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Post by bzcat on May 11, 2015 15:27:59 GMT -8
There's already a plan in place to split Pico station into two platforms, one for each direction of travel with the extra platform going on the other side of Pico. Not sure when it's supposed to be implemented, but I remember seeing the drawings somewhere—probably in the Blue line thread. AEG was going to fund the Pico Station improvements as part of the football stadium proposed there (Farmer's Field). That is now off the table, so I don't think there are improvements planned for the Pico Station, but I could be wrong about that... That's correct... the funding from AEG was tied to the stadium proposal. I think Metro should address this in the upcoming ballot initiative... building a 2nd platform at Pico Station should be high enough priority, but also low cost enough to get it done in a relatively short time frame.
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Post by Gokhan on May 12, 2015 15:13:40 GMT -8
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Post by jamesinclair on May 14, 2015 8:06:38 GMT -8
Wow, all that construction and they couldnt install ramps facing the crosswalk? In fact, on the bottom picture, the push button looks like an ADA violation because it doesnt line up with the ramp.
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f ron
Full Member
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Post by f ron on May 14, 2015 8:35:27 GMT -8
This is what I'm talking about --and mentioned upthread about a month ago. These guys rip up existing sidewalks and then replace them partially. Anywhere from 40-120 days goes by before they getting around to plugging all the holes. By the looks of the western corner they couldn't be bothered to to a 'temporary' asphalt patch.
The sidewalks on Overland were ripped up almost a year ago now and there are STILL portions gone unfinished. I don't get it.
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Post by johanragle on May 14, 2015 8:57:47 GMT -8
If you think that's bad, you should have seen what happened when Bureau of Street Maintenance got funding from Caltrans to repave Foothill Boulevard through the Sunland-Tujunga area, about 10 years back.
They quickly got to work grinding the road down and installing fresh, smooth blacktop.
Six months go by, and Bureau of Sanitation starts a major sewer replacement project. Tears up most of the fresh pavement, then leaves it a mess of bumpy patches afterward.
Would it have killed the two bureaus to have talked to each other to reschedule the projects?
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Post by Philip on May 14, 2015 11:48:43 GMT -8
This is what I'm talking about --and mentioned upthread about a month ago. These guys rip up existing sidewalks and then replace them partially. Anywhere from 40-120 days goes by before they getting around to plugging all the holes. By the looks of the western corner they couldn't be bothered to to a 'temporary' asphalt patch. The sidewalks on Overland were ripped up almost a year ago now and there are STILL portions gone unfinished. I don't get it. The ONLY explanation I can think of (aside from neglect/poor planning) would be leaving those portions unfinished will discourage people from using them, thus, keeping them away from the construction. I've seen this happening all along the Expo Phase 2 bike path - it all looks ready to go, but several patches have been left undone for months - probably because they know if they finish it now, people will begin using it when they're still in the middle of working.
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Post by Gokhan on May 14, 2015 11:55:11 GMT -8
That's because they are not done with the utilities. In Phase 1, the utilities were the last things that were finished. They may work on them even after the line opens to service. Those holes are simply for various utilities, including but not limited to traffic signals, street lighting, fiber optics, drainage, etc.
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f ron
Full Member
Posts: 222
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Post by f ron on May 14, 2015 18:15:40 GMT -8
This is what I'm talking about --and mentioned upthread about a month ago. These guys rip up existing sidewalks and then replace them partially. Anywhere from 40-120 days goes by before they getting around to plugging all the holes. By the looks of the western corner they couldn't be bothered to to a 'temporary' asphalt patch. The sidewalks on Overland were ripped up almost a year ago now and there are STILL portions gone unfinished. I don't get it. The ONLY explanation I can think of (aside from neglect/poor planning) would be leaving those portions unfinished will discourage people from using them, thus, keeping them away from the construction. I've seen this happening all along the Expo Phase 2 bike path - it all looks ready to go, but several patches have been left undone for months - probably because they know if they finish it now, people will begin using it when they're still in the middle of working. Im inclined to go with this explanation above all others. It's the only thing that explains why the new sidewalk on Olympic remains unnavigable for anyone with a cart, stroller or cycle after so long.
