Angelenos Against Gridlock

Tesla’s Model X does a beautiful job eliminating smog on...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:21:20 -0800

Tesla’s Model X does a beautiful job eliminating smog on the road with its zero-emission design. Now if Tesla could just solve gridlock, too…. (Electric flying cars, anyone?)

Put Your Phone Down! Fog and Smog, the Westside geniuses behind...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:45:13 -0800

Put Your Phone Down!

Fog and Smog, the Westside geniuses behind the “Whole Foods Parking Lot” video, just released “Put Your Phone Down.” We certainly agree with the appeal at 2:40 to put your phone down while driving.

Watch the road! Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted, the US DOT says.

Download the Transit 101 Guide & Make a New Year's Resolution to Try Transit!

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:11:00 -0800

While most of our dedicated followers are of course true transit afficianados, for many Angelenos, public transportation remains an unknown — a sometimes intimidating mode of travel that’s foreign to the “car cultured” among us.

That’s why Angelenos Against Gridlock has produced a handy “Transit 101” guide for people to learn the basics about trying public transportation. View, download, or print the guide below. (Click here to view it directly on Scribd if the embedded version doesn’t appear, or view a basic HTML version), or download a printable PDF, and make a new year’s resolution to try transit!

Already a transit rider? Great! You’re an enlightened Angeleno. Why not tweet out a link to this guide, share it on Facebook, or email your friends and colleagues who aren’t (yet) transit riders.

And want to get an early start on that resolution to take public transportation? Metro is offering free rides on New Years Eve (9 pm - 2 am), and extended (paid) hours, too.

Transit 101 Guide: click here to view a larger, readable, size.

Video: Apple Store Opens in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal....

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:29:00 -0800

Video: Apple Store Opens in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal. Will a similar scene play out at LA Union Station some day, too?

This morning, a Metro and City of Los Angeles sponsored Urban Land Institute advisory panel presented its findings on the future of Union Station and environs. Read Carter Rubin’s coverage at The Source, and stay tuned for a written report in coming months from ULI. Meanwhile, today in New York, Apple opened a new store in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal. Imagine if one day we could see scenes like those shown in this video from NYC, by TechCrunch editor Erick Schonfeld, here at Los Angeles Union Station, too. (Visit TechCrunch for more photos & video.)

High-Speed Rail: the Big Picture

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:09:18 -0800

In the wake of a series of negative headlines on the prospects of high-speed rail, it seemed an apropos time to link again to our November op-ed in the LA Business Journal, “High-Speed Rail Still Fits Bill Despite Higher Cost.” Take a read if you missed it earlier.

Alta Bicycle Share President Alison Cohen, featured at the...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:11:33 -0800

Alta Bicycle Share President Alison Cohen, featured at the recent Opportunity Green Business Conference earlier this month in LA, talks about Alta and bikesharing in this video.

Alta does the bikeshare systems in cities like Washington, DC and Boston, and has been chosen to launch New York’s upcoming system.

Click here for more photos: Santa Monica Bike Center Grand...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:18:00 -0800

Click here for more photos: Santa Monica Bike Center Grand Opening, on Flickr. What a fantastic addition to the SoCal bike scene!

Want to ease yourself into the day? Check out bike ♥, by Rick...

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:00:19 -0800

Want to ease yourself into the day? Check out bike ♥, by Rick Darge, a great little 4 minute art film about a SoCal girl and her love for her bike.

Hat tip to Gary Kavanagh for sharing this on the Santa Monica Spoke Google Group.

Transit Agencies & Social Media

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:16:12 -0800

How would you like to see Metro, LADOT, Big Blue Bus, and other SoCal transit agencies step up their use of social media?

Should Metro patner with Foursquare, like BART did in the Bay Area?

Would you like to see the @MetroLosAngeles Twitter account have more of a voice? (Right now, it’s can seem pretty duplicative of the @metrolaalerts account.) Think municipal operators need to step up their game, or think they should just focus on service?

Email us or tweet your ideas to @EndingGridlock.

While it’s from 2009, this BART presentation on social media is still informative:

Transit 2.0 at BART.gov View more presentations from Hot Studio, Inc.

And speaking of tech, we’re eagerly awaiting the re-release of the Metro iPhone app (the previous version was pulled from the Apple store).

