hank.walker@UNH.CS.CMU.EDU.UUCP (08/17/86)
The RTD (Rapid Transit District) in LA is very large, but does not serve a large fraction of the population. The fundamental reason for this is that LA is a rather amorphous place, and people tend to live and work in random places. Consequently it is very difficult to plan reasonable bus routes, and you can't go anywhere without several transfers. My experience was probably typical. There is a bus that stops on Hawthorne Blvd. about a half mile from my parents' house in Rancho Palos Verdes. This bus runs down Pacific Coast Highway to Sepulveda, and stops around Lincoln. Unfortunately I worked several miles farther on at Hughes Culver City. I could walk about a mile to enter Culver City and take a bus to the front gate of the plant. It's then another half mile walk to the office. Overall this is about a two mile walk and hour bus ride, so probably two hours minimum commuting each way ignoring queueing time. All other bus routes require lots of transfering. In contrast, I could drive and get from front door to office in an hour during rush hour, and as little as a half hour with no traffic (speeding of course). Carpooling doesn't catch on very well when you work random hours. My roommates and I all have offices within 100 feet of each other, but we go to school separately since who knows when we'll go home. Similarly my dad always found carpooling difficult (he did it for a while). Hourly workers or strict eight-to-fivers would have a much better time of it. The only transit system that will really succeed in LA is one that goes as faster or faster than a car including queueing time, works at all hours, and goes from anywhere to anywhere. Possible solutions include jet packs, teleportation, and personal rapid transit. Unfortunately none of these exist or they cost too much. -------