elray
Junior Member
Posts: 84
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Post by elray on Aug 10, 2008 17:31:51 GMT -8
My inbox today tells me that there will now be a line 1 that goes from SMC, via 20th, to Santa Monica Boulevard, to Westwood Boulevard, to UCLA, and in reverse.
This, they say, "will facilitate concurrent enrollment at SMC and UCLA" (7/24/07 City Council Agenda).
Most SMC students can't even *spell* "concurrent", much less find the right paperwork to access it.
Did Big Blue actually get a population study that shows a need for this route? Is this really faster than taking the 7 to Westwood Boulevard?
They also announced the renaming of the "Super 7" to "Rapid 7", though it is unclear whether we will be celebrating this exercise in marketing with any new not-quite-blue color schemes.
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Post by dasubergeek on Aug 11, 2008 7:26:39 GMT -8
They also announced the renaming of the "Super 7" to "Rapid 7", though it is unclear whether we will be celebrating this exercise in marketing with any new not-quite-blue color schemes. Well, while this is clearly marketing, it does strengthen the idea of "Rapid" as the term for the limited-stop, signal-priority buses in the Los Angeles area, meaning that someone from LA or Pasadena who is going to Santa Monica is going to know that "Rapid 7" is a limited-stop bus, whereas "Super 7" might just be the marketing gimmick. I wish OCTA had named their BRT "Rapid" instead of "Bravo!" (gnashes his teeth about the punctuation in the brand). It makes it easier for those less familiar with transit to figure out what it is. |
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elray
Junior Member
Posts: 84
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Post by elray on Aug 11, 2008 13:58:57 GMT -8
Well, while this is clearly marketing, it does strengthen the idea of "Rapid" as the term for the limited-stop, signal-priority buses in the Los Angeles area, meaning that someone from LA or Pasadena who is going to Santa Monica is going to know that "Rapid 7" is a limited-stop bus, whereas "Super 7" might just be the marketing gimmick. I wish OCTA had named their BRT "Rapid" instead of "Bravo!" (gnashes his teeth about the punctuation in the brand). It makes it easier for those less familiar with transit to figure out what it is. I agree, since OCTA's project *is not* BRT, despite their Newspeak. Watering down the definition of BRT to the point that it is indistinguishable from "Rapid" (emphasis on quotes) service may serve the pols, but it does nothing for the public. Stephanie Negriff told the council that Big Blue has BRT, once. I haven't heard it since. I guess she was speaking of the almost-bus-only-lanes on Broadway and Santa Monica, downtown. A few months ago, I inferred from road construction signs that LA City _is_ implementing loop detectors on Pico east from Bundy. I've seen none such announced from Santa Monica city for Pico. There is no discussion on peak-hour bus lanes, or removing the "green space" concrete islands that prevent passing and back up left-hand turns for blocks. The only promise, is a bus-loading turnout at SMC off Pico in front of the Tech building, to appease the Sunset Park Neighbors. I wish Big Blue could concentrate its efforts and funding on making its existing lines perform fast and reliably, prior to investing in new, perhaps frivolous efforts. |
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