Learning from Other Cities: Seattle Trails Now on Google Street View

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:55:00 -0800

Via Seattle Bike Blog: Seattle bike / multi-use trails are now on Google Street View, joining some other cities.

View Larger Map

Too bad LA doesn’t have more beautiful bike trails that Google Street view could show off!

Here’s a Google video about how the Google Street View trike:

As we think about California high-speed rail, it can be useful...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:46:57 -0800

As we think about California high-speed rail, it can be useful to look at other systems already out there in the world. If you’ve never been to Europe and taken their high-speed trains, check out this video.

The European Commission produced this mini Documentary (<13minutes) called High-speed lines. A journey through Europe, which they describe thusly:

“High-speed Lines” is a human-orientated documentary about the growing success of high-speed trains and its extending network throughout Europe. Listen to the stories of train passengers and train professionals: stories about speed, comfort, punctuality, new technology and environmental-friendly solutions. The continuously expanding network of high-speed trains is a key element to establish an efficient Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T). A whole new industry has been emerging which will give the economy, employment, competitiveness, technological development and further unification of Europe a tremendous boost.”

(Source: European Commission - Audiovisual Service - Video)

Zev Yaroslavsky shows off a test drive of the Expo Line. (via...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:45:00 -0800

Zev Yaroslavsky shows off a test drive of the Expo Line.

(via LA Streetsblog)

LA Business Journal Op-Ed: High-Speed Rail Still Fits Bill

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:51:39 -0800

Check out our op-ed in today’s Los Angeles Business Journal on why California should move forward with high-speed rail.

(Image via California High Speed Rail Blog.)

Don't Miss Thursday's Valley Mobility Summit

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:54:24 -0700

The San Fernando Valley Council of Governments is hosting a Valley Mobility Summit on Thursday at the Airtel Plaza Hotel at Van Nuys Airport. Click here to register. Tickets are very affordable.

Will the next owner of the Dodgers be more transit-friendly?

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:06:18 -0700

Here’s hoping the next owner of the Dodgers will be more transit friendly.

Thanks to Patt Morrison for reading this comment on air during her show on the future of the Dodgers after McCourt earlier this week:

Frank McCourt was a parking tycoon. I hope the new owner is much transit-friendlier and pays for (or helps pay for) Metro’s Dodger Stadium Express shuttle, as a starting point. Currently, funding has had to come from Air Quality Management District funds and I strongly hope the new owner steps up to the plate in a more responsible way. Of course, the bus shuttles are an imperfect solution, and still more needs to be done.
—David Murphy, President, Angelenos Against Gridlock

Subscribe by Email to our Blog Updates

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:00:41 -0700

Not a fan of RSS?

Now, you can subscribe by email to our blog posts. (We’re using Google’s Feedburner service, the same tool the Metro Library blog uses.)

Just enter your email in the form in the sidebar (at right), or click here.

And while you’re at it, be sure to follow us on Twitter, too.

Thanks!

Follow Angelenos Against Gridlock using RSS

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:34:00 -0700

If you’re a fan of RSS feeds, subscribe to our blog feed using this URL:

http://www.endinggridlock.org/rss

(If you’re not an RSS user already, you can use a free service like Google Reader to receive content feeds automatically from your favorite blogs. You just tell the RSS reader what RSS URLs to subscribe to — ours is http://www.endinggridlock.org/rss ).

Making the Metro Experience More Efficient: Little Behaviors Add Up

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:13:00 -0700

Carter Rubin’s headline roundup on The Source noting that BART is considering signs to encourage riders to follow the unwritten “walk on the left, stand on the right” rule got me thinking.

As a native Washingtonian, where the “stand on the right” code is much more deeply ingrained in the culture there — it’s an official Metro rule there — I’ll admit it does bug me that there’s not really much adherence to this idea here in Los Angeles. It’d be great to see signs or announcements here, to help make it a part of our local transit culture.

From the Washington Post:

Stand to the RIGHT, already.

That has been the eternal plea — grumbled, spoken, yelled and otherwise communicated — of impatient Metro commuters stuck on escalators because tourists don’t realize that in big, important Washington, you stand to the right so all the Type A people can hurry past on the left.

For the first time in its history, Metro has started telling them.

“Hi. Welcome to Metro,” the station announcement begins. “We have a lot of escalators in our system. You’ll notice that most people stand on the right side. And while you’re riding, hold the handrail for your safety. Enjoy your trip, and thank you for riding Metro.”

