Product of the Spotlight: Daily News vs. Metrolink

January 31, 2005 by Eric Richardson

The Daily News takes on Metrolink costs today, in an article titled "Transit on the Wrong Track." The piece itself reads more fairly than the head would indicate, though it does include some fun shots at transit spending:

Every day an average of 40,000 suburbanites vote with their feet by climbing aboard Metrolink trains from Ventura County to San Bernardino. They are mostly former freeway commuters, but only a small fraction of the million or so riders who use Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses, trains and subway in Los Angeles County alone , not to mention the millions of others who drive their cars to work and back.

... The average fare for a Metrolink train trip costs passengers about $5, with the public paying an average subsidy per rider of $5.07, money that comes from sales-tax add-ons that support transportation in the region. That comes on top of the $3 billion in bonds that voters approved to create the system.

It's interesting to see commuter rail attacked. It's one of the cheapest transit modes overall and has a high farebox recovery. More thoughts in the body... — Continue Reading...

An Amazing Night of Music

January 31, 2005 by Eric Richardson

Last night I made my way via the Red Line up to Hollywood to catch a huge night of music at the Hotel Cafe. It was the first of two nights to benefit tsunami relief. I came away feeling like I went to a festival; fourteen bands played fifteen minute sets. As always the musical selections were great. The Hotel really is the best venue in Los Angeles right now for hearing singer/songwriter type music. Erik Penny would go even further; he told me that he thinks that the scene in LA right now, centered around the Hotel Cafe, might well be the most fertile in the world. WIth fourteen acts there's no chance that I can actually review everyone, but it was fun to see favorites Quincy and Steve Reynolds, and well as to hear Jay Nash, who I had met but never heard play.

The scary part: the Hotel's doing the whol thing again tonight, with a totally different and yet still amazing lineup.

The Charlatans

January 29, 2005 by Eric Richardson

I don't know how I do this, but somehow I always forget about The Charlatans. I forget that I really like them, 'cause they're really good. I listen to them, and then I move on to something else and six months or so I'll pop them onto the mp3 player and think, "Oh yeah..."

Anyway, their latest album, "Up at the Lake," came out last May. I think it's good.

It's Wet and Cold and I'm Not Happy

January 28, 2005 by Eric Richardson

My trip to work this morning could easily be used as an example of all the ways transit can go wrong. I won't get into too many details, but suffice it to say that not having one dollar bills turned into being two minutes late for a train, which ended up meaning waiting 45 minutes for a bus. All in all a one hour trip turned into two hours and a little over a half hour standing out in the rain. Bottom line: a bus that runs every 50 minutes is a dangerous proposition when you're trying to get somewhere.

Hang with me, Speakeasy

January 27, 2005 by Eric Richardson

I'm not very happy that I've had to power cycle my DSL twice this evening. It's normally incredibly stable, but twice now today connectivity has suddenly dropped, only to come back when I cycle. If it's going to go out, I'd rather it not be a problem solved through my end via user intervention. I like that it comes back, but I can't approve of having to be here.