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Post by Gokhan on May 15, 2015 14:28:15 GMT -8
That's because they are not done with the utilities. In Phase 1, the utilities were the last things that were finished. They may work on them even after the line opens to service. Those holes are simply for various utilities, including but not limited to traffic signals, street lighting, fiber optics, drainage, etc. Not to forget the holes for the new trees.
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Post by joshuanickel on May 15, 2015 19:22:02 GMT -8
As of tonight, P2000 car number 302 has joined P865 car number 126 on track 3 between Westwood and Overland.
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Post by bobdavis on May 16, 2015 22:59:01 GMT -8
Metro 302 was one of two cars originally built to test automated operation on the Green Line. I remember spotting 301 and 302 at the Siemens facility on the southeast side of Sacramento about 14 years ago. After Metro decided that automated operation was a "non-starter" (or as my rustic buddies would say, "That dog won't hunt") they were refitted to work in MU with the regular P2000 cars, and I remember riding one of them on the Gold Line.
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Post by bobdavis on May 17, 2015 22:00:52 GMT -8
COME ONE, COME ALL
Next Saturday (May 23) is the Open House at the Gold Line Operations Campus in Monrovia. It begins at 9:30 AM and runs until 12:30 PM. The public entrance is on California Ave., south of the 210 Freeway. There will also be parking along Evergreen Ave. on the north side of the campus. Visitors coming from the west should take the Myrtle Ave. off-ramp from the 210 and go straight across Myrtle to California Ave. From the east, get off at Mountain Ave. and go straight across past Shamrock and then south on California. By public transit from the west, take the Gold Line to its present terminal, then take an eastbound Foothill Transit 187 bus to California Ave. From the east, the 187 starts in Claremont and follows historic Route 66 to Monrovia.
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Post by TransportationZ on May 19, 2015 6:25:47 GMT -8
There's already a plan in place to split Pico station into two platforms, one for each direction of travel with the extra platform going on the other side of Pico. Not sure when it's supposed to be implemented, but I remember seeing the drawings somewhere—probably in the Blue line thread. AEG was going to fund the Pico Station improvements as part of the football stadium proposed there (Farmer's Field). That is now off the table, so I don't think there are improvements planned for the Pico Station, but I could be wrong about that... Something needs to happen. Pico is already a mess just serving as the Expo Line/Blue Line transfer point. This station is going to be a cluster when Expo opens to Santa Monica.
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Post by masonite on May 19, 2015 7:52:01 GMT -8
AEG was going to fund the Pico Station improvements as part of the football stadium proposed there (Farmer's Field). That is now off the table, so I don't think there are improvements planned for the Pico Station, but I could be wrong about that... Something needs to happen. Pico is already a mess just serving as the Expo Line/Blue Line transfer point. This station is going to be a cluster when Expo opens to Santa Monica. I've been on after games at Staples Center with the rush of many people and while it is not ideal at all (especially how you have to walk across the tracks in front of the Northbound trains) it has never been so crowded that it was not usable or backed up off the platform. It would never stand up for a large football crowd, but my guess is that nothing will be done here for quite some time.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on May 19, 2015 10:33:32 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself.
