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Honor no more. Metro to install ticket gates.
Our trust and honor system on the subway, at the light rails and over at the Orange Line has been stripped away. Last Thursday, Metro voted to install the first phase of gates at stations, 275 to be exact (what's going to happen to those TAP Here machines that are everywhere?).
The original intent behind the current honor system is "to buck East Coast practices and reduce operating costs," according to the New York Times. Today, if you were to ride Metro, you buy a ticket, get on the train and present it to a Sheriff or civilian ticket inspector, a rare sight for many unless you are a nine-to-fiver.
A study found that 5% of people rode for free, costing an estimated $5.5 million annually. The new ticket gates will cost $30 million with $1 million in yearly maintenance, yielding an anticipated $6.77 million extra.
With an expected $75 million deficit in next year's $3 billion budget, Metro board member and former California Assemblymember Richard Katz was the only vote to oppose the plan. In addition to financial woes, he is also concerned with emergency evacuations.
So much for going "barrier free," the Daily News has won this time.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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