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How to join SO.CA.TA: Yearly dues are $30.00 cates. In all other cases, permission must be ($12.00 low income). Dues are prorated on a secured from the copyright holder. THE TRANSIT ADVOCATE quarterly basis. Disclaimer: The Southern California Transit Submission of materials: ALL materials for the Advocates is not affiliated with any governmental Newsletter of the Southern California Transit Advocates TRANSIT ADVOCATE newsletter go to Andrew agency or transportation provider. Names and July 2013 Vol. 21, No. 7 Novak at P.O. Box 2383, Downey California 90242 logos of agencies appear for information and or to [email protected]. Please enclose a self reference purposes only. addressed stamped envelope for returns. SO.CA.TA officers, 2013 Newsletter deadlines are the Fridays a week President: Nate Zablen before SO.CA.TA meetings, at 6:00 PM Pacific Vice President: Kent Landfield time, unless otherwise announced. Recording Secretary: Edmund Buckley Executive Secretary: Dana Gabbard Opinions: Unless clearly marked as "Editorial" or Treasurer: Dave Snowden "Position Paper", all written material within, Directors at Large: Ken Ruben including all inserted flyers and postcards, are the J.K. Drummond expressed opinions of the authors and not Craig Weingarten necessarily that of the Southern California Transit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Advocates. Newsletter Editor: Andrew Novak Newsletter Prod. Mgr: Dana Gabbard Copyright: © 2013 Southern California Transit Webmaster: Charles Hobbs

Advocates. Permission is freely granted to repro- th th duce/reprint ORIGINAL articles from the Transit NEXT SO.CA.TA MEETINGS : July 13 and Aug 10 at Angelus Plaza, 4th Floor, 255 S. Hill, Los Angeles Advocate, provided credit is given to both the au- thor and the Southern California Transit Advo- July 2013 — Issue 248

Southern California Transit Advocates 3010 Wilshire #362 Los Angeles, CA 90010 46¢ First 213.388.2364 Class http://www.socata.net Postage [email protected]

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Inside This Issue: Municipal Area Express (MAX) RE 530 at the Avia- • Bulletin Board (pg. 2) tion Green Line Station on February 11, 2005. MAX service was canceled on June 30, 2013. • Members in Action (pg.2) • Transit Updates (pg. 3) —Andrew Novak Photo • Transit Topics (pg. 5) ISSN 1525-2892 • Public/Legislative Affairs (pg. 6) • In Memory (pg. 7) • Photos of the month (pg. 11) Bulletin Board / Members in Action Photos of the Month

Production Update: Both the FMCSA and FRA apps are free to The deadline for the September Issue of the smart phone users. Transit Advocate will be Sunday August 25th Members in Action: due to my travel plans. Please have all ma- Mark Strickert attended the Morongo Basin terial in on or before that date. We will men- Transit Authority (MBTA) board meeting on tion this change again in our August issue. th June 27 . Noteworthy items from the meet- Bulletin Board: ing include a possible fare increase (first Our July 13th guest speaker will be Diana since 1999), Sunday service on Route 1 and Sun Line New Flyer Kotler, Executive Director at Anaheim Trans- possible re-route of Route 3 to serve a new 575 at the down- portation Network. We also anticipate hav- casino in 29 Palms. town Riverside ing a bylaws committee meeting, likely at Metrolink Station on Erik Griswold was quoted extensively in 11:00 AM in the 4th floor meeting space at th June 21, 2013. David Allen’s June 29 column for the Inland Angelus Plaza where the monthly meetings Empire Daily bulletin “Gold Line train plans —Mark Strickert are held. Photo are derailed.” The Railway Supply Institute, a trade group, Ken Ruben attended the Metro Westside/ has announced the formation of a Passenger Central Service Council meeting on June Rail Committee to advocate on legislation 12th, the Los Angeles - San Diego - San Luis and regulations impacting railway suppliers Obispo Rail Corridor Agency Joint Powers who provide equipment and services to high Board meeting on June 19th and the Metro speed and intercity passenger rail -- Citizens’ Advisory Council Meeting on June http://rsiweb.org/ th 26 . From the App Store:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admini- stration (FMCSA) has a new app people can download for their smart phones called Saf- erBus. This app providers the public an effi- cient way to view and access the safety per- City of Commerce formance of commercial motor carriers in- New Flyer 340 at the cluding motor coach and bus companies. Commerce Metrolink The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Are you interested in getting your Station in June 2013. also has a new app called the Rail Crossing SO.CA.TA newsletter in PDF? Locator. This app allows smart phone users We now offer the SO.CA.TA newsletter in —William Braden Photo to access the highway-rail grade crossing PDF format to our members. The PDF database and map features. They can also newsletters are available a week before locate grade crossing by USDOT Crossing the meeting and are in full color. If you ID, address or geo-location. The FRA app would like to get the PDF newsletter in- also allows users to access a variety of infor- stead of the printed version email us at: mation about the grade crossing including [email protected] accident and safety statistics.

