites that you can visit- check Google Transit for directions.
For the rock star in you, there's the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts in Corona. The museum is a short walk from the North Main-Corona Metrolink (91 and IE-OC Lines), or you could ride the 1 to Belle & 6th, walk over to Main & 5th and catch either the 3 or the Corona Cruiser Blue Line to the stop adjacent to the Corona Plaza shopping centre, within half a block of the museum.
If you like trains, like I most obviously do, you can visit the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris. Wandering around their extensive collection of the golden age of both passenger rail and streetcars- including what's left of the Los Angeles Electric Railway and Pacific Electric fleets- is free, but on weekends, the museum operates some of their equipment. An all-day pass to ride costs $12. To get there, take the 22 to Perris Transit Centre, walk west on 4th street to A, turn left and walk about a mile to the museum. However, if it's a weekend, you have the option of arriving in style- the museum trains run from 11am to 5pm, and you can simply purchase your ticket at the Perris Depot (adjacent to the Transit Centre) and ride the rails to the museum. (I previously wrote about the OERM, and took lots of pictures on my last visit.)
If your tastes run more to the warm and fuzzy, the Santa Ana Zoo may be just the thing. Joseph Prentice, the man who donated the land for the zoo, did so with the stipulation that the City of Santa Ana keep at least 50 monkeys on site at all times. At an adult admission price of $8, that's 16 cents per monkey. Take the Metrolink IE-OC Line to Santa Ana station, then either walk the ~1.2 miles to the zoo (east on Fruit St., then right on Eastwood Ave., left on 4th St., right on Grand, left on 1st and right on Elk) or catch the OCTA 59 on Santa Ana Blvd. (just walk north on the Metrolink platform to the street, then turn left) to Grand & Chestnut, then cross the street and walk east on Chestnut to the zoo.
There are, of course, plentiful museums and attractions in Los Angeles. For all of these, you'll need to ride the Metrolink to Union Station. On weekdays, take the Riverside Line directly there. On weekends, you'll need to ride the IE-OC line to Orange and then the OC line north, or take the Omni 215 to San Bernardino, walk or take the Omni 4 to the San Bernardino Metrolink and ride the San Bernardino line to LA. All directions for the following attractions are given from Union Station.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles features a wide variety of, well, contemporary art. The museum is spread across two sites. The MOCA Grand Center is located at Grand & 3rd, a short walk from the Civic Center station on the Red and Purple Lines. From the station, walk northwest on 1st to Grand, and then southwest on Grand to the museum. For the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, take the Gold Line towards Soto and get off at Little Tokyo/Arts District. Walk northwest on 1st and turn right at the plaza between the buildings. Adult admission is $10 and is valid at both sites, and admission is two-for-one with your valid transit ticket. (Note- to get from one to the other, just walk the ~6 blocks down 1st street, or take the Metro 30 from Broadway & 1st to San Pedro & 1st.)
The Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the California Science Center are both located in Exposition Park, across from the USC campus. Each have enough science-y goodness to delight any geek or geek in training. Take the Metro Red or Purple Line to 7th/Metro Center and catch the
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits are on opposite sides of a park from each other. Satisfy your curiosity about the art of the past century, or the flora and fauna of the last Ice Age, with one convenient bus trip. Take the Metro Red or Purple Line to Wilshire/Vermont, then catch the Metro 720 or 920 Rapid to Wilshire & Fairfax. Walk back the way you came to get to the Page Museum. LACMA is behind the field of street lights.
Griffith Observatory is an astronomy geek's dream. The site has been a centre for public education about the stars since the turn of last century, and continues to stun visitors after its recent renovation. Unless you're a big, big fan of hiking, this is a weekends-only trip. Take the Metro Red Line to Vermont/Sunset, then grab the LADOT DASH Griffith Park Shuttle, which will take you straight to the observatory. This route is not in Google Transit, so do your own trip planning.
