Transit – Some of Us Use It, All of Us Could Use It
Downtown is the winner of the densest development in the city. It's also the biggest hub for public transit, with nearly each street within the core connected by a bus. But LA is still a car-centric city. This dichotomy brings me to wonder, how do the people within LA's most transit-friendly neighborhood travel around?
I started a series of on-the-sidewalk interviews with people living and/or working in South Park. I asked if they take public transit regularly; if they do, why; and if they don't, why not. One resident questioned if LA can ever be connected enough to find Metro reliable. But others, riders and non-riders, were more optimistic in Metro's ability to connect the area.
Barriers to riding transit included convenience. Hauling heavy things, as a business owner of Olive said, or as a man on 11th explained, because he had to travel all the way to Anaheim almost every day – neither found transit a convenience.
While some said they'd take a train but not a bus, a handful said they don't think they'd ever consider a bus or train because of no interest in the option. And two people admitted they just didn't like being around a bunch of other people.
But transit can be convenient. Having a station close to their destination was the number one reason people gave for using a train. For a bus, the tipping point was whether it was faster than a car, thus a bus only lane would ideally sway many for local travel.
Even the common issue of safety varied. One resident on 12th St said safety was a major issue that probably would never get resolved enough to get him riding. Meanwhile, a resident living near Pico station felt completely safe taking it, especially compared to driving. Some less-frequent riders were more confident about safety and preferred to see more frequent service to get them riding more.
Many liked the idea of public transit, but they couldn’t make the leap to change their routine. And others said they haven't seen enough convenient opportunities to take it and end up choosing their usual familiar car.
Personally, I was shocked to find interviewees who lived within blocks of the station who haven't thought of riding a train or bus even once. The important advantage of a car for most people - the immediacy of getting there - affected their transit decisions.
I was impressed with the number of people I talked to who took public transit often or found reasons to take it occasionally. Many who live here chose downtown for its density and ease of getting around without using a car every day.
Malcolm explained, "I was tired of getting my car ticketed and paying for parking." He notes, "I've got a lot of routes that run on consecutive streets all around me." His concerns of safety echoed those of other riders: "I've seen security guards at major stops like Crypto Center, but at night it becomes like a No Man's Land."
For one downtowner of 11 years, the E line is a convenient way to go to his classes at Santa Monica College. Another resident on Grand (and car owner) finds it an easy ride on the A line to work in Pasadena but drives pretty much everywhere else.
Personally, I feel the multiple transit options we have in DTLA are what makes it a great neighborhood. And if there's anything I and many other Angelenos already know: LA Metro has room to grow. Here's to the future of LA offering people everywhere ideal ways to get around.
By Justin Orkin