Post by bennyp81 on Jun 20, 2005 6:35:05 GMT -8
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Mar 18th 5:03 AM
If someone can get the original story, it would be great!
Downtown L.A. News: Monday, March 17, 2003
Letters to the Editor
Reader Response to Recent Articles (published on 3/17/03)
Take Two on Filming Downtown
Dear Editor: The problems surrounding the use of Downtown by film crews is not limited to the grievances of residents ("Film Grievances Intensify," March 3, 2003). Downtown is a major meeting point for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other transit agencies, yet when streets are closed for filming, there is rarely notice given to those agencies -- who frequently find themselves detouring service. As a result, the agencies are unable to give advance notice to passengers, who are unaware that their bus stop has been moved.
A great deal of Downtown's character comes from those who visit via public transit, and riders have as much right as residents to be notified by film crews. I would suggest coordinating with transit agencies to post notices at bus stops at least 24 hours in advance.
--Kymberleigh Richards, president of the Southern California Transit Advocates
Dear Editor:
Tom Burrows wasn't speaking for everyone when he said he didn't want to drive production out of Downtown. Driving them out is incomparably the best thing this community could do for itself.
Far from being a money-maker, persistent filming is a form of urban blight that offers film companies a perverse subsidy of millions of dollars in forestalled development and uncollected sales and property taxes. The permit fees they pay are essentially kickbacks. In a depopulated and voiceless Downtown, the scam worked. That's changing, and it's about time.
--Bruce Swanson
Þ--Þ--Þ
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 18th 5:11 AM
Bart, your wish is my command!
**********
From Downtown News
February 28, 2003
Film Grievances Intensify Amid EIDC Scandal
Downtown Residents Try to Solve Problems With 'Building Captains'
by Jason Mandell
As Downtown's residential population surges, its effort to have a voice in the community is growing as well. Perhaps the hottest issue being taken up by the area's socially and politically active tenants is filming, which many complain is negatively impacting their daily lives.
Residents charge that the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation (EIDC), founded in 1995 to handle film permitting in Los Angeles, has allowed film companies to use Downtown's residential neighborhoods as a back lot, showing a frequent lack of respect for the community. Now, with the EIDC embroiled in a financial and political scandal, filming practices are being further called into question.
Disgruntled residents, most of whom live in the Historic Core, complain that loud noises, parking restrictions, street closures and rude treatment from film crews are common. EIDC officials say they are trying to mitigate the problems.
Jim Bosche, who lives in the Spring Towers, recalled an incident a month ago when he and dozens of other tenants in his building were kept up through the night by a loud crane on a film set.
"(The crane made an) unbelievable noise that started at 2 a.m. and didn't stop until the sun came up," said Bosche.
Bosche and the other residents complained and asked for $100 each for the inconvenience, but were rebuffed. They persisted, and ultimately, said Bosche, the film company delivered fruit baskets to a few of the residents.
"It's an incredible insult for somebody to throw a fruit basket at you," he said.
Darryl Seif, the EIDC's vice president and general manager of operations, said the agency is trying to work with production companies to appease Downtown residents.
"We're working with the Downtown community the same as we work with every community in L.A.," said Seif. "We're identifying the problems and concerns. We're looking for solutions to lessen the concerns."
Kimmy McCann, who rents a workspace and gallery in the Music Building on Spring Street, said the EIDC needs to better monitor film crews, which she charged are sometimes abusive. She cited an instance when she wanted to use an empty parking space, in a lot being rented by a film company, for a few minutes to unload her car. She said a security guard denied her request, then unleashed a string of expletives.
McCann, a member of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC), said she then approached members of the crew who were gathered outside the building and asked who was in charge, but got no answers. McCann said such interactions are typical between residents and film companies.
"There's no accountability," McCann said. "That's the part that's really hard down here."
Walter Roshetski, an assistant location manager for the television show NYPD Blue, which has been filming in Downtown for a decade, acknowledged that shooting causes constant battles between film crews and tenants.
"There's not a Downtown environment that we have been in that has not been a disruption to tenants," Roshetski said.
But Roshetski said much of the problem stems from building managers, who often sign off on shoots and even take financial compensation (Roshetski said the show hands out $1,500-$2,500 a day to property managers) without notifying their tenants of the filming.
