I was in LA last year and before that I stayed there for more than a month. I used public transportation most of the time and rarely drove.

I have to say that it is true that it's hard to get around the city without a car but there are several areas that are accessible by public transportation whether it's the bus, subway, etc.

I stayed in Culver City when I was there. The Culver City bus runs frequently like every 10 mins. I usually keep schedules of buses so I can get to the bus station on time. It's no problem since there were buses in my area that goes to Century City or can transfer to buses that goes to Downtown, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, etc.

On the other hand, there was one point I stayed at a friend's place at San Dimas and found it difficult to commute. In fact I walked most of the time to reach the city's commercial centres. It's quite a walk at being a HKer myself, I'm used to it and at least I get my exercise.

Anyway, that's my experience and I think that there are those who had their experiences as well.

How about yours? Also which parts of LA (including neighbouring counties) do you think are very accessible to public transportation and which are not?

http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/71948480/original.jpg
A photo I took of the Culver City Bus. This one is the special edition and a promotion to visit the city :)

I think you can access the major centers like Downtown, Hollywood, Wilshire, and Long Beach. Though LA still isn't regarded as having a good mass transit system due to the fact that the Westside is completely inaccessible via rail. Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, and Santa Monica are some of the most popular areas in LA for residents and especially tourists. By extending the Purple Line to the sea, tourists would be able to access all of the touristy areas without a car. The commute from the Westside would be made easier and would significantly reduce traffic during rush hour.

Overall, LA has an okay mass transit system. It covers a good amount of the LA Basin but the areas that need rail the most don't have access to the system.

No need for a car in LA!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/final-1080.gif

Well San Dimas is a far away suburb from the city of LA. Like many american suburbs public transportation isn't the best. I have to disagree about the the city of LA, and especially within the LA Basin, and the some of the cities within the basin such as Long Beach, Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills(mostly central BH), Inglewood, etc. Although Pasadena is in the San Gabrial Valley, I would extend this as part of the region that bus service is decent, and an added plus is they have light rail to downtown LA.

Oh btw I drive to work, but I could also take rail all the way, or just one bus from Long Beach over to Redondo Beach. Since I work the graveyard shift and I like to head to the gym directly after work, I choose to drive instead.

San Dimas is FAR from LA. Even NYC's subway doesn't access suburbs that are as far away from Manhattan as San Dimas is from LA.

I think you can access the major centers like Downtown, Hollywood, Wilshire, and Long Beach. Though LA still isn't regarded as having a good mass transit system due to the fact that the Westside is completely inaccessible via rail. Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, and Santa Monica are some of the most popular areas in LA for residents and especially tourists. By extending the Purple Line to the sea, tourists would be able to access all of the touristy areas without a car. The commute from the Westside would be made easier and would significantly reduce traffic during rush hour.

Overall, LA has an okay mass transit system. It covers a good amount of the LA Basin but the areas that need rail the most don't have access to the system.

The westside of LA is accessible by rail but the area has a good bus system. MTA, Culver City and the Big Blue Bus are frequent in these area. In fact I met alot of foreign tourists riding the Big Blue Bus.

The map you show, if LA had that kind of system, it can rival that of NY, London or even Tokyo.

San Dimas is FAR from LA. Even NYC's subway doesn't access suburbs that are as far away from Manhattan as San Dimas is from LA.

NYC's subway system does not reach the farther suburban areas including New Jersey and Long Island but they have suburban/commuter rails that travel through these areas.

I actually stayed in an NJ suburb and I took the NJ Transit going to Manhattan.

SF on the other hand has a similar system as well, The Caltrain. It's line travels from SF to the Silicon Valley and up to Gilroy

And you can still reach LA from places like San Dimas, its called Metrolink. Also the Foothill Transit has 24 hour service into LA, and a good part of it is freeway express along the 10 Freeway from the San Gabriel Valley. My neices come into LA all the time via the Metrolink trains from the Inland Empire.

Of course NY has a better commuter rail network than LA, for one thing its been around much longer. Yet it also has its limits as well, believe me I know. Anytime I visit my friends out on Long Island, they have to pick me up from the LI railroad station. Also I once had to wait until the am because I missed the last train back to Manhattan. I was coming from Brentwood Long Island, so even in the NY burbs the train does not run 24 hours.

I always heard that there was a bus hub in my hood. Until this day I still have noidea where it's location is? I do know that from Sepulveda you do have many options of bus service:

MTA
Big Blue Bus
Culver City
Fly Away (Van Nuys & Downtown)
Green Line (Kind of)
I have even seen the Santa Clarita Transit bus. It look more a greyhound type of bus.
Lastly some white buses with huge blue letters, COMMUTER something. Not sure where does even go?

On the other hand, there was one point I stayed at a friend's place at San Dimas and found it difficult to commute. In fact I walked most of the time to reach the city's commercial centres. It's quite a walk at being a HKer myself, I'm used to it and at least I get my exercise.

)

And this is why it is of no advantage to go around calling areas that lie over 30 miles from the city center part of LA.