Page 2 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 11 Transit Updates Continued Transit Updates

Thousand Oaks Transit (TOT) Rapid 12: All trips will serve the new tempo- City of Bell -Routes 4 and 9: Weekday buses bound for From June 18th to August 22nd, TOT will be rary transit center. Effective July 12th a new fixed route service Santa Monica (Civic Center) now use the operating special summer beach bus service will begin in the City of Bell. The line is a weekend routing. Buses traveling Culver City Bus Lines 6 and Rapid 6 now from Thousand Oaks to Zuma Beach. This one-way loop that operates on several ma- southbound on 4th Street now make a right utilize the northbound bus stop at Westwood special service operates on Tuesday, jor streets in Bell with service to the Cudahy on Colorado Avenue, left on Main Street, left Medical Plaza as the ending point for Wednesday, and Thursday (no service on Park on Clara Street and the Bicycle Casino on Olympic Boulevard to Avenida Mazatlan. northbound trips and the starting point for July 4th) and there are two trips to the beach in Bell Gardens. This new service will oper- -Route 6: Has been suspended for the sum- southbound trips. Bus stops at Westwood/ and two trips from the beach. Fares are ate from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday mer and will resume on Monday August 26th. Strathmore and southbound Westwood $5.00 round-trip and can be paid on the through Friday and from 11:00 AM to 5:00 -Route 7: On weekdays service will now op- Medical Plaza will be closed throughout the bus. Tickets for this service can be pur- PM on Saturdays. A trip on the route is ex- erate every 12 minutes during peak hours. construction period. chased ahead of time at the TOT Transit pected to take 40 minutes and fares will be -Rapid 7: The bus stop at the Rimpau Tran- Center. For more information contact TOT at VVTA 25¢ per passenger. For more information sit Center will no longer be utilized in both 805.375.5473 or online at: Effective July 1st the BV Link Service will no contact City of Bell at 323.773.1596 or directions. Westbound passengers now www.totransit.org longer stop at Fort Irwin. Passengers going online at: www.cityofbell.org board at Pico Boulevard at Mullen Avenue to/from Fort Irwin can still use the NTC and eastbound passengers now board at Big Blue Bus Commuter route. th Pico Boulevard at San Vicente Boulevard. Effective June 16 Santa Monica Big Blue The service will now operate every 12 min- Bus made the following service changes. utes during peak hours. -Route 1: The weekday trip from Venice and -Rapid 10: The SC Express trip at 6:30 AM Walgrove at 9:54 AM has been canceled. from Union Station has been suspended for -Routes 2 and 3: The northbound bus stop th the summer. at 4 Street and Civic Center Way (mid- -Route 12: The northbound trips departing block) has been removed. Passengers can Robertson and Venice at 7:45 AM, 7:59 AM, UCLA Ackerman Terminal th now board at 4 Street and Pico Boulevard. 9:17 AM, and 9:32 AM on weekdays have Effective July 8th the Ackerman Terminal on Willowbrook Shuttle -Route 3: For the summer only, trips have been cancelled. the UCLA Campus will be closed for approxi- Starting July 1st the Willowbrook Shuttle been added from Santa Monica to the Green -Rapid 12: A new northbound trip has been mately three years for construction of a new Route A became a point to point line instead Line Station, Thursday through Sunday. Two added departing Robertson and Venice at conference center and all buses that serve of a loop. The route will continue to operate weekday southbound trips have been can- 3:18 PM. Ackerman will be re-routed. hourly. Route B has also had some minor celled, the 3:23 PM trip from 4th Street at -Sunset Ride: Service now operates every route modifications. The span of service on Civic Center Way and 5:09 PM trip from Ari- Big Blue Bus will be using a temporary tran- th 30 minutes from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. both routes remains the same. sit center on Charles E. Young Drive be- zona Avenue at 5 Street. For more information contact Big Blue Bus tween Westholme Avenue and Manning Ave- -Rapid 3: A new stop has been added at Lin- coln Boulevard and Mindanao Way in both at 310.451.5444 nue in front of the P2 Parking Garage. Below are details on the Big Blue changes during directions. this time. -Route 4: This route will no longer serve the VA’s North Campus in either direction. Buses Routes 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 and 12: Weekday trips traveling from Santa Monica to the Westside from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM will con- Pavilion now travel on San Vicente Boule- tinue regular service to Hilgard Terminal. vard and no longer use Montana Avenue to Routes 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12: Weekday trips Bringham Street. (Continued on Page 4) from 8:00 PM to 7:00 AM and all weekend trips will serve the temporary transit center.

