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It's hard to find people as passionate about LA's underrated downtown as some of the folks at LAist, but we have to admit the readers of Los Angeles Downtown News might give us a run for our money in the downtown passion department. In particular a reader by the name of Frederick, who had a "glass half empty" response to the downtown BID's recently published (and very self-congratulating) 2006 Demographic Study of New Downtown Residents and called out his fellow downtowners for bringing a suburban ethos to the center city.
Impossible to dismiss as a rant, the reader made some pretty awesome points about the surprising statistic that 61.4% of downtown residents "very rarely or never" use public transportation, despite having it (quite literally) at their front door:
"Angelenos are stereotyped as being very image conscious, and typically I write that off, but I have to wonder what exactly about the "urban setting" Downtowners prefer to the suburbs (beyond the brick in place of the stucco) if they fail to take advantage of the real resources our urban setting offers. Much of Downtown is a work-in-progress; soon we will have a supermarket; soon we will have a restaurant row; soon we will have L.A. Live; soon we will have the Grand Avenue project; soon we will see ground floor retail. Essentially, soon we will have the things that other parts of the city already offer, albeit in a more "suburban" setting.
The one thing Downtown does have to offer right now that no other part of the city can claim, and the one thing that truly makes it an urban setting as opposed to a suburb with tall buildings, is its undisputed place as the transit hub of Los Angeles. No other place in L.A. can claim to have three Metro Rail lines, all Metrolink commuter lines, 53 local bus routes, 17 limited stop routes, three Rapid routes, 50 express routes, and six DASH routes. If there was ever a place in Los Angeles where a car-free lifestyle could be embraced, Downtown is it."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves, Frederick.
Photo by jasonsisk via Flickr.
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Please, please write for us here in Atlanta. There's a lot of "intowners" who need a new one ripped for them.
Hey guys, it's "Frederick" better known as Fred Camino in the world of L.A. blogs. Now that my secret is out, make sure to check out the blog I run, MetroRiderLA, for more transit rants. Actually, it's way more positive than my letter to the Downtown News would lead you to believe. I was just... shocked... when I read the statistic initially because THE reason I moved Downtown was because I felt it was the best place to live car-free (which I do) in L.A. I just figured others did the same!
Oh yeah, the address for MetroRiderLA is metrorider.elhay.net
I saw that survey, but you must remember that it was conducted by the Central City Association, not by the Downtown News. Last year, the Downtown News conducted a (probably somewhat unscientific) study of their own on their website, and came up with a figure of about 65% of downtowners who DO use public transit. The CCA must have stood on the corner of 5th & Flower at noon and asked anyone who walked by, or at best surveyed the demographics of only the people who bought luxury condos over the past year (many of whom don't even live in their units). They exist to boost business and property values, so to me their results are naturally suspect.
Thanks for the metroriderla link. I grew up in Oregon where we would go out of our ways to ride bikes to work, carpool and ride Portland's transit system when in the city. I am amazed at how pathetic LA is when it comes to public transit.. I am referring to West LA where I currently live. I would have thought (or rather hoped) that it was just an issue of there not being enough of an infrastructure to support a decent transit system but it looks that is not the case. If people downtown started using public transit more then it might inspire the increase of public transit in other areas instead of working on more street projects. Put in a light rail!
Bert, the CCA survey was meant to be a demographic survey of new residents since 2000. Apparently the survey was distributed to 35 properties. There was a 17.2% response rate, with 931 responses. I participated in the survey (a survey was mailed to me, and I assume everyone else in my building).
Whether or not it's completely accurate doesn't change the message. Plus I know a lot of my neighbors are very surprised by my transit usage and even more surprised by the car-free lifestyle.
I have been living downtown for 6 yrs now and love and use the metro all the time. If it was open later I might seriously consider getting rid of my car completely. Not that I go out late all the time but it would be nice to be able to go out and get back without having to call a cab. It would be a great way to reduce drunk driving in this city. What time does it stop running these days anyway?
as a single twentysomething female, i would not feel completely safe leaving my downtown apartment at night on foot. also, when friends want to hang out at night, they most likely pick a spot *not* in downtown, and well out of the reach of reasonable bus/train transport (by "reasonable", I mean "takes less than an hour from door to door"). Thus having a car, even while living downtown, is perhaps more convenient for most people.
Anna, I don't think the argument is about whether a car is convenient. Of course it is. But can't it be too convenient? Your downtown life is a lot more than hanging out at night at distant hotspots, isn't it? While you may not feel safe on the streets after dark or willing to be inconvenienced, surely you're aware of the vast mass-transit opportunities available to you when the sun is up and you can leave your car behind to hop the Red Line to North Hollywood or the Blue Line to Long Beach or the Gold Line to Pasadena or take the No. 96 bus to Griffith Park. Try them sometime.
Raina wrote:
If it was open later I might seriously consider getting rid of my car completely. Not that I go out late all the time but it would be nice to be able to go out and get back without having to call a cab. It would be a great way to reduce drunk driving in this city. What time does it stop running these days anyway?
On Metro's site, click Timetables, and look for the list of 24-hour routes. (I don't have TypeKey so I can't put the URL here.)
The color lines (rail and busways) run until midnight or 1 a.m.
The bus lines vary widely, but generally, the busier the bus during the day, the later at night it runs. Most 1-99 lines run until 1 a.m., while 100-299 buses run later the closer they are to downtown L.A.
Another downtown L.A. route that runs 24 hours is operated by Foothill Transit. Until Sunday, it's Line 480. After Sunday, it becomes Silver Streak. Free rides are available on it through April 1.
In downtown L.A., after 9 p.m., the buses are timed to meet at Seventh Street and Broadway.
I knew that ranter sounded famililar...
I have my own two cents to add. I don't think that survey was as bad as you think. 61% of Downtowners "rarely or never" using mass transit means that 39% of them are using it "occasionally or often."
In L.A. that's a really great rate of usage, and I'm it's 3-4 times greater than any other neighborhood in the city, I'm betting, but I can't know for sure because this is only Downtown being surveyed here. I'm sure the % of ridership is also pretty high in lower-income areas like Boyle Heights, Pico-Union or South L.A.
But how high can it be in places like Sherman Oaks, Brentwood or Northridge? You think more than 5 to 10% of people living there use mass transit "occasionally or often" then I've got some e-mails from Nigeria for you, pal. So, let's give us Downtowners a small break, huh? They're likely doing more than their share of transit riding.