Bikes and Buses and the MTA
We were disappointed with Michelle Mowery’s description of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s commitment to bicycle commuting as “lip service” (Conversation, Nov. 16).
Here are just some of the MTA’s actions supporting bicycles:
* Provided more than $20 million to local cities for bicycle-specific improvements.
* Funded more than 400 miles of bikeways.
* Funded and developed the nation’s first bike station, a full-service bicycle storage and rental facility in Long Beach.
* Distributed hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles County bike maps.
* Provided bike lockers and racks at Metro Red Line, Green Line and Blue Line stations.
The MTA also provided $123,000 for Foothill Transit’s experiment with bike racks on buses. The agency’s support permitted Foothill to purchase 209 bike racks for $539 each. The MTA is watching this project closely before installing bike racks on its own buses. This is prudent, since the cost of installing bike racks on 2,336 MTA buses would exceed $1.25 million, and annual maintenance costs could exceed $54,000.
Mowery should take another look at the MTA’s proactive involvement with bicycles and become our champion.
LARRY ZARIAN,
Chairman of the MTA
Glendale
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