Backlash Against the EIDC
Despite the numerous players involved, many residents say the EIDC is ultimately responsible for the majority of filming problems. The situation is complicated by the agency's recent turmoils: Several months ago its president, Cody Cluff, resigned after an investigation by District Attorney Steve Cooley's office charged that Cluff and others used EIDC funds on lavish personal expenses and political contributions.
The investigation also found that Cluff may have helped fund film production in other cities, allegedly channeling $10,000 to the Pittsburgh Film Office. A spokesperson for the D.A.'s office said a personal relationship between Cluff and the head of the Pittsburgh agency may have prompted the alleged gift.
Cluff has been replaced by 72-year-old film industry veteran Lindsley Parsons, Jr., who is serving as interim president. Parsons, now in his fifth week on the job, admits that he is not very familiar with Downtown's filming conflicts.
Seif said Cooley's investigation, which is ongoing, has not impeded operations at the EIDC. He noted that the agency continues to maintain a low number of complaints citywide -- 2.5% for each production day.
Captain Crunch
Conflict between film crews and tenants in Downtown is nothing new. Film companies have long favored the area for its ability to resemble a diverse number of locales. While in the past grievances came largely from business owners, who complained that shoots were keeping away customers, production crews must now contend with an increasingly united and vocal residential community whose lives continue after the shops close at 5 p.m.
In an attempt to increase communication between the new loft dwellers and the film industry, Seif recently established a program calling for Downtown "building captains." Each loft building would have one captain, who would act as a liaison to the EIDC as well as production companies, voicing tenants' concerns and troubleshooting problems.
Doug Wance, who heads DLANC, offered to help gather building captains. Since putting the call out for volunteers in December, Wance says several people have signed up.
Wance, an attorney, said he is optimistic about the building captain program. He said that talking with location managers is the best approach to solving the conflicts.
"Every time I have a problem I go downstairs," said Wance. "I look for the location manager and I tell them what my problems are."
Wance said in most cases the location managers have complied with his requests, especially after he asks to see their permit and points out any violations.
Tom Burrows, a resident of the Old Bank District who volunteered to serve as a building captain, said he and other residents do not intend to stifle film production in Downtown. Rather, he hopes to force production companies to comply with the regulations set out for them in their permits, which are usually administered by the EIDC.
"We don't want to drive them out, we just want them to follow the rules," said Burrows. "If the permit says 7 o'clock, don't come until 7 o'clock."
Wance said the building captains are scheduled to hold their first meeting with Seif and other EIDC officials on March 5. While he has high hopes for the new program, Wance said further steps might be necessary to improve the situation.
"I'm hoping it works out," said Wance. "But if it doesn't, I'd be more than happy for the neighborhood council to take up this issue."
PForce
User ID: 0596854 Mar 18th 12:04 PM
Somewhere else I posted something that happened to me about a year and a half ago. I talked my wife into taking the Santa Monica Blue Bus freeway flier to downtown to hear a concert up on Bunker Hill, instead of driving. Getting there was smooth going, and the bus left us off just two blocks from the concert.
Afterwards, we waited for at least an hour in the dark and a chilly wind for the bus to come. (I had the schedule, and knew what time the bus was supposed to come.) As it turned out, the buses had been re-routed because of unanounced (to us) filming. I finally saw an inbound bus going by toward Union Station, and since he had to stop, I ran across the street and yelled at him through his window. He explained the situation and said that he would be back to pick us up, which he did--about a half-hour later. Finding a bus downtown is hard enough without complicating things by allowing filming crews to detour bus routes.
(The crew probably had good reason to feel that it would be OK, since the streets are absolutely deserted after 7 or 8 o'clock.)
Andrew S
User ID: 0269124 Mar 18th 6:39 PM
Riders really do not get treated than well. My guess is that the RTD/MTA culture has not exactly been "customer first" for many years.
The appalling physical conditions in which passengers are expected to wait for buses (and, yes, the Green Line in the I-105) is testament to an embedded culture that for a transit agency is terribly askew.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 18th 7:04 PM
Waiting for the Green Line at Rosa Parks on my return trip back to Norwalk is always the low-light of my evening. Last night it was windy and freezing cold, and headways are an excruciating 20 minutes. It was so windy and cold that people were actually crawling under the benches and crouching against the poles to keep warm. Some went down the stairwells, but most of those missed the train when it finally came because they couldn't hear it with all the freeway noise. And nobody was going to run back out in the cold to get them.