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Flyaway LADOT OCTA Omnitrans Effective July 1st, the Los Angeles World Air- Effective June 1st, LADOT made changes to The OCTA OC Fair Express buses are once Effective July 1st, Stater Brothers Markets ports began operation of the new Expo/La their passes. All trip tickets and monthly again operating for to and from the Orange will no longer sell Omnitrans bus passes. Brea Flyaway Route from LAX to the Metro passes are now loaded on TAP Cards. The County Fair. The buses operate Friday, Sat- Pasadena ARTS Expo Line Station at La Brea Avenue. The monthly passes have been replaced with urday, and Sunday from July 12th to August Effective July 1st, Pasadena ARTS made the stop is located just east of La Brea Avenue, new 31-day passes. Passengers can pur- 11th. Fares are $2.00 each way and passen- following service changes. on the south side of the platform. Buses de- chase TAP Cards at the LADOT Transit Store, gers receive a coupon that is good for a Route 10: Now operates in both directions part the La Brea Station every 2 hours from online at: ladottransit.com or by calling the $3.00 Admission for the fair. OCTA is offer- on Colorado Boulevard between Pasadena 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM and depart LAX (Starts LADOT Transit Store at (213, 310, 323 or ing service to the fair on nine routes which Avenue and Lake Avenue, no longer operat- at Terminal) every 2 hours from 7:00 AM to 818) 808-2273. The LADOT Transit Store is are listed below. ing on Green Street between these two 11:00 PM. The service operates 7 days a located at 201 North Los Angeles Street -Route 633: Fullerton Park and Ride streets. week. One-ways fares are $6 per person un- #18B in downtown Los Angeles. (Boards Dock 1 at the east end) Route 20: Additional service has been added til December 31st and then go up to $7 per -Route 642: The Village at Orange (Boards MAX throughout the on both the clockwise ad person on January 1, 2014. at Corner of Meats and Canal, behind Sears) Effective June 30, 2013 the MAX (Municipal counterclockwise directions on weekdays. -Route 657: Newport Transportation Center Area Express) service was cancelled. The The service now operates every 24 minutes (Boards at Dock 4) last day of operation for all three routes: 2, instead of every 33 minutes. -Route 662: The Depot at Santa Ana 3, and 3X was June 28th. MAX riders were The agency also made other minor schedule (Boards on Santa Ana at Santiago) encouraged to use the Metro Trip planner at changes to the other routes in the system. -Route 670: Goldenwest Transportation metro.net or visit Maxbus.com to find alter- Center (Boards at Dock 8) Pass Transit native services from the MAX service area. -Route 671: Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Sta- On June 28th a ribbon cutting ceremony was tion (Boards at Dock 2) held in Beaumont for new Pass Transit Com- -Route 683: Laguna Hills Transportation muter Link Route 120. Route 120 operates Center (Boards at Dock 11) iShuttle from Beaumont to the San Bernardino -Route 688: Irvine Metrolink Station (Boards The City of Irvine iShuttle made several ser- Metrolink making stops in Calimesa and at Dock 8) vice changes on June 10th. Several trips on Loma Linda. The new line operates Monday -Route 691: Junipero Serra Park-and-Ride - Routes A, B, and D were eliminated due to through Friday during peak hours in both San Juan Capistrano (Boards at southwest low ridership. Other trips were adjusted to directions. Fares are $3.00 per person one- corner of Rancho Viejo and Junipero Serra) way. For more information contact Pass better align with Metrolink and Amtrak Metro trains. For more information contact iShuttle Routes 642 and 657 are new for the 2013 Transit at 951.769.8530 or online at: On June 19th Metro began latching the fares at 949.GO.BUS or email at: season. www.ci.beaumont.ca.us gates at the Metro Red and Purple Line Sta- [email protected] tion at Union Station. Other gates will be latched on the subways lines on a rolling basis starting July 1st.

