An MTA Plan to Support

In car-crazy Los Angeles, it’s hard to imagine people wanting to take public transportation, especially that most humble form, the bus. Finding a bus that people ride by choice, not necessity, is about as likely here as finding someone who believes that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority actually accomplishes anything.

But unlikely does not mean impossible. Consider the MTA’s Metro Rapid Bus pilot project on Ventura Boulevard.

The distinctive red buses stop at 15 major intersections along the 16-mile route between Warner Center in Woodland Hills and Universal City.

But mostly they don’t stop, and that’s their appeal. They speed along using a signal-changing transponder to keep the traffic lights green. The Metro Rapid is the first American mass transit system to use the special transponders on such a large scale, according to the MTA. Imagine, an innovative MTA!

The Metro Rapid line’s latest improvement was unveiled last week when Mayor Richard Riordan cut the ribbon on one of a dozen new bus stops.

A bus stop may not seem like a big deal until you’ve waited in the rain or blazing sun, wondering when on earth your bus is going to arrive. The new Metro Rapid stops have translucent canopies that not only shelter passengers from the weather but keep nearby shop owners happy by not obscuring storefronts.

Each shelter has banners and signs to clearly identify where buses will stop, kiosks with maps and transit information and--best of all--electronic signs announcing how many minutes until the next bus.

Expanding the Metro Rapid Bus demonstration projects--there is now only one other, along Wilshire and Whittier boulevards--is the centerpiece of the MTA’s draft Long Range Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County.

To those who dream of more subways, the MTA plan may seem disappointingly unambitious, no matter how much more efficient and comfortable the rapid buses are. But county voters effectively killed subway additions in 1998 by passing a ballot measure preventing use of the local transit sales tax for more underground rail lines. The measure reflected voters’ dismay about cost overruns, construction accidents and the MTA’s less than stellar record on rail projects. The MTA’s more sober and conservative plan is not unambitious. It’s just realistic.

For now, the Ventura Boulevard route provides a crucial east-west connection across the Valley to the Universal City Metro Red Line subway stop. Putting in additional Metro Rapid lines is an inexpensive and flexible way to test new routes in areas where high population increases are expected.

For years, disagreements over what type of public transportation to fund and where to add routes have stymied efforts to improve transportation in the Valley. The MTA plan offers a real chance to get something done.

The MTA is accepting public comments on its draft long-range plan until April 11. For more information, see the MTA Web site, www.mta.net, or call the Long Range Transportation Plan hotline at (213) 922-2833.