Headway January 1988
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Number 1 Volume 16 January 1988 V / In This Issue —noice Joint Powers Privati- zation Quake Series Cadelli Voted Riders' Favorite Bus Operator RTD, LACTC Approve Joint by Usha Viswanathan Powers Balloting from the first on board buses in "Take- Robert Wilson, Division quarter Riders' Choice one" boxes and at all 5; Rick Cadelli, (Grand Authority Plan program ended with a Customer Service Cen- Prize Winner) Division 6; total of nearly 1,300 votes ters. Approximately 330 Theodore Williams, The RTD Board of tabulated. Twelve • operators received one or Division 7; Les Vance, Directors and the LACTC operators, each of whom more votes during the Division 8; Charles Commissioners together received the highest votes first quarter. Johnson, Division 9; approved a plan to merge in their divisions, were At the end of each Sharron Thompson, rail planning and opera- selected as the riding quarter, an outside panel Division 10; Darrell tions under one major public's favorite Operator. of judges is gathered to Gibson, Division 12; auxiliary agency admini- Division 6 Operator make a final determina- Bruce Erlenmeyer, stered by both agencies. Rick Cadelli, a 12-year The RTD and LACTC District employee, deliberated the plan at a received the highest special meeting held number of votes of all November 23, 1987, at operators and is the the Hall of Administra- quarter's grand prize tion. winner. The meeting consti- All 12 winning tuted a transportation operators received two "summit" between the season tickets to Los agencies whose relation- Angeles Clippers games ship has been described at the Sports Arena. as "rivalrous" in the last Cadelli also received an several years. The autographed basketball session was called from the Clippers; immediately following membership in the the Governor's veto of the Clipper Club; and a VCR Reorganization Bill- Division 6 Operator Rick Cadelli was chosen the from FEDCO Member- AB 18 by Mayor Tom favorite RTD bus Operator by the riding public ship Department Stores, Bradley to discuss in the first quarter Riders' Choice program co-sponsor of the first remedies for the trans- initiated by the Marketing Department in July quarter's Riders' Choice portation challenges 1987. program. facing Los Angeles "Bus operators are County. being chosen by passen- tion of winners, and a The RTD Directors gers in recognition of program sponsor provides and LACTC Commission- their professionalism," a prize to each operator "Bus operators are ers voted to form a said Promotions Manager with the grand prize being chosen by committee to investigate Alice Wiggins of the RTD winner receiving a prize the potential of a third Marketing Department. of the highest value. passengers in jointly controlled transit "The Riders'Choice Winners from the agency that would program allows passen- second quarter Riders' recognition oversee the construction gers who ride with an Choice voting, currently of their of Metro Rail and the operator on a regular underway, will be an- Long Beach-Los Angeles basis or who ride occa- nounced some time in professionalism" Light Rail. Presently, sionally to commend early March. the RTD controls Metro operators who demon- The following opera- Rail while the Commis- strate care and dedica- tors were the first quar- sion administers the tion to service." ter winners: Edward Division 15; Mike Lucas, Light Rail line. Ballots for the Henderson, Division 1; Division 16; and William It is believed that by program are distributed Rick Ortega, Division 3; Lindsey, Division 18. continued on page 3.. JANUARY 1988 HEADWAY 2 ...continued from page 2 separating out the responsibilities, the District's bus operations A First Hand Look at would receive increased attention leading to the end goal of improving District's Competition services. The officials also by Dan Miller voted to explore the Operations Staff possibility of having Superintendent elected representatives rather than appointees District stall inspected a serve on the Transporta- new Gillig bus on Novem- tion Commission. ber 16, 1987, at the Mayor Bradley Central Maintenance declared the yneeting "a Facility (CMF). Through historic event" as the two cooperation of Laidlaw agencies successfully Transit, Inc., the Gillig suspended their cold war bus was brought to the and sat down in a spirit CMF for comparison with of cooperation. Those in the District's new subur- attendance at the meet- ban Neoplan buses. ing included the mem- Both the Gillig bus bers of the RTD Board: and the District's new Might the Gillig Phantom overtake the RTD- President Jan Hall, Vice- 1100 series Neoplan operated Neoplan? In this case the rate is not President Carmen buses have high back always to the swiftest but rather to the most Estrada, Directors: Nick seats for additional tost efficient. Patsaouras, Marvin passenger comfort on Holen, Gordana Swan- longer distance