I always heard that there was a bus hub in my hood. Until this day I still have noidea where it's location is? .....Lastly some white buses with huge blue letters, COMMUTER something. Not sure where does even go?

OMG, ferney, the COMMUTER "something" is the COMMUTER EXPRESS. I take the 438 bus from Redondo Beach to DTLA...the stop is half a block behind my house in RB and I get off at 7th/Figueroa, just 2 blocks from my office. $1.75 one way and it takes 45 to 50 minutes to get to DTLA via the carpool lane on the 105 and 110 fwys...pure heaven! I use this line 2-3 times a week if I do not have to leave the office for the day. That's the problerm I see in LA's public transit system, it may be easy to get from RB to DTLA, but a problem if you want to move around say from DTLA to the Westside then to the Valley, then to Hollywood and back to DTLA...it's practically impossible to do that without driving a car or taking a taxi which would cost you a fortune. So, if I have meetings in Century City, Burbank and Santa Monica in one day, I do not have a choice but to drive my SUV, take a taxi (rarely) or borrow the office car.

I always heard that there was a bus hub in my hood. Until this day I still have noidea where it's location is? I do know that from Sepulveda you do have many options of bus service:

MTA
Big Blue Bus
Culver City
Fly Away (Van Nuys & Downtown)
Green Line (Kind of)
I have even seen the Santa Clarita Transit bus. It look more a greyhound type of bus.
Lastly some white buses with huge blue letters, COMMUTER something. Not sure where does even go?

I believe that's the LAX Parking Lot C.
The Green Line Aviation Station is also a major bus hub.

so time for one of my stupid questions. Why do the red line trains not have something to make sure the door dosent close on people? And more than that, why can you completly open the doors while the train is in motion? I ask cuz i was really really drunk so i took the red line and almost died leaning against the door

^^ We have a winner.... Oh boy!

So don't lean against the doors!!:ohno:

so time for one of my stupid questions. Why do the red line trains not have something to make sure the door dosent close on people? And more than that, why can you completly open the doors while the train is in motion? I ask cuz i was really really drunk so i took the red line and almost died leaning against the door

They do. If the door catches someone while closing, it automatically re-opens.

As for opening the doors when the train is in motion, I don't think it's possible, although the difference in air pressure between the tunnels and the inside of the car can sometimes make a small gap between the doors.

so, after my adventure to hong kong. i started thinking more and more how the daily commute sucks the ass. thus, i rode metro for the first time [well first time trying to go to work]

the red line is a sweet mama-jama. took me like, what 10 min to get from downtown to universal. sexy.

metro rapid buses also get the nod.

but what does not get the nod, is the 78 serving arcadia to downtown. that bus is the slowest thing i have ever been on. took me almost an hour to get from san gabriel and las tunas to union station.

i need to find my self a SGV rapid

:)

Their has to be something that gets you from that part of SGV to downtown pretty reasonably. El Monte busway? Metrolink? A rapid?

the 487 is none too good ither. it uses the i-10-busway, but the time tables suck. not so good for night time travel. daytime travel is out of the question because it will go way out of the way.

the 378 only runs until 7.51 am. thats a no.

metrolink also a pooh pooh, 9.75 for a round trip, and i have to get from el monte to san gabriel.

i think the 78 is still the only viable option. it runs till midnight at about 15 min between buses. i hope there is a rapid sometime soon in the future

When are they going to build new subway/ light rail lines?

Isn't it pathetic how Calgary's light rail system has the same ridership as LA's? (Calgary's metro population is 1.1 million)

yep, sure is. thanks for stopping by

When are they going to build new subway/ light rail lines?

Isn't it pathetic how Calgary's light rail system has the same ridership as LA's? (Calgary's metro population is 1.1 million)

Fuck ridership that can change. Take a look at this:

Climate

Calgary has a highland continental climate with long, but highly variable, winters and short, warm summers (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 3b). The climate is greatly influenced by the city's elevation and close proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Although Calgary's winters can be uncomfortably cold, warm, dry Chinook winds routinely blow into the city from the Pacific Ocean during the winter months, giving Calgarians a break from the cold. These winds have been known to raise the winter temperature by up to 15°C (27°F) in just a few hours, and may last several days.

According to Environment Canada, the average temperature in Calgary ranges from a January daily average of −9°C (16°F) to a July daily average of 16°C (61°F).

and frosts can occur in any month of the year. Calgary has experienced snowfall even in July and August.

No wonder you are so obsessed with LA, you're miserable!:lol:
Here's a little something to cheer you up..............
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/hollywood3.jpg

But being someone who supports high transit use anywhere Calgary has an exemplary reputation with transit. Using simple formulas like transit ridership(daily) divided by metro pop might not be accurate in any shape or form but may give us a ball park figure of how transit is viewed in certain areas. Calgary is at around a 36% usage which is great. By contrast with other American cities these are the percentages that I end up with:
NYC 47%
SF 26%
Boston 22%
Chicago 20%
DC 18%
Phili 17%
LA 15%
Atlanta 10%
San Diego 9%
Houston/San Antonio 7%
Phoenix/Dallas 4%

:lol: