This is one of those areas where I completely disagree with my ministry and with TransLink. I think most of us can agree that the estimated $6 million – $9 million is a low estimate of how much money is lost annually as a result of fare evasion. However, installing fare gates at a cost of more than $100 million is a ridiculous proposition considering the other much cheaper options that haven’t been tried yet. Then, those new turnstiles would require staff to operate them. This is perhaps a better value than to pay TransLink staff to hang around the station to establish a “presence,” but it still comes far short of doing anything to alleviate TransLink budget shortfalls.

Richmond councillors suggested addressing the problem of fare evasion should be handled as a precursor to any fare increase. This sentiment I agree with. Like many in Vancouver, I do usually pay when I’m riding the skytrain. That doesn’t mean I haven’t forgotten to get a ticket if my pass expired a day or two before. Or gone an extra zone without buying the new ticket to pay for it. As far as I’m concerned TransLink gets plenty of my money already.  I admit I may be technically in the wrong there since I ride enough to know better. However, the punishment for fare evaders does not suit the crime.

It makes sense that speeding tickets are really expensive. If you speed you are putting the lives of everyone around you in jeopardy. There is a high price because the potential consequences of your behaviour are severe. It may be wrong to not pay the full fare or forget on any given day, but no one’s life is being put at risk.  $173  is closer to speeding ticket prices than those for parking tickets. It is so expensive that it is a deterrent to no one – the cost to pay it is huge, the cost not pay it is tiny.

If you want to crack down on fare evasion, you have to step up enforcement, make the price of tickets reasonable ($30-$40), and provide real consequences for people who don’t pay.

All of this can be done for far less than the proposed $100 million fare gate and smart card system.

It won’t fix TransLink’s budget problem, but you’d get that sense of fairness that you’re hoping for.

Safety and Security are not valid reasons to put these in. The most valuable protection a vulnerable person could hope for is to have a kind, engaged citizenry that will stand up for their neighbours. Eyes on the street.

Boston’s own Transit and CT’s Make Do And Mend announced a string of tour dates in January, mainly staying along the East Coast. Those can be seen after the jump. Their Boston date on January 13th is still TBA, let’s hope they figure that out soon – I really want to see Transit play again. Such a great band, very energetic.

Tour Dates:
12/27 :: Albany, NY :: Bogies
12/28 :: Chalfont, PA :: Chalfont Methodist Church
12/29 :: Baltimore, MD :: Charm City Art Space
12/30 :: VA or DE :: TBA
01/01 :: Charlotte, NC :: TBA
01/02 :: Columbia, SC :: House Of Hardcore
01/03 :: Atlanta, GA :: TBA
01/04 :: Orlando, FL :: Uncle Lous
01/05 :: Pembrook Pines, FL :: The Talent Farm
01/06 :: Alabama :: TBA
01/07 :: St. Louis, MO :: TBA
01/08 :: Urbana, IL :: Canopy Club
01/09 :: Romeo, MI :: Static Age
01/10 :: Zanesville, OH :: Newtown Firehall
01/11 :: Buffalo, NY :: The Argyle
01/12 :: Manchester, NH :: Rockos’
01/13 :: Boston, MA :: TBA
01/14 :: Syracuse, NY :: TBA

By Tim Hrenchir
Republished from CJOnline

Public transit is entertaining. I say that in the sickest way possible.

During my approximate 6 hours per week of commute between Tempe and Downtown Phoenix, I see more crazy than a hypothetical love child of Rush Limbaugh and Lady GaGa. Sometimes it’s frightening, but more often it’s ridiculous and incredible.

In my near year of riding the Light Rail, I’ve often found myself texting friends and families photographic proof of the characters I encounter. I decided to spread the love by posting my lurky Light Rail pics to this blog. Get excited.

From extremely common Light Rail Fails– A hobo in an “I love Jesus” hat verbally harassing a 12-year-old, a pair of overweight teens swapping shirts mid-transit, the drunk chick who can’t help but pole dance and consequently face plant when the Rail starts moving, to Light Rail Wins– A wheel-chair bound Priest who gave out bags of candy corn to passengers on Halloween and the hobo who serenaded me and asked for my hand in marriage and a lifetime together with me in his box, there’s never a dull day of LR riding.

This blog is past due for Light Rail Lovers and Loathers alike.

Happy Railing,

<3 lightrailgirl

The Metrolink Holiday Toy Express rolls into the Newhall Metrolink station December 4

The City of Santa Clarita is inviting community members to greet the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express as it makes two stops in Santa Clarita to give holiday performances and collect donations for the “Spark of Love” toy drive. The festively decorated train will stop at the Newhall Metrolink station Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. and the Via Princessa Metrolink station on Sunday, December 20 at 8:15 p.m.  

Residents are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for the Southland Firefighters’ “Spark of Love” toy drive

The Holiday Toy Express will present two back-to-back holiday shows at the Newhall Metrolink station, one for each side of the train, to accommodate attendees. The Old Town Newhall Association will also be on hand at the Newhall stop to treat guests to complimentary hot chocolate and cookies.  