For a schedule of the station latchings visit:

metro.net/riding/fares/latching-schedule/

(Continued (Continued on Page 8) on Page 10)

Page 4 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 9 Transit Updates Continued Transit Topics By Andrew Novak

Metro Continued way to Spring St. Lines 45 and 745 will re- This month in Transit Topics we have a few Gold Coast Transit: In July Gold Coast Metro has also made several changes to main on Broadway in both directions. Once things you might have missed from the Transit (Oxnard) celebrated 40 years of ser- their bus service on June 23rd. Below are the streetscape plan is complete on Broad- world of transit. vice to the community. Congratulations! details of those changes. way, all northbound lines will have major N&W 611: An effort is now underway to -Line 40: Minor route and stop changes due stop changes. bring former Norfolk & Western (N&W) Class to implementation of the Broadway Street- Metrolink J steam locomotive 611 back to life. The 4-8 scape Plan. Southbound buses now travel Effective July 1st, Metrolink increased fares -4 was built in the N&W shops in Roanoke via Spring Street from 1st Street to 11th by an average of 5% system-wide. Student Virginia Shops. After retirement in 1959 the Street and then back to Broadway and regu- passes are exempt from the 5% fare in- locomotive was donated to the Virginia Mu- lar route. crease. Other changes include a change to seum of Transportation in Roanoke. In 1982 -Lines 30/330: Minor route and stop the Weekend Pass. The Weekend Pass is the engine returned to excursion service changes due to implementation of the now a Weekend Day Pass that is valid for thanks to N&W president Robert Claytor. Broadway Streetscape Plan. Southbound Yakima Street Cars: June 21, 2013 system-wide travel on EITHER Saturday OR The engine operated in excursion service on buses now travel via Spring Street from 1st marked the 100th Anniversary of the street Sunday. The pass price is still $10. Metrolink the N&W and successor Norfolk Southern Street to Pico Boulevard ad back on regular car line between Yakima Washington and Monthly Pass holders can still ride system until a series of derailments sidelined the route. Selah Washington. The Yakima system is the wide starting Friday at 7:00 PM to Sunday at 611 in 1994. Recently the Virginia Museum -Line 290: Has been renumbered Line 90 nation's last intact, turn-of-the-century in- 11:59 PM. The last fare change is the dis- of Transportation has announced plan to and passengers can now board a Line 90 terurban electric railroad. To celebrate the continuance of the OCLink Pass which was “Fire Up 611” and has the locomotive bus with continuous service to and from 100th Anniversary special trips were run good for unlimited travel within Orange brought back to operating condition for ser- Olive View Medical Center. A minor route from Yakima to Selah with street car 1776 County. vice in 2014. For more information or to do- improvement near Olive View Medical Center which was powered by a diesel generator for nate to the cause visit: http://fireup611.org/ also allows southbound buses to serve the The Metrolink Board of Directors has also the event. Due to copper wire theft in 2005 new Olive View Community Mental Health adopted changes to the Personal Care Atten- the 4.2 mile line has been out of service and Center. dant Free Ride Policy. Personal Care Atten- the street cars have only operated in the -Line 603: Southbound buses have been re- dants (PCA) will now be required to obtain a city of Yakima. Congratulations Yakima! routed to Alvarado Street from Westlake Metrolink PCA Identification Card. The card RTP News and Views: I will conclude this Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets. Passen- will allow the PCA to accompany the dis- month with some self promotion. RTP News gers can board Line 603 on Alvarado at Wil- abled passenger during their trip. The first and Views Jr. Newsletter (Volume 11½, Is- shire Boulevard. PCA application would cost $25 and every sue 4, May 2013) is complete. This issue -Orange Line: Weekday mid-day service has application thereafter will be $10. The contains a story of the railroad events in been improved to every 8 minutes. Late change is expected to occur sometime dur- Brookville Locomotives: In early June, the southern California in May 2013 and Taking night service has had minor improvements. ing the fall of 2013. first two BL36PH locomotives were released a circle tour of southeast Los Angeles Part 2. Broadway Streetscape Plan: The City of Los from the manufacturer’s shop in Pennsyl- Issues are for sale/trade in either print or Angeles is launching the Bringing Back vania. These are the first commuter locomo- PDF, email me at [email protected] for Broadway project which will reduce traffic by tives built by Brookville and are bound for more information. Written inquires can be one lane in each direction on Broadway in the South Florida Regional Transportation sent to: Downtown LA for sidewalk improvements Authority (RTA) of Miami. RTA operates the Andrew Novak between 1st and 11th Streets. To reduce bus Tri-Rail Commuter service. This two units P.O. Box 2383 - Downey, CA 90242 congestion and ensure bus schedules are are part of a 12 unit order for the Florida maintained, Metro moved the southbound (Continued on Page 9) Transit agency. aAz buses on Lines 30/330 and 40 from Broad-

Page 8 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 5 Public and Legislative Affairs By Dana Gabbard In Memory...