The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA is an art museum and botanical garden of the highest calibre, and has one of the most popular museum free days in the area (1st Thursday, reservations required, August is already sold out). Unfortunately, it isn't terribly easy to get to on transit, but if you feel like 1.5 miles worth of walking, take the Metro Gold Line to Allen and either start walking south on Allen or catch the Pasadena ARTS #10 to Del Mar & Allen, then start walking.
Finally, Los Angeles also has a zoo. Take the Metro Red Line to Universal City, then the Metro 96 to the zoo. Keep your transit ticket- it's good for $3 off the $14 adult admission charge.
Oh, and a special mention to a location that ought to be on here, but isn't- the Getty Center Los Angeles is one of the premiere art museums in the country, if not the world, and it's free. So why not include it in this guide? The transit trip to the Getty is over 5 hours. With Metrolink being Metrolink, by the time you get to the museum, you'd have a whole half an hour there before having to turn around and come back- barely enough time to ride the tram from the entrance gate to the museum grounds. For the curious, it's a ride on the Red line to Universal City, then a trip on the 750 to Ventura/Sepulveda and the 761 south to the museum. DO NOT TRY THIS, unless you have somebody bringing you home. If you want to take transit to the Getty, advocate for the Subway to the Sea- phase one of the Purple Line will bring riders to Wilshire/Westwood, where you could catch the 761. In the meantime, you could snag a ZipCar.
As always, standard disclaimers apply. Plan your trip carefully, and make sure you're not so lost in your outing that you miss the last bus home. RiR is not responsible for bad trip planning.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Metrolink Board Saves IE-OC Off-Peak Trains
Due to budgetary constraints, a total of 12 trains were slated for elimination at a recent Metrolink board meeting, including two mid-day trains on the IE-OC line. The Board, however, voted to eliminate only 4- San Bernardino Line trains 306 and 323 and Ventura County trains 105 and 114. They also voted to impose a 6% fare increase, starting in July. Final approval of the next fiscal year budget is slated for the June board meeting.
In a surprise move, considering what happened last time the IE-OC line was on the chopping block, both RCTC and OCTA, as well as LA Metro, stepped up with additional funding commitments to save the trains. That said, these commitments are subject to the approval of the RCTC and the OCTA Board at their next board meetings, and if they are not approved, we'll be looking at more service cuts again.
RCTC and OCTA, kudos for stepping up and keeping the trains rolling. Please lend final approval to these measures so that our transit system doesn't suffer yet more devastating cuts.
By the way, if you want to put some pressure on RCTC to do the right thing, you can find your Commissioner here, and you can visit the next Commission meeting on Wednesday, May 12th at 9:30am at the County building downtown. Remember that, if you live in a city, you've possibly got two representatives on the Commission- your City's representative, and your County Supervisor. Use this to your advantage and nag them both.
In a surprise move, considering what happened last time the IE-OC line was on the chopping block, both RCTC and OCTA, as well as LA Metro, stepped up with additional funding commitments to save the trains. That said, these commitments are subject to the approval of the RCTC and the OCTA Board at their next board meetings, and if they are not approved, we'll be looking at more service cuts again.
RCTC and OCTA, kudos for stepping up and keeping the trains rolling. Please lend final approval to these measures so that our transit system doesn't suffer yet more devastating cuts.
By the way, if you want to put some pressure on RCTC to do the right thing, you can find your Commissioner here, and you can visit the next Commission meeting on Wednesday, May 12th at 9:30am at the County building downtown. Remember that, if you live in a city, you've possibly got two representatives on the Commission- your City's representative, and your County Supervisor. Use this to your advantage and nag them both.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Quick HOWTO: Airport Transit
In the comments on this post, commenter Matthew mused about the lack of inter-modal airport connections at LA/Ontario International Airport. I'll also mention that the connections that they do have, they advertise very poorly- I've written them an e-mail on the topic. No reply yet. Anyway, he specifically focused on the East Ontario Metrolink station- the station serves the Riverside line, and is literally right next to the airport. However, it's on the opposite side of the airport from the passenger terminals, and there's really no way to get between the two, save a two-mile walk. He lamented the lack of airport shuttle service, which I suspect is due to the limited, directional and commute-centred service that is provided on the Riverside line. There are, however, better ways to get to LA/Ontario Airport, and to many of the airports in Southern California, than Google Transit will tell you. In that spirit, here's a short HOWTO for taking transit from Riverside (downtown) to the region's five commercial airports.