That said, practically speaking, one area where Los Angeles actually has a big advantage over DC: the escalators actually work here.

On the topic of making riding the Metro more time-efficient and appealing to Type-A personalities and professionals in a hurry, I’d love to see announcements/signs telling boarding passengers to step back and let exiting passengers get off the train first. (Unless I’m forgetting, I don’t think I’ve heard reminders about this here in LA.) In Washington, the crowd waiting to board knows to part as the door opens (picture Moses parting the water — people make a path between them). In LA, it’s more a block the exit and slow down the process tradition, in my experience.

But in DC, there’s actually an announcement from the train (broadcast on speakers outside the car, too) every time the door opens:

Wouldn’t it be great to see both of these efficiency measures adopted here in LA, too?

—David

Photos: Santa Monica Bike Center - Opening Nov. 18

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:09:00 -0700

Exciting news: we hear that Santa Monica’s new Bike Center on the SW corner of 2nd and Colorado (215 Colorado), adjacent to the Santa Monica Place mall. We hear the Bike Center will open November 18. If you haven’t already been eagerly awaiting the Bike Center as we have, here’s a refresher on what the City of Santa Monica says to expect:

To promote the use of non-auto transportation, and bicycling in particular, the City is building a Bike Transit Center in its downtown core near the future terminus of the Exposition Light Rail Line. Consisting of facilities located in two Agency-owned parking structures (Parking Structure 7 at 320 Broadway and Parking Structure 8 at 215 Colorado). The Center is intended to provide secure bike parking and a variety of mobility services, including retail, bike repair, bike rental, attended bike parking, public information on alternative transportation, and additional related services. The Center will be operated by an independent contractor. Check out the Bike Center web site at http://www.bikesm.com/

While construction is still going on, we snapped a few preview pictures. Santa Monica is doing a good job of putting wayfaring signs up around town — there are a couple signs near City Hall, for example. This Flickr slideshow aslso has some shots of Santa Monica’s traffic light bike sensors embedded in the streets, so bikers can trigger traffic lights to change, not just cars. (Gary Kavanagh, over at the Gary Rides Bikes blog has some comments pro & con about the specifics of the new street infrastructure.)

(The City website has some more preview pics of inside of the Bike Centers on their site.)

The centers will be operated by Chicago’s Bike and Park (check out their snazzy website for the Santa Monica Bike Centers here).

The main Bike Center at 2nd & Colorado will over these services:

Opening weekend, the hours will be 11 am - 5 pm, according to Santa Monica Spoke. According to the Bike and Park website, the eventual staffed hours there may be pretty generous — til 10 pm Mon-Thurs, midnight Friday and Saturday, and 8 pm Sundays. Self service parking (with membership) will be 24 hours.

A Satellite Location at 4th and Broadway will be 24/7 self service and will offer these options:

Support our friends at Streetsblog Los Angeles at Saturday's Fundraiser

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:03:00 -0700

Support our friends at Streetsblog Los Angeles at Saturday's Fundraiser:

Here at Angelenos Against Gridlock, we’re big fans of Streetsblog Los Angeles. Editor Damien Newton works hard to provide inspiration and news coverage to the SoCal transportation community through his dedicated reporting. (He’s even been kind enough to offer some inspiration and advice to Angelenos Against Gridlock on the side—what a guy.) Damien has some interesting things in the works at Streetsblog LA to expand what they’ve been doing, too.

And that’s why we want YOU, dear reader, to buy a ticket today to Saturday’s fundraiser for Streetsblog — at the Brentwood home of the Joel Epstein, transit op-ed writer extraordinaire.

From editor Damien Newton’s invitation:

So, Please join Joel Epstein, Karen Sarachik, Damien Newton, Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Friends 4 Expo Transit Founder Darrell Clarke and the Board of Los Angeles Streetsblog for a casual dinner reception in support of Los Angeles Streetsblog. The event begins at 6:30 at Joel and Karen’s house (I’ll send you the address and transportation instructions to those that RSVP). RSVP by emailing me: damien at streetsblog dot org.

Suggested contribution of $100 but even if you can’t donate or donate at that level, please attend to hear about the good work Los Angeles Streetsblog is doing to keep Angelenos abreast of critical developments in public transportation, biking and public space in Los Angeles.

All donations are tax deductible. If you would prefer to donate online, you can do so at http://la.streetsblog.org/donate/.