An added element of torture are the numerous "Not in service" trains that pass by at night, causing false alarms. I must be the only one that understands when they start yelling at the crowds trying to board "This is a NON-REVENUE TRAIN!" Since nobody has a clue what that means, they keep trying to get on. Public outreach is obviously not the MTA's forte.
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 19th 12:52 PM
Roberto-
There are plenty of stations in Europe that are outdoors too, and not all of them have waiting rooms, and the weather in much of Europe is a lot colder than it is in L.A.
It is not the MTA's fault that the weather was cold. What exactly do you expect them to do about it?
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 19th 1:03 PM
clarification- much of Europe can get a lot colder than L.A.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 19th 2:43 PM
I used to live in Europe. Most stations in the countries I lived in were indoors, but the ones that were outdoors still had much better sheltering ... because in L.A. we usually have such nice weather, our stations are not designed or even just a little bit of wind and rain.
That said, my main complaint at Rosa Parks station is the aggravating noise levels. I have never seen (or rather, heard) anything like that in Europe. Try waiting there for 20 minutes 3 or 4 times a week late in the evening like I do ... you'll start hating that station real quick. It's very customer unfriendly.
And the connections are very poorly timed with the Blue Line late at night ... the southbound Blue Line comes by only a minute or two AFTER the eastbound Green Line passes, so you pretty much always have to wait the full 20 minutes.
As soon as the Gold Line opens, I'll never have to set foot on the Rosa Park Green Line platform again!
Robert
User ID: 0680084 Mar 19th 3:03 PM
Roberto,
NEVER say "Never." ;o)
Bob
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 20th 1:26 PM
I can think of a large number of stations in the UK, both urban and rural, that had less shelter then Green Line stations.
Ok- so maybe a waiting room would be nice. Where would you put it?
I used to take the Green Line to work and that involved waiting at Rosa Parks at rush hour. It was not that pleasant, but it never bothered me the way it seems to bother a lot of people here.
That timing is poor. I used to have that kind of timing at Wilshire/Westwood late at night.
Andrew S
User ID: 0269124 Mar 20th 4:39 PM
At rush hour, if the traffic is congested and therefore slowed, the noise is much lower then when traffic is free flowing and ripping through there at 70 to 80 mph. Big difference!
PForce
User ID: 0596854 Mar 20th 6:53 PM
My impression, one going back to the 1950s when I rode busses a lot, is that the MTA nee SCRTD nee RTD etc. has never taken passenger convenience seriously, but considered their mission to be much like that of a welfare caseworker or jailer. They usually had only contempt for those who had to take the bus, could be very rude and impatient, and probably figured that they were doing all these losers a big favor in letting them get on the bus. They were very casual about meeting the bus schedule timetable, if there actually was one. It wasn't unusual for them to yell at a passenger.
It is only in the last 10 years or so that much of this has changed. Now the majority are considerate and helpful, and really try to keep to a schedule, although a few of the drivers are like the old timers. (I had the impudence to flag a Santa Monica bus downtown on a Saturday evening a week ago, and he almost didn't stop, and then gave me a dirty look when we got on. He got on the freeway, turned off all the lights, got in the fast lane, and drove above the speed limit the whole way to S.M. The Santa Monica Blue Line has become a fairly dependable line, with usually pretty considerate drivers.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 20th 8:16 PM
Not a waiting room ... how about plexiglass sound barriers along the chain-link fence to reduce the noise. And a little bit more roof ... if you've never been at Rosa Parks station on a rainy day, look up. Despite the support posts, you may be surprised to see that there is no roof, except over the escalators. When it's crowded and raining, not everybody fits in the stairwells.
You said rush hour at Rosa Parks station was "not that pleasant" but that is actually the best time to be there, so you can just imagine what the rest of the day must be like. Because one side of the freeway is usually bumper-to-bumper during rush hour, the noise levels are much lower than any other time. Late evenings, when I'm usually there, are defeaning.
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 21st 1:40 PM
That plexiglass idea is a good idea, Roberto. I was thinking about some of the stations that I had in mind in the UK. What they had was a kind of combination between waiting room and plexiglass. They resemble the shelters and some of our better busstops. Installing some of those would probably be a nice idea. Plexiglass fot he whole station is a better idea.