LA/Ontario International Airport
On weekdays:
Ride the Metrolink Riverside line to Pomona-Downtown or the Metrolink IE-OC and San Bernardino lines to Fontana. At either station, board the Omnitrans 61 (any 61- these are the termini of the line) and get off at the airport. Flag down a Long Term Parking shuttle at the Omnitrans stop, and you'll be taken directly to the terminal. One ride on the 61 is included in your Metrolink fare.
You can also ride Route 204 to the Ontario Mills mall, and board the 61 bound for Pomona there.
On weekends:
Take the San Bernardino line directly from downtown, or use the Omnitrans 215 to catch it in San Bernardino. For a cheaper (but slower) option from downtown San Bernardino, ride the Omnitrans 15 to Fontana Metrolink instead. This will also save you the roughly 1 mile walk between the bus terminal and Metrolink station in San Bernardino. Alight at Fontana and ride the 61.
Los Angeles International Airport
All days:
Ride Metrolink to Los Angeles Union Station, alight and board the LAX FlyAway bus service, which will take you directly to the airport via the freeway, non-stop. FlyAway stops at the Patsouras Plaza bus station at the east end of Union Station, and it costs$3 $7 each way, cash only. Fare is always collected on the Union Station end, so don't panic at LAX trying to buy a ticket. (I did.) Just tell the driver what airline you're flying, and they'll get you where you need to go.
Note when trip planning: Check the FlyAway web site and do your trip planning manually. FlyAway is not in Google Transit. You can take a myriad of Metro bus and rail services between downtown and LAX, but FlyAway is universally faster,and almost universally cheaper. It's also a 24-hour service- every 30 minutes during the daytime, and hourly at night.
Update: Commenters have noted that FlyAway is no longer the cheap way to travel, at $7. For a really, really cheap ride to LAX, check out my new post.
Burbank-Bob Hope Airport
All days:
Ride Metrolink to Burbank Airport station. You'll have to change trains at Los Angeles Union Station. On weekends, you will have to use the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles. Do NOT buy an Amtrak ticket- your Metrolink ticket is good for passage to the airport on Metrolink or Amtrak trains. (On weekdays, you can also use the Surfliner if it's convenient.)
Santa Ana-John Wayne Airport
Weekdays, commute hours only:
Gary Hewitt at the City of Irvine graciously contacted me with information about his city's iShuttle system. iShuttle Route A provides direct service from the Tustin Metrolink to John Wayne Airport. The route is timed to meet each train, and will wait for late trains up to 15 minutes. You can catch it from morning IE-OC line trains 803, 805, 807 and 809, which leave Riverside-downtown at 5:11a, 5:41a, 6:16a, and 7:26a respectively. You can also catch it on evening IE-OC line train 813, leaving Riverside-downtown at 3:27p. The iShuttle is in Google Transit, for your trip planning convenience, and transfers from Metrolink are free. Normal cash fare is $1.00.
All other days & times:
Either ride Metrolink to Anaheim Canyon or the 149 to the Village at Orange. Pick up the #71 on Tustin Ave. and enjoy the hour-long ride. The 71 will get you as far as Main & Red Hill- you can either walk the 1.4 miles to the terminal, or pick up a #76 here that will take you to the airport. Either way, the 30-minute walk or the 20-minute wait and 10-minute ride will take about as long. If you use Metrolink, your ticket will cover any Orange County buses you ride.
Long Beach Airport
All days:
This is one of the more difficult airports to get to- not because the route is complicated, but because it is long. If you're flying back into LGB, be sure to be able to leave the airport before 16:00 on a weekday, and slightly earlier on a weekend. Otherwise, you may find yourself stranded. If a friend can pick you up in San Bernardino, you can be slightly more flexible with your return trip.
