City Transit Department Launches New Website

Photo by Peggy Archer via Flickr

On Friday, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched their new website, which is a vast improvement to what they had before. And while the site is repackaged with a much nicer visual design and an easier to find live traffic conditions page (super useful, check it out), it's still missing two important components that should be built in the near future:

• A guide/FAQ to parking questions. LADOT should have page that goes into detail all the possible parking violations one could get. How about a definitive answer on parking at a broken meter? Is there a difference between a fire hydrant that has a red curb and one that does not? People want these answers and they still don't have them. Currently, there is more information on how to pay/fight a ticket than how to understand the law and avoid getting a ticket.
• A blog. Transportation is in the top three of hottest issues in the city. Why is there not constant communication with the citizens? For one, the current LADOT Public Information Officer works his ass off, but needs more resources and flexibility. A blog with its simple and instant push button press technology moves beyond controlling bureaucracies and gets information to the people in a timely manner. It will not only create a positive dialogue between residents and one of the most hated departments in the city (disliked both by residents, city staff and city council), but will improve the way the department thinks and works.

What else should LADOT do to improve their website?