I had forgotten about the lack of roof. That is probably because my long waits at Rosa Parks tended to be for the northbound Blue line.
Cliffj
User ID: 0812164 Mar 23rd 1:27 AM
Though I'm not as well travelled as many on this list, I do recall a HORRIBLE bus transit station in suburban Boston I used to have to transfer busses at. I remember having to wait for more than half hour in sleet and 27* weather outside while the drivers sat inside the 'for drivers only' waiting room. I wasn't allowed to wait inside a bus because, "You might steal it and we can't take that chance.". I'll NEVER forget that experience...The East Coast can be soooo cruel!!!
Actually, I don't remember ANY rude treatment from any RTD drivers. I have encountered rudeness from drivers in other cities, including San Diego....Oh, wait a minute, maybe once in 1990 I took a bus in No. Hollywood for the first time in many years and the driver was a bit rude about the fare, but other than that I found the complete opposite. Most drivers were rather friendly or tolerant of me and my little sister's silliness. (There was this one older driver when I was in middle school with a large bulbous Carl Maldenesque nose and me and my sister used to laugh at it because it 'looked like it was made of putty with alot of pinholes in it'
I remeber another Hispanic driver on the Altadena route who used to have two or three young ladies sitting with him at his terminus layover. This guy was tooo coool! Other than those guys, I don't remember any driver to be rude or condesending to me or any passengers.
User ID: 1606604 Mar 18th 5:03 AM
If someone can get the original story, it would be great!
Downtown L.A. News: Monday, March 17, 2003
Letters to the Editor
Reader Response to Recent Articles (published on 3/17/03)
Take Two on Filming Downtown
Dear Editor: The problems surrounding the use of Downtown by film crews is not limited to the grievances of residents ("Film Grievances Intensify," March 3, 2003). Downtown is a major meeting point for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other transit agencies, yet when streets are closed for filming, there is rarely notice given to those agencies -- who frequently find themselves detouring service. As a result, the agencies are unable to give advance notice to passengers, who are unaware that their bus stop has been moved.
A great deal of Downtown's character comes from those who visit via public transit, and riders have as much right as residents to be notified by film crews. I would suggest coordinating with transit agencies to post notices at bus stops at least 24 hours in advance.
--Kymberleigh Richards, president of the Southern California Transit Advocates
Dear Editor:
Tom Burrows wasn't speaking for everyone when he said he didn't want to drive production out of Downtown. Driving them out is incomparably the best thing this community could do for itself.
Far from being a money-maker, persistent filming is a form of urban blight that offers film companies a perverse subsidy of millions of dollars in forestalled development and uncollected sales and property taxes. The permit fees they pay are essentially kickbacks. In a depopulated and voiceless Downtown, the scam worked. That's changing, and it's about time.
--Bruce Swanson
Þ--Þ--Þ
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 18th 5:11 AM
Bart, your wish is my command!
**********
From Downtown News
February 28, 2003
Film Grievances Intensify Amid EIDC Scandal
Downtown Residents Try to Solve Problems With 'Building Captains'
by Jason Mandell
As Downtown's residential population surges, its effort to have a voice in the community is growing as well. Perhaps the hottest issue being taken up by the area's socially and politically active tenants is filming, which many complain is negatively impacting their daily lives.
Residents charge that the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation (EIDC), founded in 1995 to handle film permitting in Los Angeles, has allowed film companies to use Downtown's residential neighborhoods as a back lot, showing a frequent lack of respect for the community. Now, with the EIDC embroiled in a financial and political scandal, filming practices are being further called into question.
Disgruntled residents, most of whom live in the Historic Core, complain that loud noises, parking restrictions, street closures and rude treatment from film crews are common. EIDC officials say they are trying to mitigate the problems.
Jim Bosche, who lives in the Spring Towers, recalled an incident a month ago when he and dozens of other tenants in his building were kept up through the night by a loud crane on a film set.
"(The crane made an) unbelievable noise that started at 2 a.m. and didn't stop until the sun came up," said Bosche.
Bosche and the other residents complained and asked for $100 each for the inconvenience, but were rebuffed. They persisted, and ultimately, said Bosche, the film company delivered fruit baskets to a few of the residents.
"It's an incredible insult for somebody to throw a fruit basket at you," he said.