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Post by johanragle on May 19, 2015 11:11:31 GMT -8
la.streetsblog.org/2015/05/18/expo-phase-ii-bike-path-will-open-with-light-rail-in-2016/Expo: Phase II Bike Path Will Open with Light Rail in 2016 by Damien Newton The Expo Bike Path near Military Avenue in Westwood. All images via the Expo Construction Authority. Last week, in a short article celebrating that LADOT was beginning its portion of the bikeway that will run parallel to the Expo Line in West L.A., I stated that the separated bike path portion of the route was not under construction. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Via the Expo Construction Authority comes word that not only is the bike path under construction, it should open with the light rail line in early 2016. The bike path is well under construction, and the plan is to open the bike path along with the light rail line. Currently there is grading, lighting, irrigation, and drainage work throughout, and approximately one mile has already been paved. The largest stretch of paving is between Centinela and the 26th Street/Bergamot station, and the sections from Olympic to 20th Street and from Westwood to Military have also been paved. There are still some issues to be worked out, most notably the routing of the bike path in the area surrounding Westwood Station where there are also plans for a greenway and water park. However, the good news is that both Metro’s separated bike path and the bike lanes being painted by LADOT to provide easy access from downtown Culver City to downtown Santa Monica are currently under construction/paint and the full route should be ready for a ribbon cutting with the train. My apologies to both the Construction Authority and our readers for getting it wrong. There are two more pictures of Expo Bike Path as it is today, after the jump.
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Post by Gokhan on May 19, 2015 11:57:49 GMT -8
A not so successful Expo Line Phase 2 test at Overland Avenue involving Siemens P2000 car no. 302:
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Post by warrenbowman on May 19, 2015 12:22:25 GMT -8
I haven't been able to find any news on the final routing through the Northvale area. Is it still up in the air? la.streetsblog.org/2015/05/18/expo-phase-ii-bike-path-will-open-with-light-rail-in-2016/Expo: Phase II Bike Path Will Open with Light Rail in 2016 by Damien Newton The Expo Bike Path near Military Avenue in Westwood. All images via the Expo Construction Authority. Last week, in a short article celebrating that LADOT was beginning its portion of the bikeway that will run parallel to the Expo Line in West L.A., I stated that the separated bike path portion of the route was not under construction. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Via the Expo Construction Authority comes word that not only is the bike path under construction, it should open with the light rail line in early 2016. The bike path is well under construction, and the plan is to open the bike path along with the light rail line. Currently there is grading, lighting, irrigation, and drainage work throughout, and approximately one mile has already been paved. The largest stretch of paving is between Centinela and the 26th Street/Bergamot station, and the sections from Olympic to 20th Street and from Westwood to Military have also been paved. There are still some issues to be worked out, most notably the routing of the bike path in the area surrounding Westwood Station where there are also plans for a greenway and water park. However, the good news is that both Metro’s separated bike path and the bike lanes being painted by LADOT to provide easy access from downtown Culver City to downtown Santa Monica are currently under construction/paint and the full route should be ready for a ribbon cutting with the train. My apologies to both the Construction Authority and our readers for getting it wrong. There are two more pictures of Expo Bike Path as it is today, after the jump.
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Post by johanragle on May 19, 2015 12:57:04 GMT -8
A not so successful Expo Line Phase 2 test at Overland Avenue involving Siemens P2000 car no. 302: I see the pantograph is down. Wonder what the story was?
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Post by Gokhan on May 19, 2015 16:12:26 GMT -8
A not so successful Expo Line Phase 2 test at Overland Avenue involving Siemens P2000 car no. 302: I see the pantograph is down. Wonder what the story was? There was a power trip at the Overland Avenue TPSS. The issue has now been resolved. The pantograph was probably lowered so that the train wouldn't accidentally start moving. It also decreases the friction force, making it easier for the people to push the train.
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Post by joshuanickel on May 19, 2015 17:05:17 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself. I agree regarding the fare gate issue and apparently the metro board has realized the same thing. The standard seemed to be that all aerial and underground stations would get them and that has been done or will happen. They have approved the funding for fare gates at the three aerial stations on the expo phase 1 (la brea, la ciengea, and culver city). The expo 2 stations at Palms, Sepulveda, Bundy, and Downtown SM will also get fare gates. They have done a study and gone thru and looked at their at grade stations to see if fare gates could be added. The problem with most of the stations is that the layout does not allow for the fare gates and the emergency gates due to site constraints and/or ADA issues. On Expo 1, there are issues where part of the road next to some stations would have to be taken in order to have the room for them. By the time the issue came up last year about going and installing fare gates at the at grade stations, the construction and design has progressed too far for the stations on Expo 2 and foothill gold line to change the layout in order to install them. As for any projects moving forward, the board has directed that all stations include fare gates. The first project under the new policy will be the Crenshaw line where they have approved a change order to alter the design to have them at all of the stations.