passenger improve the level of Finally, in Decem- son, Jay B. Price, Joseph trips. The 1100 series passenger comfort, which ber 1987, plans called for S. Dunning, Erwin N. bus has one door and 47 includes more comfort- Laidlaw to start opera- Jones, Charles H. Stor- seats and the Gillig bus able seats." tion of the District's four ing, Kenneth R. Thomas, has two doors and 43 The full-size Gillig Pomona Valley local lines and General Manager seats. buses are currently using small EMS Falcon John A. Dyer. Represent- Assistant General operated by the Laidlaw buses. The City and ing the LACTC were: Manager for Operations Company on nine form er County Contract services Commission Chairman- Robert Korach said the District express bus lines are jointly funded by the Mayor Tom Bradley; District is interested in canceled in October 1987, Los Angeles County Commissioners: Supervi- the purchase of addi- through contract to the Transportation Commis- sor Kenneth Hahn; tional buses with high City Department of sion (LACTC) and the Supervisor Mike An- back seats with two Transportation (LADOT). City or County, respec- tonovich; Supervisor doors, and noted, "In The same full-size Gillig tively. The District Edmund Edelman; order to retain and buses are in service on canceled these services in Councilman Michael enhance long distance two former District bus accord with the RTD Woo, City of Los Angeles; services, we need to lines canceled in Novem- Board of Directors' Mayor Christine Reed, ber 1987, and operated adopted service deploy- City of Santa Monica; by Embree Bus Company ment policy which provides the option for Councilwoman Jacki 11111111111n111111111n1111n1 through contract to the Bacharach, City of County of Los Angeles. cancellation of low Rancho Palos Verdes; mental Relations met Small Gillig buses are ridership bus lines when Marcia Mednick, City of December 2, at the being operated by Laid- financial restraints Los Angeles; and LACTC Department of Water and law on the former Dis- require cuts in service. Executive Director Rick Power to consider com- trict circulation routes, This transfer of Richmond. mon RTD and LACTC Lines 147 and 208, service from public to A Special Joint state and federal legisla- following District cancel- private operation is Committee on Govern- tive goals for 1988. lation of these lines. continued on page 4 . JANUARY 1988 H E A D W A Y 3 Bus Lines necessary to accommo- RTD TOSs Take Charge in Rerouted date Metro Rail construc- tion activities along Hill Wake of Chemical Fire to Bypass affecting both the Civic Center and Fifth and Hill Construction Stations. The quick actions of evacuated to avoid The following lines District personnel during further injury to the operating southbound an a recent chemical fire not students. The cause of Twenty-one bus lines are Hill will be detoured only safeguarded the the fire and subsequent being rerouted around along Spring Street health and safety of pollution resulted from a Metro Rail construction during the weekends and Division 10 personnel but vat of paint that caught along Hill Street at First an some weekday nights: also kept service operat- fire in the early morning and Fifth Streets in Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, ing. hours and resisted extin- downtown Los Angeles an 81, 420, and 424. The noxious fumes guishment until the weekends and some Weekend closures from the nearby Witaker following day. weekday nights only. will begin at 8:30 p.m. an Petroleum Company fire TOS-VO Armando The detours affect Friday and continue on November 9 caused Caceres said that a lines operating in the through 5:30 a.m. Mon- considerable physical citizen had informed him vicinity of First and Hill day morning. Night distress such as eye, that smoke was billowing Streets and will continue closures during the week nose, and throat irrita- out of a building at the through January 11. will start at 8:30 p.m. tion, and nausea. Many corner of Mission and Hill Street will be and run through 5:30 employees were overcome Richmond Streets. "I closed to through traffic a.m. the next morning. by the fumes and had to observed fumes coming between Temple and The following lines be hospitalized Schools from the roof and then Second Streets. In addi- operating along First in the vicinity were immediately notified the tion, First Street between between Olive and radio dispatcher. The nnn Olive and Broadway also Broadway also will be IMMO fire department re- will be closed. affected by the closures: Fumes were sponded and soon after Weekday night we began evacuating Lines 76, 78, 79, 401, caused by closures will occur an the 444, 446, 480, 483, 484, personnel from Division following dates: January 485, 487, and 490. These paint 10," said Caceres. 4-7 and 11-14. Weekend lines will be rerouted to that caught Transit Operation closures will occur an Temple Street and Grand fire Supervisors, Transit January 2-4 and 8-11.