The legislature has yet another bill before it to change the composition of the MTA Board, AB 1652 (Nakano). And as usual it does nothing to increase accountability or address the imbalance in board membership. Instead it seeks to enlarge the board to appease caterwauling officials in outlying smaller cities who complain their areas don't have a voice on the board or get their "fair share". That such parochialism should so often be catered to amazes me no end. The bloated roster of the Riverside County Transportation Commission (containing 30 members) illustrates the Reductio ad absurdum of "every city needs represented". Amazingly the Ventura County Transportation Commission is in the midst of just such an expansion.

Ken Ruben shared with me an eye opening article ("Saeta Leaves Gold Line Post", Pasadena Star-News April 4) on how the shifting politics of South Pasadena resulted in Gold Line critic David Margrave being appointed to the Gold Line Authority Board. As a member of the Pasadena Avenue Monterey Road Committee Margrave was among those submitting numerous complaints against the project to the PUC citing concerns regarding noise and train speed. The article quotes Margrave that he intends to continue pursuing his agenda "from the inside". This may make for some lively Authority Board meetings.

transit agency board meeting moment of the month: AVTA Director Rick Norris at the March 24 AVTA Board meeting during a discussion of a proposed new flag down and courtesy stop policy for route miles in undeveloped areas stated he though AVTA should stop for any person anywhere flagging the bus down. AVTA Executive Director Bill Budlong explained why such a policy in developed areas would be unsafe and impact on-time performance. The board then unanimously voted to adopt the policy only for undeveloped areas.

Foothill's Performance Indicators Report for February in a discussion of schedule adherence complaints from riders of lines 480 and 481 states "A possible reason for missed trips by the contractor is the number of downed buses, as the contractor has lost three buses to fires this year". YEOW!

One result of MTA's splitting into sectors is a change in the culture of malaise that often beset the agency in the past. As a centralized regional entity MTA tended to be cautious; proposals would often linger for years in a limbo of "maybe someday we'll do it". The new Sectors have shed this lethargy. The sector General Managers want to quickly show results by undertaking visible service improvements (more frequent service on heavy ridership routes, new routes serving emerging markets, etc.). Budget constraints mean the only source of funds for such improvements are service cuts. Thus we have had quick action on some ideas that were heretofore often discussed but never implemented (restructuring proposals, the elimination of low ridership or duplicative routes). And evidently this is only the beginning...

Well, despite successfully building what will be the first commercial maglev line linking Shanghai and its airport the Chinese government has decided not to have maglev as the technology for a high speed link between Shanghai and Beijing. The decision was based on the high cost of maglev and its lack of compatibility with steel wheel infrastructure. Meanwhile the Nevada to Anaheim maglev project received a recent boost when the Federal Railroad Administration agreed to be the lead agency and sponsor for the project's Environmental Impact Statement. This positions it to supplant the wilting Pittsburgh and Baltimore maglev projects as recipient of the Billion dollar federal maglev demonstration grant as part of TEA3 renewal.

I'd like to conclude by enthusiastically endorsing new L.A. Dept. of Transportation General Manager Wayne Tanda's proposal (as outlined in the April Metro Investment Report) to establish a comprehensive safety education and awareness program to modify driver behavior, ultimately reducing the number of crashes and extent of congestion. This is one idea that I think our group and AAA could both enthusiastically embrace!