I was staying in an unincorporated part of Huntington Beach on the edge of Orange County. I wanted to go two place, USC in downtown LA and UCLA in Westwood. I didn't have a car so I would be going to my two destination via LA public transit.
My first complaint: the fare system.
As with all public transit, the bus drivers do not carry change so you need to carry lots of quarters to use the public transit. I am not a fan of walking down the sidewalk quietly announcing to the public that you have a pocket full of change, especially not in the neighborhoods I was traversing. It is unAmerican to carry lots of loose change.
My second complaint: transfers.
Part A - The time between buses is unacceptable. I had consecutive half hour waits.
Part B - If you take a bus one mile, then transfer to another one to go one mile, you pay twice. However, you can take one bus and go 30 miles and only pay once.
Part C - Each city has its own brand of transit. I set foot on the following brands of transit: Orange County, LA Metro, Long Beach, Foothill, and Santa Monica. I am sure there are more.
My third complaint: non-paying riders.
There is no incentive to pay for the LA Subway and Light Rail. LA Metro is leaving tons of money on the table. There is no gate or people checking your tickets. I saw multiple transactions of people selling cigarettes for a quarter, baby mamas with a handful of out of control children, and a verbal scuffle over how much room one person deserves. I don't want to make any unfounded assumptions, but I'm sure not everyone was a fare paying patron.
My only praise:
The light rail and subway moved a lot of people and fast. The light rail had mostly timed lights and priority at intersections.
My solutions:
A - LA Metro needs to own and operate all of the buses in and around LA. It appears that the different cities do not coordinate their schedules. Shorter transfer times will increase ridership.
B - Bump up the fare to $2 or $3 for any cross town ride to 1) eliminate the loose change issue 2) cover the cost of transfers. A simpler fare system will increase ridership.
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Huntington Beach to San Diego. (616 miles from SF)
Before I start riding, I notice my rear tire has lost air pressure. I pump it up, and it holds air so I decide to head out. I ride for 10 miles in constant paranoia of a catastrophic failure before I decided to find a place to eat and change my tire. I see a place with a bunch of bikes parked out front so I decide to stop there. It's called Newport Burger so I don't have high expectations as I am stopping at 8:30am, a non-traditional burger time. There is a group of four elderly bike riders at the outdoor table next to me one upping each other about over seas driving. One of the guys drops the trump card about paying a toll booth in Italy in the days of the Lira with ten US Dollars. When they get tired of talking to each other, they strike up conversation with me about where I'm going. I tell them Mexico City, and I immediately get words like, "you'll die if you cross the border." Not wanting to hear any more of this media sensationalized nonsense, I end the conversation with, "Thanks Mom" and put my head back down to fix the tire and eat my delicious breakfast burrito. One of the guys at the table goes and tell the owner of my plans, and the owner comes out with a stand up bike pump and a free journal to keep my thoughts. I happily used the pump but declined the journal and countered with my this blog. Even though the flat put me in a sour mood, I was lucky to stop by Newport Burger and meet the people at the establishment.
My first complaint: the fare system.
As with all public transit, the bus drivers do not carry change so you need to carry lots of quarters to use the public transit. I am not a fan of walking down the sidewalk quietly announcing to the public that you have a pocket full of change, especially not in the neighborhoods I was traversing. It is unAmerican to carry lots of loose change.
My second complaint: transfers.
Part A - The time between buses is unacceptable. I had consecutive half hour waits.
Part B - If you take a bus one mile, then transfer to another one to go one mile, you pay twice. However, you can take one bus and go 30 miles and only pay once.
Part C - Each city has its own brand of transit. I set foot on the following brands of transit: Orange County, LA Metro, Long Beach, Foothill, and Santa Monica. I am sure there are more.
My third complaint: non-paying riders.
There is no incentive to pay for the LA Subway and Light Rail. LA Metro is leaving tons of money on the table. There is no gate or people checking your tickets. I saw multiple transactions of people selling cigarettes for a quarter, baby mamas with a handful of out of control children, and a verbal scuffle over how much room one person deserves. I don't want to make any unfounded assumptions, but I'm sure not everyone was a fare paying patron.