Darryl Seif, the EIDC's vice president and general manager of operations, said the agency is trying to work with production companies to appease Downtown residents.
"We're working with the Downtown community the same as we work with every community in L.A.," said Seif. "We're identifying the problems and concerns. We're looking for solutions to lessen the concerns."
Kimmy McCann, who rents a workspace and gallery in the Music Building on Spring Street, said the EIDC needs to better monitor film crews, which she charged are sometimes abusive. She cited an instance when she wanted to use an empty parking space, in a lot being rented by a film company, for a few minutes to unload her car. She said a security guard denied her request, then unleashed a string of expletives.
McCann, a member of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC), said she then approached members of the crew who were gathered outside the building and asked who was in charge, but got no answers. McCann said such interactions are typical between residents and film companies.
"There's no accountability," McCann said. "That's the part that's really hard down here."
Walter Roshetski, an assistant location manager for the television show NYPD Blue, which has been filming in Downtown for a decade, acknowledged that shooting causes constant battles between film crews and tenants.
"There's not a Downtown environment that we have been in that has not been a disruption to tenants," Roshetski said.
But Roshetski said much of the problem stems from building managers, who often sign off on shoots and even take financial compensation (Roshetski said the show hands out $1,500-$2,500 a day to property managers) without notifying their tenants of the filming.
Backlash Against the EIDC
Despite the numerous players involved, many residents say the EIDC is ultimately responsible for the majority of filming problems. The situation is complicated by the agency's recent turmoils: Several months ago its president, Cody Cluff, resigned after an investigation by District Attorney Steve Cooley's office charged that Cluff and others used EIDC funds on lavish personal expenses and political contributions.
The investigation also found that Cluff may have helped fund film production in other cities, allegedly channeling $10,000 to the Pittsburgh Film Office. A spokesperson for the D.A.'s office said a personal relationship between Cluff and the head of the Pittsburgh agency may have prompted the alleged gift.
Cluff has been replaced by 72-year-old film industry veteran Lindsley Parsons, Jr., who is serving as interim president. Parsons, now in his fifth week on the job, admits that he is not very familiar with Downtown's filming conflicts.
Seif said Cooley's investigation, which is ongoing, has not impeded operations at the EIDC. He noted that the agency continues to maintain a low number of complaints citywide -- 2.5% for each production day.
Captain Crunch
Conflict between film crews and tenants in Downtown is nothing new. Film companies have long favored the area for its ability to resemble a diverse number of locales. While in the past grievances came largely from business owners, who complained that shoots were keeping away customers, production crews must now contend with an increasingly united and vocal residential community whose lives continue after the shops close at 5 p.m.
In an attempt to increase communication between the new loft dwellers and the film industry, Seif recently established a program calling for Downtown "building captains." Each loft building would have one captain, who would act as a liaison to the EIDC as well as production companies, voicing tenants' concerns and troubleshooting problems.
Doug Wance, who heads DLANC, offered to help gather building captains. Since putting the call out for volunteers in December, Wance says several people have signed up.
Wance, an attorney, said he is optimistic about the building captain program. He said that talking with location managers is the best approach to solving the conflicts.
"Every time I have a problem I go downstairs," said Wance. "I look for the location manager and I tell them what my problems are."
Wance said in most cases the location managers have complied with his requests, especially after he asks to see their permit and points out any violations.
Tom Burrows, a resident of the Old Bank District who volunteered to serve as a building captain, said he and other residents do not intend to stifle film production in Downtown. Rather, he hopes to force production companies to comply with the regulations set out for them in their permits, which are usually administered by the EIDC.
"We don't want to drive them out, we just want them to follow the rules," said Burrows. "If the permit says 7 o'clock, don't come until 7 o'clock."
Wance said the building captains are scheduled to hold their first meeting with Seif and other EIDC officials on March 5. While he has high hopes for the new program, Wance said further steps might be necessary to improve the situation.
"I'm hoping it works out," said Wance. "But if it doesn't, I'd be more than happy for the neighborhood council to take up this issue."
PForce
User ID: 0596854 Mar 18th 12:04 PM
Somewhere else I posted something that happened to me about a year and a half ago. I talked my wife into taking the Santa Monica Blue Bus freeway flier to downtown to hear a concert up on Bunker Hill, instead of driving. Getting there was smooth going, and the bus left us off just two blocks from the concert.
