I was born and raised in Southern California. I remember as a child
in the early 1960's the last street cars running down Santa Barbara Ave(Now
MLK Blvd). This was later replaced by RTD #5, now MTA #40. I remember
in the early 1970's Kenneth Hahn's instution of the 10 cent Sunday bus
Fare and 25 cent weekday fare. I was in junior high school and living
in Carson then. My family used to take Sunday drives and one Sunday
we decided to take RTD #37 to downtown Los Angeles. I eventually
got to know almost every RTD line by getting bus schedules at the
ARCO Plaza and traveling most of the the lines. In college
at USC, I also took the bus every day from Carson. Eventually a dream
come true, I was a driver for the RTD out of Division 3 in 1980-1981.
In 1981, I was accepted into Medical School in Boston. Every day
for the first two years I took the T (MBTA) from Hyde Park MA to Boston.
I noticed that the east coast had a warmer comradery than the west coast.
East coast were true brothers. One Red Line driver let my son hold the
control handle as we riding under Boston.I came back home and lived
in Long Beach in 1985 and was very happy to have the new Blue Line come
to my city. I was very happy to meet your group at the Western Red
Line Station when it opened. I was a member, then lost touch and was happy
to find SCTA at the Hollywood Red Line station with your new transit guide.
I remember back in 1980 when I was a driver, that the half cent sales
tax was approved. It passed becasue of the recent oil embarge and
the 1-2 hour lines at the gas stations. At that time you were allowed for
several months to buy gas on odd/even days depending on your lisence plate.
At that time, the RTD told me that if the measure did not pass that there
would be lay offs. I dare say that even though I am a strong transit
advocate, that if any measures were put on the ballot today for any for
of rapid transit, that it probably would not pass.
I am happy to see the progress in the rail projects. I am happy
to see progress in Metro Rail
I am unhappy that: the Green line was not finished to the LAX terminals
from Aviation Station; there is no non-stop train using Blue/Green line
rails for non stop service Downtown to LAX;
the Green line does not go truely down to Redondo Beach that it could
have if it used the old Santa Fe right of way; the heavy bus ridership
of East LA were denied use of the Red Line that they so deserved;
and that the MTA spent close to ONE HALF BILLION dollars in construction
of their building.
Issues as the above has stirred my interest in So Cal Transit Advocates.