My only praise:
The light rail and subway moved a lot of people and fast. The light rail had mostly timed lights and priority at intersections.
My solutions:
A - LA Metro needs to own and operate all of the buses in and around LA. It appears that the different cities do not coordinate their schedules. Shorter transfer times will increase ridership.
B - Bump up the fare to $2 or $3 for any cross town ride to 1) eliminate the loose change issue 2) cover the cost of transfers. A simpler fare system will increase ridership.
------------
Huntington Beach to San Diego. (616 miles from SF)
Before I start riding, I notice my rear tire has lost air pressure. I pump it up, and it holds air so I decide to head out. I ride for 10 miles in constant paranoia of a catastrophic failure before I decided to find a place to eat and change my tire. I see a place with a bunch of bikes parked out front so I decide to stop there. It's called Newport Burger so I don't have high expectations as I am stopping at 8:30am, a non-traditional burger time. There is a group of four elderly bike riders at the outdoor table next to me one upping each other about over seas driving. One of the guys drops the trump card about paying a toll booth in Italy in the days of the Lira with ten US Dollars. When they get tired of talking to each other, they strike up conversation with me about where I'm going. I tell them Mexico City, and I immediately get words like, "you'll die if you cross the border." Not wanting to hear any more of this media sensationalized nonsense, I end the conversation with, "Thanks Mom" and put my head back down to fix the tire and eat my delicious breakfast burrito. One of the guys at the table goes and tell the owner of my plans, and the owner comes out with a stand up bike pump and a free journal to keep my thoughts. I happily used the pump but declined the journal and countered with my this blog. Even though the flat put me in a sour mood, I was lucky to stop by Newport Burger and meet the people at the establishment.
Here are the owner of Newport Burger. Thanks for the air pump!
A ways down the road, I get to a fork. I can go right and head down the shoulder of I-5, or I can go left and stroll through the Marine Base Camp Pendleton. Memories of cars whizzing by on 101 steer me down the military route. As I head through the camp, I was impressed to see groups of new recruits attempting to complete the obstacle course like the ones advertised on TV. However, I was disappointed to see empty boxes of cigarettes and beer discarded on the road and a 24-hour McDonald's. I idealized our military as clean and healthy, but I shouldn't kid myself. It's well after 1pm and the breakfast burrito is totally consumed so I stop to make a PB&J after I leave the Pendleton. I'm looking for a good spot with shade and place to sit, and the first place that meets my criteria is a gentleman's club. This must be where the Marines go to celebrate or blow their signing bonus. I don't mind watching the strippers smoke in white robes outside the entrance, but I fail to make eye contact with any of them.
The road from LA to SD has been almost completely flat. This gentle ride ends with a long climb up the Torrey Pines Reserve. After I reach the top, I see Torrey Pines Golf Club where my father took me in high school. That was a nice memory, but I don't have sunlight to relive my golf career. As has been the precedent in my ride, I expect to have a massive downhill glide either into another climb or the city of San Diego, but I get neither. The top of the hill seems to be a big mesa. I go a few miles before I get to sail down to San Diego, where I am staying with my college friend Shane in Pacific Beach.
Sunset over Pacific Beach
I am heading out tomorrow for Mexico and don't know when I'll make another post. Hopefully the elderly bikers at Newport Burger were wrong, or else there will be no more posts.
3 comments:
Good Luck Doug, I am one of the old guys from Newport Burger "Tues/Thurs Breakfast Bike Club", who missed you that day. About the trash through the Marine Base. I have enjoyed two rides through the Base, and commented to my "Mentor Rider" who has ridden through numerous times, how clean the Base is and he agreed. So you may have seen the evidence of the rotten apple in the barrel. They also are very disciplined in adhering to the rules of the road. My hats off to them!
Good luck and stay safe.
I love that you stopped at Newport Burger. I go there every weekend, I love their breakfast burritos!
Good luck in Mexico!
Rick, sorry I missed you. It´s great that you guys get together regularly.
Laura, I had the breakfast burrito, and it was delicious and reasonably priced for the bike tourist.
Hats off to the Newport Burger owners!
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