At least new Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti the potential candidates for her Assembly Thomas F. Grose didn't leave us in suspense about who his seat is Damien Goodmon, who has made a Thomas Frederick Grose passed away from cancer on Friday, May 24, 2013. Tom was born Deputy Mayor for transportation issues will name for himself by playing the race card in Long Beach on July 21, 1930. He is survived by his sister, Susan Ann Grose of Overland be. It is Borja Leon who held the same posi- and pandering to baseless fears regarding Park, Kansas, his Aunt, Dorothy Gale Baldecchi along with several nephews and cousins. tion since 2011 in the Villaraigosa admini- Expo Phase I and now the Crenshaw light Tom was valedictorian of the class of 1948 at South Pasadena – San Marino High stration. Meanwhile who will head LADOT rail project. Not a surprise as I have long School. He attended Stanford University with the class and who Garcetti's three appointees to the suspected he harbored political ambitions. of 1952 and later graduated from UCLA. Tom had a long Metro Board will be is a mystery no one But he is no shoe in to win as the potential and successful career as a Certified Public Accountant, seems to know the answer to. candidates include several with impressive starting with the Ernst and Ernst accounting firm. He political credentials and connections. Am I the only one thoroughly tired of the was involved in numerous Los Angeles-area philan- proliferation of lawsuits afflicting transporta- New Flyer's acquisition of North American thropic organizations, serving on boards, often as treas- tion projects in our region? I especially Bus Industries (NABI) for $80 million is in- urer or accountant. Tom was involved in the early days found laughable a recent decision throwing teresting since NABI has long been rumored of the Music Center of Los Angeles County, in leadership out the environmental documents for the to be in weak financial shape. As many of of the Music Center Operating Company. Tom was a Metrolink Perris extension. They were you know, New Flyer recently was awarded railroad and model railroad enthusiast, travelling faulted for what the Judge felt was their in- the latest contract to supply Metro with new throughout the West to ride historic lines. He donated adequacies in disclosing the dire conse- buses. This broke NABI's 10 year monopoly the primary funding for the Thomas F. Grose Library and quences of wheel sequel and lubricant drip- as the sole providers of buses to Metro's op- Research Center at the Orange Empire Railway Museum ping. Thankfully the Riverside County Trans- erations department. I was curious if this in Perris, Calif. He was a member of the Southern Cali- portation Commission is appealing this idi- would have a dire impact on NABI's fi- fornia Chapter Railway and Locomotive Historical Soci- otic decision by a clueless judge catering to nances. Well, that concern is now moot. ety, The Electric Railway Historical Association of South- the NIMBYism of a so-called environmental ern California, the Pacific Railroad Society, and the Add to the list of senior transit agency ex- group. Hope RCTC is able to restore sanity Southern California Transit Advocates. ecutives punished for running afoul of poli- to the process. tics Alex Clifford at METRA (Chicago's com- Remember when I belittled Metro Board muter rail system and former Metro point Olivia Gamboa member Zev Yaroslavsky's idiotic comment person on regional) and Milo Victoria at Om- to the New York Times "A lot of people - if nitrans (who also is a Metro veteran). On June 12, 2013 Metro bus operator not the majority of people - are not paying Olivia Gamboa was killed while on a I'll conclude by expressing warm wishes to their fare". I had to laugh while home sick deadhead to begin her day on Line 18 Long Beach Transit President and CEO Larry th recently and listening in to the monthly at the corner of Broadway and 5 Jackson, a venerable presence and deserv- Metro Board Executive Management and Au- Streets. Her bus was hit by a tow edly well regarded, on the occasion of his dit Committee meeting to hear agency critic truck that was speeding through a red retirement. Thanks for all you did, Mr. Jack- John Wash call this a lie. I guess hyperbole traffic signal. Gamboa was a 13-year for the sake of a soundbite deserves to be son! veteran of Metro and both her hus- called that. band and daughter are operators for Metro. A political shuffle is underway thanks to Curren Price's recent election to the L.A. Southern California Transit Advocates City Council. Assembly member Holly expresses its condolences to both the Mitchell is likely to run for Price's seat in the Joshua Thurman Photo Grose and Gamboa families. State Senate. If Mitchell is successful among

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Page 6 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 7 Transit Updates Continued Transit Topics By Andrew Novak

Page 8 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 5 Transit Updates Continued Transit Updates Continued

For a schedule of the station latchings visit:

metro.net/riding/fares/latching-schedule/

(Continued (Continued on Page 8) on Page 10)

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Page 10 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 3 Bulletin Board / Members in Action Photos of the Month

Page 2 The TRANSIT Advocate www.socata.net Page 11

Southern California Transit Advocates 3010 Wilshire #362 Los Angeles, CA 90010 46¢ First 213.388.2364 Class http://www.socata.net Postage [email protected]

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