Afterwards, we waited for at least an hour in the dark and a chilly wind for the bus to come. (I had the schedule, and knew what time the bus was supposed to come.) As it turned out, the buses had been re-routed because of unanounced (to us) filming. I finally saw an inbound bus going by toward Union Station, and since he had to stop, I ran across the street and yelled at him through his window. He explained the situation and said that he would be back to pick us up, which he did--about a half-hour later. Finding a bus downtown is hard enough without complicating things by allowing filming crews to detour bus routes.
(The crew probably had good reason to feel that it would be OK, since the streets are absolutely deserted after 7 or 8 o'clock.)
Andrew S
User ID: 0269124 Mar 18th 6:39 PM
Riders really do not get treated than well. My guess is that the RTD/MTA culture has not exactly been "customer first" for many years.
The appalling physical conditions in which passengers are expected to wait for buses (and, yes, the Green Line in the I-105) is testament to an embedded culture that for a transit agency is terribly askew.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 18th 7:04 PM
Waiting for the Green Line at Rosa Parks on my return trip back to Norwalk is always the low-light of my evening. Last night it was windy and freezing cold, and headways are an excruciating 20 minutes. It was so windy and cold that people were actually crawling under the benches and crouching against the poles to keep warm. Some went down the stairwells, but most of those missed the train when it finally came because they couldn't hear it with all the freeway noise. And nobody was going to run back out in the cold to get them.
An added element of torture are the numerous "Not in service" trains that pass by at night, causing false alarms. I must be the only one that understands when they start yelling at the crowds trying to board "This is a NON-REVENUE TRAIN!" Since nobody has a clue what that means, they keep trying to get on. Public outreach is obviously not the MTA's forte.
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 19th 12:52 PM
Roberto-
There are plenty of stations in Europe that are outdoors too, and not all of them have waiting rooms, and the weather in much of Europe is a lot colder than it is in L.A.
It is not the MTA's fault that the weather was cold. What exactly do you expect them to do about it?
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 19th 1:03 PM
clarification- much of Europe can get a lot colder than L.A.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 19th 2:43 PM
I used to live in Europe. Most stations in the countries I lived in were indoors, but the ones that were outdoors still had much better sheltering ... because in L.A. we usually have such nice weather, our stations are not designed or even just a little bit of wind and rain.
That said, my main complaint at Rosa Parks station is the aggravating noise levels. I have never seen (or rather, heard) anything like that in Europe. Try waiting there for 20 minutes 3 or 4 times a week late in the evening like I do ... you'll start hating that station real quick. It's very customer unfriendly.
And the connections are very poorly timed with the Blue Line late at night ... the southbound Blue Line comes by only a minute or two AFTER the eastbound Green Line passes, so you pretty much always have to wait the full 20 minutes.
As soon as the Gold Line opens, I'll never have to set foot on the Rosa Park Green Line platform again!
Robert
User ID: 0680084 Mar 19th 3:03 PM
Roberto,
NEVER say "Never." ;o)
Bob
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 20th 1:26 PM
I used to live in Europe. Most stations in the countries I lived in were indoors, but the ones that were outdoors still had much better sheltering ... because in L.A. we usually have such nice weather, our stations are not designed or even just a little bit of wind and rain.
I can think of a large number of stations in the UK, both urban and rural, that had less shelter then Green Line stations.
Ok- so maybe a waiting room would be nice. Where would you put it?
That said, my main complaint at Rosa Parks station is the aggravating noise levels. I have never seen (or rather, heard) anything like that in Europe. Try waiting there for 20 minutes 3 or 4 times a week late in the evening like I do ... you'll start hating that station real quick. It's very customer unfriendly.
I used to take the Green Line to work and that involved waiting at Rosa Parks at rush hour. It was not that pleasant, but it never bothered me the way it seems to bother a lot of people here.
And the connections are very poorly timed with the Blue Line late at night ... the southbound Blue Line comes by only a minute or two AFTER the eastbound Green Line passes, so you pretty much always have to wait the full 20 minutes.
That timing is poor. I used to have that kind of timing at Wilshire/Westwood late at night.
As soon as the Gold Line opens, I'll never have to set foot on the Rosa Park Green Line platform again!
Andrew S
User ID: 0269124 Mar 20th 4:39 PM
I used to take the Green Line to work and that involved waiting at Rosa Parks at rush hour. It was not that pleasant, but it never bothered me the way it seems to bother a lot of people here.