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Post by masonite on May 19, 2015 19:49:00 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself. I agree regarding the fare gate issue and apparently the metro board has realized the same thing. The standard seemed to be that all aerial and underground stations would get them and that has been done or will happen. They have approved the funding for fare gates at the three aerial stations on the expo phase 1 (la brea, la ciengea, and culver city). The expo 2 stations at Palms, Sepulveda, Bundy, and Downtown SM will also get fare gates. They have done a study and gone thru and looked at their at grade stations to see if fare gates could be added. The problem with most of the stations is that the layout does not allow for the fare gates and the emergency gates due to site constraints and/or ADA issues. On Expo 1, there are issues where part of the road next to some stations would have to be taken in order to have the room for them. By the time the issue came up last year about going and installing fare gates at the at grade stations, the construction and design has progressed too far for the stations on Expo 2 and foothill gold line to change the layout in order to install them. As for any projects moving forward, the board has directed that all stations include fare gates. The first project under the new policy will be the Crenshaw line where they have approved a change order to alter the design to have them at all of the stations. I know Metro has data about how effective the fare gates are, but I have not seen it. I assume they have been effective or they wouldn't try to be adding them to stations. I do wonder about the handicap gates though as it seems people go through them all the time. Those need to be better designed.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on May 19, 2015 22:16:22 GMT -8
Something needs to happen. Pico is already a mess just serving as the Expo Line/Blue Line transfer point. This station is going to be a cluster when Expo opens to Santa Monica. I've been on after games at Staples Center with the rush of many people and while it is not ideal at all (especially how you have to walk across the tracks in front of the Northbound trains) it has never been so crowded that it was not usable or backed up off the platform. It would never stand up for a large football crowd, but my guess is that nothing will be done here for quite some time. Constructing an additional platform south of Venice blvd seems to be inconvenient to Metro riders, especially as most of the 'crush' is due to Staples Center events. The true benefit would be to create a stairwell OVER Flower Street to the westside of the street. Most of the people exiting the trains are going towards Staples Center/LA Live. Currently, people have to wait behind the line for the northbound train to cross, and then have to cross Flower Street on the corner of 11th Street. Imagine putting a stairwell over southbound Flower Street directly to the platform. That would address the overcrowding problem, and making transit more convenient to access. ADA would be already fulfilled as they already have a flat entrance into/out of the station on the Venice blvd exit/entrance ramps of Pico station.
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Post by bzcat on May 20, 2015 9:43:40 GMT -8
The long term solution for Pico station is probably underground... but that's expensive. The pedestrian bridge idea is good short to mid term solution but it lacks space on the west side of Flower... if only Metro had thought about it and coordinated with the developer of 1200 South Figueroa Street twin towers to gain access to the 7-level podium shopping center. But that kind of effort requires critical thinking and planning ahead... something that Metro rarely exhibits. urbanize.la/post/high-rise-complex-breaks-ground-near-staples-center
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Post by johanragle on May 20, 2015 9:55:20 GMT -8
Communication between the various city and county agencies around here has always been an absolute disaster.
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Post by jamesinclair on May 20, 2015 13:51:38 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself. If you have an unlimited pass, why tap the validator? The solution isnt fare gates, which cost hundreds of millions and require continued and expensive maintenance and replacement. The solution is more fare checks, which provide added security and customer service.
