| Are the trains and buses reliable? Fast? Comfortable?
Do they go where you want to go, when you want to go there? Is the
fare reasonable? Are you getting the service you deserve?
Or, do you drive alone in a car, van, truck, or other similar vehicle
during peak hours more than two or three times per week? Do you
like the traffic jams that happen in all big cities during peak
hours?
If you're not happy with the answers to these questions, you can
join your fellow riders and commuters in working for better public
transportation.
The Southern California Transit Advocates (SO.CA.TA) is
an all-volunteer, not-for-profit educational organization working
to improve transit service in the five-county Southern California
area. Most of us are regular riders of the MTA, other local bus
lines, and Metrolink. Some of us are transit professionals, some
have become experts through long years of riding and observing,
and some are simply concerned citizens who recognize the importance
of good public transit to our communities' quality of life.
SO.CA.TA wants safe, clean, comfortable, reliable, and efficient
transit that takes people where they want, when they want, and at
a reasonable fare. We want service coordinated among MTA, other
municipal bus operators, and Metrolink so that passengers could
shift from overcrowded buses and roads to reliable rapid transit
and commuter trains. We want transit boards, whether appointed or
elected, to be responsive to riders' needs; they must not look at
transit as a source of patronage jobs and contracts for political
cronies. We believe that transit facilities should be built for
the convenience and accessibility of the public, not for the egos
of politicians and bureaucrats.
All SO.CA.TA members receive THE TRANSIT ADVOCATE newsletter, which
contains information about public transit projects and public meetings.
We also have developed a transit guide which will make using buses
and trains more convenient.
In conclusion, we of the Southern California Transit Advocates
will not accept anything less than the very best public transit,
achievable within our limited resources, for the five county Los
Angeles metropolitan area.
|
|
SO.CA.TA Supports . . .
Improvement of existing bus services
Development of a rail network for Southern
California area, with at-grade or elevated construction preferred
over expensive subways.
Adoption of coordinated service, joint fare
and transfer agreements between transit operators, eventually
leading to a single fare instrument usable on all systems.
Integrated and comprehensive transit construction
and planning.
|
|
SO.CA.TA Opposes. . .
Continued freeway construction, roadway development, and traffic
capacity expansion, especially at the expense of needed transit
development.
"Technological adventurism"Üthe
use of novel technologies (e.g. magnetic levitation, automation)
which have not been developed enough for public transit use
and do not deliver a significant benefit over conventional
technologies
The current philosophy of routing rail transit
lines, which often is based more on political expediency than
on maximum potential ridership.
|
|