Ride Metrolink to Los Angeles Union Station. Take the Red Line to 7th/Metro Centre, then catch the Blue Line to Transit Mall station. Walk across the street to the north side and catch Long Beach Transit 111 to the airport. (Do not catch #112- they may have similar routes, but 112 does not stop at the airport.) Note that your Metrolink pass will cover your transit all the way to the airport, as of writing.
On weekends: Even if Google Transit says you're stranded, keep in mind the Amtrak Southwest Chief out of Union Station at 18:45 daily. (On weekdays, you'll probably want the quicker Metrolink #412, leaving at 18:35 5 days a week. They are the same price on weekdays, though, so if you want to experience a glimpse of what a long-distance Amtrak train looks like, or want to catch a quick dinner on board, feel free to grab the Amtrak. Remember to reserve in advance, either at amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL. They'll have your tickets waiting at the station.)
LA/Ontario International Airport
On weekdays:
Ride the Metrolink Riverside line to Pomona-Downtown or the Metrolink IE-OC and San Bernardino lines to Fontana. At either station, board the Omnitrans 61 (any 61- these are the termini of the line) and get off at the airport. Flag down a Long Term Parking shuttle at the Omnitrans stop, and you'll be taken directly to the terminal. One ride on the 61 is included in your Metrolink fare.
You can also ride Route 204 to the Ontario Mills mall, and board the 61 bound for Pomona there.
On weekends:
Take the San Bernardino line directly from downtown, or use the Omnitrans 215 to catch it in San Bernardino. For a cheaper (but slower) option from downtown San Bernardino, ride the Omnitrans 15 to Fontana Metrolink instead. This will also save you the roughly 1 mile walk between the bus terminal and Metrolink station in San Bernardino. Alight at Fontana and ride the 61.
Los Angeles International Airport
All days:
Ride Metrolink to Los Angeles Union Station, alight and board the LAX FlyAway bus service, which will take you directly to the airport via the freeway, non-stop. FlyAway stops at the Patsouras Plaza bus station at the east end of Union Station, and it costs
Note when trip planning: Check the FlyAway web site and do your trip planning manually. FlyAway is not in Google Transit. You can take a myriad of Metro bus and rail services between downtown and LAX, but FlyAway is universally faster,
Update: Commenters have noted that FlyAway is no longer the cheap way to travel, at $7. For a really, really cheap ride to LAX, check out my new post.
Burbank-Bob Hope Airport
All days:
Ride Metrolink to Burbank Airport station. You'll have to change trains at Los Angeles Union Station. On weekends, you will have to use the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles. Do NOT buy an Amtrak ticket- your Metrolink ticket is good for passage to the airport on Metrolink or Amtrak trains. (On weekdays, you can also use the Surfliner if it's convenient.)
Santa Ana-John Wayne Airport
Weekdays, commute hours only:
Gary Hewitt at the City of Irvine graciously contacted me with information about his city's iShuttle system. iShuttle Route A provides direct service from the Tustin Metrolink to John Wayne Airport. The route is timed to meet each train, and will wait for late trains up to 15 minutes. You can catch it from morning IE-OC line trains 803, 805, 807 and 809, which leave Riverside-downtown at 5:11a, 5:41a, 6:16a, and 7:26a respectively. You can also catch it on evening IE-OC line train 813, leaving Riverside-downtown at 3:27p. The iShuttle is in Google Transit, for your trip planning convenience, and transfers from Metrolink are free. Normal cash fare is $1.00.
All other days & times:
Either ride Metrolink to Anaheim Canyon or the 149 to the Village at Orange. Pick up the #71 on Tustin Ave. and enjoy the hour-long ride. The 71 will get you as far as Main & Red Hill- you can either walk the 1.4 miles to the terminal, or pick up a #76 here that will take you to the airport. Either way, the 30-minute walk or the 20-minute wait and 10-minute ride will take about as long. If you use Metrolink, your ticket will cover any Orange County buses you ride.
Long Beach Airport
All days:
This is one of the more difficult airports to get to- not because the route is complicated, but because it is long. If you're flying back into LGB, be sure to be able to leave the airport before 16:00 on a weekday, and slightly earlier on a weekend. Otherwise, you may find yourself stranded. If a friend can pick you up in San Bernardino, you can be slightly more flexible with your return trip.
Ride Metrolink to Los Angeles Union Station. Take the Red Line to 7th/Metro Centre, then catch the Blue Line to Transit Mall station. Walk across the street to the north side and catch Long Beach Transit 111 to the airport. (Do not catch #112- they may have similar routes, but 112 does not stop at the airport.) Note that your Metrolink pass will cover your transit all the way to the airport, as of writing.
On weekends: Even if Google Transit says you're stranded, keep in mind the Amtrak Southwest Chief out of Union Station at 18:45 daily. (On weekdays, you'll probably want the quicker Metrolink #412, leaving at 18:35 5 days a week. They are the same price on weekdays, though, so if you want to experience a glimpse of what a long-distance Amtrak train looks like, or want to catch a quick dinner on board, feel free to grab the Amtrak. Remember to reserve in advance, either at amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL. They'll have your tickets waiting at the station.)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009: The Year in Transit
As we say good-bye to the noughties, I'd like to take a look back at Riding in Riverside's first full year in operation, 2009.
In January, La Sierra University joined U-Pass, Greyhound service was struggling to remain in the city, and RTA was trying to overcharge day pass riders.
In February, we got the first announcement of the 2009 service cuts, the stimulus bill pumped money into IE freeways, and Greyhound stranded me downtown.
In March, I got a statement from the Mayor on public transit, dug up evidence of RTA's RapidLink project, and discovered the wonders of grocery delivery.
In April, the first seeds of the multi-modal transit centre were planted, Councilwoman Hart said some stupid things about Greyhound, and I made my endorsements in the City Council elections.
In May, I tried to turn readers into riders, commented on the proposed Short-Range Transit Plan, and Omnitrans deprived people of barbecue.
In June, I laid out my proposal for a Riverside light rail, Google Transit for RTA went up for the first time, and our late-night service was cruelly taken away.
In July, LA Metro joined Google Transit, the City Council made a dumb decision about parking fines, and RTA's data fell out of Google Transit, because it was apparently requiring transfers somewhere north of Guam.
In August, I talked about my trip to NYC, the City Council approved what would become Riverside Go Transit, U-Pass, and took a clear step towards the multi-modal transit centre, I proposed my solution to Metrolink capacity issues, and I gave an interview with a local podcast.
In September, Omni saw a fare hike, the first RTA service ever to run past midnight began service, and OCTA disconnected the 794 from, well, everything else.
In October, I reminded folks about transfer policies, called out a Congressman for hypocrisy, and celebrated my 23rd birthday with official news of the new multi-modal transit centre.
In November, I reported on upcoming Dial-a-Ride policy changes, Riverside became a Bronze-level bicycle-friendly community, and the Corona Transit Center broke ground. Also, Los Angeles celebrated the opening of the Eastside Gold Line Extension.
In December, SANBAG started studying Victor Valley express bus options, Metrolink proposed draconian service cuts- and then did nothing about them, and the Riverside Go Transit program launched, offering cheap bus passes to all Riversiders.
Looking forward into the new year, service changes are coming on January 10th, and we can hope for progress on the Riverside transit centre and the Perris Valley Line, both of which cleared significant hurdles in 2009.
Also, readers should know: Greyhound has NOT left Riverside. The new signage on the Greyhound building downtown, marking it as a police station (which it is), does not mean that service to the station has ceased. The station is open 7am-3:30pm and 6pm-9pm daily.
I'd like to wish all my readers a happy and prosperous new year, and I hope for a better transit system in 2010.
In January, La Sierra University joined U-Pass, Greyhound service was struggling to remain in the city, and RTA was trying to overcharge day pass riders.
In February, we got the first announcement of the 2009 service cuts, the stimulus bill pumped money into IE freeways, and Greyhound stranded me downtown.
In March, I got a statement from the Mayor on public transit, dug up evidence of RTA's RapidLink project, and discovered the wonders of grocery delivery.
In April, the first seeds of the multi-modal transit centre were planted, Councilwoman Hart said some stupid things about Greyhound, and I made my endorsements in the City Council elections.
In May, I tried to turn readers into riders, commented on the proposed Short-Range Transit Plan, and Omnitrans deprived people of barbecue.
In June, I laid out my proposal for a Riverside light rail, Google Transit for RTA went up for the first time, and our late-night service was cruelly taken away.
In July, LA Metro joined Google Transit, the City Council made a dumb decision about parking fines, and RTA's data fell out of Google Transit, because it was apparently requiring transfers somewhere north of Guam.
In August, I talked about my trip to NYC, the City Council approved what would become Riverside Go Transit, U-Pass, and took a clear step towards the multi-modal transit centre, I proposed my solution to Metrolink capacity issues, and I gave an interview with a local podcast.
In September, Omni saw a fare hike, the first RTA service ever to run past midnight began service, and OCTA disconnected the 794 from, well, everything else.
In October, I reminded folks about transfer policies, called out a Congressman for hypocrisy, and celebrated my 23rd birthday with official news of the new multi-modal transit centre.
In November, I reported on upcoming Dial-a-Ride policy changes, Riverside became a Bronze-level bicycle-friendly community, and the Corona Transit Center broke ground. Also, Los Angeles celebrated the opening of the Eastside Gold Line Extension.
In December, SANBAG started studying Victor Valley express bus options, Metrolink proposed draconian service cuts- and then did nothing about them, and the Riverside Go Transit program launched, offering cheap bus passes to all Riversiders.
Looking forward into the new year, service changes are coming on January 10th, and we can hope for progress on the Riverside transit centre and the Perris Valley Line, both of which cleared significant hurdles in 2009.
Also, readers should know: Greyhound has NOT left Riverside. The new signage on the Greyhound building downtown, marking it as a police station (which it is), does not mean that service to the station has ceased. The station is open 7am-3:30pm and 6pm-9pm daily.
I'd like to wish all my readers a happy and prosperous new year, and I hope for a better transit system in 2010.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Holiday Schedules
Hey everyone. The holidays are coming, and with them comes family, food, and bus closures! As a public service, I'm aggregating local transit agencies' holiday schedules right here on this blog.
RTA
RTA buses will not run on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) and Christmas (Dec. 25).
RTA buses will run on Sunday schedules on New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Omnitrans
Omnitrans buses will not run on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Metrolink
Metrolink trains are complicated, and organized by line.
Riverside, OC, Ventura, IE-OC and 91 Line trains will not operate on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will operate on Sunday schedules on Thanksgiving, including the usual service to Riverside.
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will not operate on Christmas (Dec. 25).
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will operate on a special New Year's Day schedule on New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Amtrak
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains will operate on a weekend schedule on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1), duplicating much of the service offered by the Metrolink Ventura and Orange County Lines.
OCTA
OCTA will operate on a holiday schedule on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1). Check octa.net for details.
Office closures dot the holiday season, so be aware of that if you have business at any of the transit agency offices. Happy holidays!
RTA
RTA buses will not run on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) and Christmas (Dec. 25).
RTA buses will run on Sunday schedules on New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Omnitrans
Omnitrans buses will not run on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Metrolink
Metrolink trains are complicated, and organized by line.
Riverside, OC, Ventura, IE-OC and 91 Line trains will not operate on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will operate on Sunday schedules on Thanksgiving, including the usual service to Riverside.
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will not operate on Christmas (Dec. 25).
Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Line trains will operate on a special New Year's Day schedule on New Year's Day (Jan. 1).
Amtrak
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains will operate on a weekend schedule on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1), duplicating much of the service offered by the Metrolink Ventura and Orange County Lines.
OCTA
OCTA will operate on a holiday schedule on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Day (Jan. 1). Check octa.net for details.
Office closures dot the holiday season, so be aware of that if you have business at any of the transit agency offices. Happy holidays!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A hint for OCTA planners
So I spotted this piece on the LA Times blog site. Apparently it is the opinion of the LA Times metro staff that the 91 freeway through the Santa Ana River canyon is going to be improved by a new widening project. They're adding a lane in each direction.
Apparently nobody at OCTA has read the seminal 1998 UC Berkley study* that showed, using data from 30 years of California traffic, that adding lanes to freeways is a net loss in time- the time saved by the addition of new lanes will never add up to the time lost during the construction of those lanes, because of the phenomenon of "induced traffic." We can't pave our way out of traffic problems- it simply doesn't work.
If you want to relieve traffic on the 91 run through the canyon, here's a brilliant idea- give commuters a choice. Current transit service is limited to Metrolink, which is largely tailored to long-distance travelers, and is limited mainly to commute-hour service (the 91 Line, which parallels its namesake freeway, is among the most limited in the system, with no off-peak or reverse-peak service whatsoever), and two express bus lines- the OCTA 794, which just got disconnected from the rest of the bus system, and is peak-hour-peak-direction only, and the RTA 149, which is largely peak-hour only, at least on weekdays. (It's strangely more flexible on weekends.) Provide the thousands of daily 91 drivers with an honest choice of transportation options, with all-day, daily transit service through the canyon, via the 91 Express Lanes, and I bet you would see significant ridership and traffic relief. And it would be much cheaper than adding another lane to an already bloated freeway.
A quick primer on induced traffic and the paradox of freeway widening can be found here.
* Donald D.T. Chen. "If You Build It, They Will Come…Why We Can't Build Ourselves Out of Congestion." Surface Transportation Policy Project Progress VII.2 (March 1998): I, 4.
Apparently nobody at OCTA has read the seminal 1998 UC Berkley study* that showed, using data from 30 years of California traffic, that adding lanes to freeways is a net loss in time- the time saved by the addition of new lanes will never add up to the time lost during the construction of those lanes, because of the phenomenon of "induced traffic." We can't pave our way out of traffic problems- it simply doesn't work.
If you want to relieve traffic on the 91 run through the canyon, here's a brilliant idea- give commuters a choice. Current transit service is limited to Metrolink, which is largely tailored to long-distance travelers, and is limited mainly to commute-hour service (the 91 Line, which parallels its namesake freeway, is among the most limited in the system, with no off-peak or reverse-peak service whatsoever), and two express bus lines- the OCTA 794, which just got disconnected from the rest of the bus system, and is peak-hour-peak-direction only, and the RTA 149, which is largely peak-hour only, at least on weekdays. (It's strangely more flexible on weekends.) Provide the thousands of daily 91 drivers with an honest choice of transportation options, with all-day, daily transit service through the canyon, via the 91 Express Lanes, and I bet you would see significant ridership and traffic relief. And it would be much cheaper than adding another lane to an already bloated freeway.
A quick primer on induced traffic and the paradox of freeway widening can be found here.
* Donald D.T. Chen. "If You Build It, They Will Come…Why We Can't Build Ourselves Out of Congestion." Surface Transportation Policy Project Progress VII.2 (March 1998): I, 4.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Punching Holes
A look at the service cuts post over at TransitRiderOC points out that, yes, the 794 Riverside terminal has been permanently moved from the Tyler Mall to the La Sierra Metrolink station.
The Tyler Mall is the southern Riverside hub for RTA. It is served by routes 1, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 27, and 149, every single day, all day long. The La Sierra Metrolink is served by Route 15 and Metrolink, and Route 15 only on weekdays. From a transit planning perspective, this change makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention- why would you run an express bus to Irvine to a train station where you can catch a train... to Irvine?!
It only makes sense when you realize that OCTA isn't trying to serve people who ride the bus all the way to work. I'm almost certain that this change was motivated by a shortage of parking at Tyler Mall's park-and-ride lot. La Sierra Metrolink has more than ample parking. Even in transit planning, we manage to privilege the automobile over the transit rider.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rider Alert!
I don't know anything beyond what was posted on the side of the coke machine at the Tyler Mall transfer point, but OCTA Route 794 is temporarily stopping at the La Sierra Metrolink.
OCTA and RTA's web sites are mute on this issue- I can hope it is only a temporary change.
OCTA and RTA's web sites are mute on this issue- I can hope it is only a temporary change.
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