At rush hour, if the traffic is congested and therefore slowed, the noise is much lower then when traffic is free flowing and ripping through there at 70 to 80 mph. Big difference!
PForce
User ID: 0596854 Mar 20th 6:53 PM
Riders really do not get treated than well. My guess is that the RTD/MTA culture has not exactly been "customer first" for many years.
My impression, one going back to the 1950s when I rode busses a lot, is that the MTA nee SCRTD nee RTD etc. has never taken passenger convenience seriously, but considered their mission to be much like that of a welfare caseworker or jailer. They usually had only contempt for those who had to take the bus, could be very rude and impatient, and probably figured that they were doing all these losers a big favor in letting them get on the bus. They were very casual about meeting the bus schedule timetable, if there actually was one. It wasn't unusual for them to yell at a passenger.
It is only in the last 10 years or so that much of this has changed. Now the majority are considerate and helpful, and really try to keep to a schedule, although a few of the drivers are like the old timers. (I had the impudence to flag a Santa Monica bus downtown on a Saturday evening a week ago, and he almost didn't stop, and then gave me a dirty look when we got on. He got on the freeway, turned off all the lights, got in the fast lane, and drove above the speed limit the whole way to S.M. The Santa Monica Blue Line has become a fairly dependable line, with usually pretty considerate drivers.
Roberto
User ID: 9161143 Mar 20th 8:16 PM
Ok- so maybe a waiting room would be nice. Where would you put it?
Not a waiting room ... how about plexiglass sound barriers along the chain-link fence to reduce the noise. And a little bit more roof ... if you've never been at Rosa Parks station on a rainy day, look up. Despite the support posts, you may be surprised to see that there is no roof, except over the escalators. When it's crowded and raining, not everybody fits in the stairwells.
I used to take the Green Line to work and that involved waiting at Rosa Parks at rush hour. It was not that pleasant, but it never bothered me the way it seems to bother a lot of people here.
You said rush hour at Rosa Parks station was "not that pleasant" but that is actually the best time to be there, so you can just imagine what the rest of the day must be like. Because one side of the freeway is usually bumper-to-bumper during rush hour, the noise levels are much lower than any other time. Late evenings, when I'm usually there, are defeaning.
mike wills
User ID: 1181464 Mar 21st 1:40 PM
That plexiglass idea is a good idea, Roberto. I was thinking about some of the stations that I had in mind in the UK. What they had was a kind of combination between waiting room and plexiglass. They resemble the shelters and some of our better busstops. Installing some of those would probably be a nice idea. Plexiglass fot he whole station is a better idea.
I had forgotten about the lack of roof. That is probably because my long waits at Rosa Parks tended to be for the northbound Blue line.
Cliffj
User ID: 0812164 Mar 23rd 1:27 AM
I can think of a large number of stations in the UK, both urban and rural, that had less shelter then Green Line stations.
Ok- so maybe a waiting room would be nice.
Ok- so maybe a waiting room would be nice.
Though I'm not as well travelled as many on this list, I do recall a HORRIBLE bus transit station in suburban Boston I used to have to transfer busses at. I remember having to wait for more than half hour in sleet and 27* weather outside while the drivers sat inside the 'for drivers only' waiting room. I wasn't allowed to wait inside a bus because, "You might steal it and we can't take that chance.". I'll NEVER forget that experience...The East Coast can be soooo cruel!!!
They were very casual about meeting the bus schedule timetable, if there actually was one. It wasn't unusual for them to yell at a passenger
Actually, I don't remember ANY rude treatment from any RTD drivers. I have encountered rudeness from drivers in other cities, including San Diego....Oh, wait a minute, maybe once in 1990 I took a bus in No. Hollywood for the first time in many years and the driver was a bit rude about the fare, but other than that I found the complete opposite. Most drivers were rather friendly or tolerant of me and my little sister's silliness. (There was this one older driver when I was in middle school with a large bulbous Carl Maldenesque nose and me and my sister used to laugh at it because it 'looked like it was made of putty with alot of pinholes in it'
I remeber another Hispanic driver on the Altadena route who used to have two or three young ladies sitting with him at his terminus layover. This guy was tooo coool! Other than those guys, I don't remember any driver to be rude or condesending to me or any passengers.