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Post by joshuanickel on May 20, 2015 14:21:19 GMT -8
If you want to check out some time lapse photos of the Expo Line Terminal at 4th and Colorado, Santa Monica Place has a camera set up to view the progress of their new theater being built and one of the camera views focuses on the Expo Station: Macerich - Santa Monica Place Camera
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Post by masonite on May 20, 2015 15:53:55 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself. If you have an unlimited pass, why tap the validator? The solution isnt fare gates, which cost hundreds of millions and require continued and expensive maintenance and replacement. The solution is more fare checks, which provide added security and customer service. The fare gate cost wasn't in the hundreds of millions and it did include all the maintenance for 10 years I believe. The initial cost was paid by the feds anyway for security reasons. Having fare inspectors is not very cost effective either when you include the high cost of worker's comp, pension, health care, and other benefits of public employees in CA. Furthermore, you'd have to have hundreds of them work full time to make any type of dent and even then how do have them check a full 6 car subway train in two minutes that may have close to 500 people? There is a reason why Metro continues to add gates as much as possible. I doubt they would be doing that if the economics did not work out. The Unions would love them to hire fare inspectors.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on May 20, 2015 18:06:35 GMT -8
As I wait for trains at Expo stations it comes to mind as I am often the only person to validate a fare card to pay for my ride. I think "why has Metro and its construction agencies designed and built light rail lines entirely within the time that TAP has existed without setting up fare gates?"A throng of people walk past the validators with impunity entering the platform as a car does on a freeway onramp. Why should I have to pay $100/mo for a MTA transit pass while a multitude get to use the trains for free, bypassing the validator or slipping through the handicap fare gate? But, I still pay and I still TAP every time even though the MTA depends on TAPs for its own survival, or in bureaucratic jargon "fare box recovery." Ok, why not just make it free for the poor and the elderly? Too many have too much contempt for the poor to pull that off. Yet billions spent on construction, millions in operations spent every year and omitting this small detail detracts some of the psychological value to pay for discretionary riders such as myself. If you have an unlimited pass, why tap the validator? The solution isnt fare gates, which cost hundreds of millions and require continued and expensive maintenance and replacement. The solution is more fare checks, which provide added security and customer service. If you ride MTA trains in Los Angeles you will quickly find that if you do not tap your fare card (unlimited, weekly, single ride, etc) you can be ejected from the train to validate it or fined hundreds of dollars if you evaded paying.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on May 20, 2015 18:29:30 GMT -8
If you have an unlimited pass, why tap the validator? The solution isnt fare gates, which cost hundreds of millions and require continued and expensive maintenance and replacement. The solution is more fare checks, which provide added security and customer service. The fare gate cost wasn't in the hundreds of millions and it did include all the maintenance for 10 years I believe. The initial cost was paid by the feds anyway for security reasons. Having fare inspectors is not very cost effective either when you include the high cost of worker's comp, pension, health care, and other benefits of public employees in CA. Furthermore, you'd have to have hundreds of them work full time to make any type of dent and even then how do have them check a full 6 car subway train in two minutes that may have close to 500 people? There is a reason why Metro continues to add gates as much as possible. I doubt they would be doing that if the economics did not work out. The Unions would love them to hire fare inspectors. I fail to see what unions have to do with anything considering that the dozens of sheriff deputies checking fares in LA County are unionized and making more per year than a San Francisco area BART station attendant just because they have guns on their hips. Also, for an agency seemingly preeminently concerned with branding for attaining the elusive discretionary riders who have better options (read: cars) they aren't making a resolute case for consistency when you want to call surface rail that stops at traffic lights and can't match fare collection as a subway branded with the same "Metro Rail" moniker. It's kind of unprofessional how it seems cobbled together and rife with contradictions--I say this as a daily rider using the Metro as my primary transportation. I apologize for this thread going off topic even if slightly-- I maintain that a new $2 billion rail line such as the Expo Line ought to have been constructed within its design-build parameters to accommodate fare turnstiles.
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