Public Transit Policy, Analysis, Advocacy and Education
Newsletter of the Southern California Transit Advocates
Vol 6, No. 7, July 1998

Disclaimer: The Southern California Transit Advocates is not affiliated with any governmental agency or transportation provider. Names and logos of agencies appear for information and reference purposes only.

As the train made its way up to Lancaster, we chatted about the state of transit in Southern California. It was a fairly long trip, compounded by the many curves in the track north of Santa Clarita as the train navigated the hills there. We passed by the hastily built Princessa and Vincent Grade stations, and saw the remnants of the former Palmdale station.

At almost quarter to 11, our group reached Lancaster station. The station is an historic structure, nicely renovated, with some displays about the history of the area. Meeting us there was a field supervisor from AVTA, as had been pre-arranged. He aided us in transferring to AVTA's special Saturday Metrolink Shuttle to Lancaster Factory Outlet stores. As it was not prime shopping season, there were only three other riders on the Gillig Phantom bus. A couple got off at the Factory Stores itself. We stayed aboard and thanks to the cooperative driver were allowed to get off down the street from the stores, next to a WalMart.

We thought we had half an hour between buses, and everyone dashed off to grab a bite at the McDonalds inside the WalMart. It turns out that we missed our bus due to a scheduling error. So now our bite turned into lunch. As true transit advocates we switched to "expert" mode, pulling out bus schedules and on the fly creating a new itinerary. Our original plan to go to downtown Lancaster was altered as we settled on taking Line 7 to Palmdale instead.

Line 7 passes through many new suburban developments and Antelope Valley Community College. Ridership was light, owing to the fact that this was a weekend. The bus passed through fields of sage and joshua trees, and one member pointed out the San Andreas Fault. A little over a half hour later, we got off at the Antelope Valley Mall Transit Center.

This barely rated being called a transit center, consisting of simply a small shelter (probably much welcomed during the hot summer) and a few bus stop signs, in a dusty corner of the parking lot. The mall itself is a football field and a half away. However, AVTA at least has timed transfers. So it was only a few minutes before we escaped this blighted patch by boarding another Gillig, Line 3, driven coincidentally by the same driver who took us to the Factory Outlet.

We passed through more suburbia, including one of the few transit-accessible WalMarts in the area, before entering the more desolate parts of Palmdale. Line 3 changes to being Line 1 in the middle of an oasis of civilization in a dry desert, and we continued riding AVTA's most heavily patronized line.

The bus became very crowded, with a few standees, as we entered Palmdale Blvd. and Downtown Palmdale. I counted almost 40 boardings (not including us) in Downtown. We entered the Antelope Valley Mall again, and came back out to a mass of desert dotted occasionally by small houses and industrial parks. The line was the most direct way to go between Palmdale and Lancaster, and many riders stayed on as a result. We passed by AVTA's offices and yard, and saw where they store their double-decker buses (used for AVTA's weekday commuter route to downtown Los Angeles). Several riders got off at Avenue L to transfer to a waiting Line 5 bound for High Desert Prison and Hospital. A bit later, we got off at the Lancaster City Park Transit Center.

Like the other transit center, this one was spartan and far from civilization, this time in the middle of a parking lot at a park, and across the street from an auto center. But it was less of an eyesore (plus the nearby game center provided facilities and sold refreshments). From there, we hopped on Line 4, which went through a more urbanized segment of Lancaster. This trip was uneventful. We stayed aboard until the bus came back to the City Park. By now, it was mid afternoon, almost 2. A few of us explored the park, while others snacked on food they brought [including rice cakes provided by our President], as we waited for Line 2.

Line 2 had quite a few riders as well. It passed through mainly residential areas, before coming out into the edge of civilization, but went back into Downtown Lancaster. The desert sun had started to beat down harder in the afternoon, so we got off and entered Lancaster's spacious new public library to leave some SO.CA.TA brochures and rest. We only had to walk a few blocks to the Metrolink station and arrived early to make sure we caught the last Los Angeles bound train of the day from Lancaster. Our homeward bound journey began at almost half past 4, with our arrival in Los Angeles coming just after 6. Curiously the return Metrolink had more passengers than the one we came out on, though neither was as crowded with riders as occurs during the week.

The trip was interesting for the variety of terrain covered. One route started urbanized, with apartment buildings lining both sides of the street, only to become rural as it passed through desolate, barren desert where allegedly antelope once had run, followed by newly built suburban housing and commercial tracts. The ridership was surprising, especially in Downtown Palmdale. What was not surprising was the ridership demographic, which was typical of transit dependent populations. The trip also highlighted the need to plan our schedules more carefully, and to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong. Overall, we had a good time, and learned a bit about a part of Los Angeles County we normally don't pay much attention to.

So, where to should we go next Spring?