Click image for schedule

Residents are invited to come out to the Newhall and Via Princessa Metrolink stations to greet the Holiday Toy Express and bring a new, unwrapped toy to be collected by Santa, Mrs. Claus and their friends aboard the train. All toys will be donated to the Southland Firefighters’ “Spark of Love” toy drive, sponsored by Metrolink and KABC Channel 7.

For more information on the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express, visit metrolinktrains.com.

I didn’t see a Kogi truck while I was driving my bus, but it is about the streets so I decided to set off  and find  out if the line was worth the wait.

1 hour and 30 minutes later I found my answer. Hell Yes!! Kogi BBQ trucks don’t have a line just because of their ingenious twitter advertising, they have customers because their food also kicks ass. And considering the average order I saw was between $15- $40 bucks I’d say they are making bank.

My order consisted of 1 Kogi Slider. 1 Spam Kim chi slider ( yes Spam and yes Kim chi)
2 Korean Short Rib Tacos
1 Spicy Pork Taco. $13.50

The Chef Special Spam Kim chi slider was amazingly flavorful. Neither salty nor pungent as I was expecting. Both the flavors married together to create a sharp, spicy flavor with a smooth texture. it was the tastiest thing on the menu

The best thing on the menu and the star of Kogi is the Short Ribs. You would expect high volume low grade meat from a lunch truck but this meat was sweet, tender and really high end stuff that melted in your mouth.

Overall. I’m not sure I’d make this journey regularly and if I was counting on Kogi’s for my necessary caloric intake for the day I’d be disappointed at the wait. But as a Culinary adventure it was kick ass. What could be better than standing in a line with 200 other Angelenos waiting for food from a lunch truck? I made new friends we chatted, I stole free wifi from a generous neighbor. and showed a guy how to sign up for twitter on his iphone. I say this is a go for any adventurous soul.
My recommendation Hit up the Eagle Rock location  but before hand cruise a few blocks down York to Galco’s Grociers and grab some great old hard to find Soda Pops ( like an Aspen or Grape Knee Hi) then roll out to Kogi’s and treat yourself to a flavor adventure all the while meeting new people. Kogi is a L.A. experience we all should try….
Ride on my friends…

Oh, all right, this’ll be another miscellany post.

1. I was reading Sunday’s Frank Rich column on Sarah Palin while walking down Lincoln Avenue — the sadly silenced “German Broadway.” The fiercely nativist, “politically incorrect,” anti-intellectual, non-reality-based far right certainly deserves the moniker “New Know Nothings“

Back in 1855, Chicago’s immigrants electorally vanquished the old Know-Nothings after the Lager Beer Riot. With that, the right-wing elite lost power over the city for centuries — over the right to drink beer. Which of today’s wedge issues is a sure loser for today’s right? Bear in mind that nationally, they ended up winning (and then losing) the war over beer.

2. I ran my new address through the magic new TIF Search. Even though the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF was only authorized in 2000, it already takes over 2/3 of my tax bill. pie chart

3. Monée Fields-White has a cool profile in Crain’s this week about the Bensidoun public-market operation that’s coming to the C&NW concourse.

4. Hint from Tom Vanderbilt:

One recent study conducted by officials at the Paris Metro—which looked at “missed connection” ads placed by urbanites looking for love in the city—found that the Metro “is without doubt the foremost producer of urban tales about falling in love.” The seats closest to the door, it seemed, offered the best opportunities for falling in love with the proper stranger.

5. I keep meaning to finish off an essay on the parking privatization deal. One of these days…

From the Orange County Register – A late-night bus service that serves graveyard-shift workers and bus routes that go from Brea to Santa Ana and Seal Beach to Westminster will be eliminated as the Orange County Transportation Authority looks for ways to make up for severe budget shortfalls.

The OCTA Board on a 14-1 vote approved a plan that cuts 150,000 hours of service from the bus schedule – a smaller cut than had been expected. At one time, the agency was looking to slash 300,000 hours of service.

Director Janet Nguyen opposed the cuts.

A bus route – initially on the chopping block – that serves many Cal State Fullerton students has been restored on the weekdays.

Bus riders and advocates – including students, low-wage employees and the disabled filled the meeting room to voice their concerns of the reduction. Cal State Fullerton students applauded the board for restoring the Fullerton to Orange route. If eliminated, they said, it would have affected many of their peers going to class.

Under the approved plan, late night-early morning service on four routes stops at 1 a.m. and resumes at about 4 a.m.

Eliminated routes include service from Seal Beach to Westminster and Brea to Santa Ana on weekdays. Service from Huntington Beach to Costa Mesa will be eliminated on weekends.

Midday service from Fullerton to Huntington Beach will be eliminated on weekdays. The plan eliminates about 8 percent of the county’s bus service by early next year. Eight routes will be restructured and the frequency of service would be reduced on 11 routes on the weekdays.

“Everybody has been affected by these changes – the seniors, people riding access buses, students, mothers with children,” said Director Art Brown. “This is something the board does not want to do.”

The board action means that since September 2008, OCTA has reduced 20 percent of bus service – a total of 383,000 annual revenue vehicle hours – to bring service in line with available revenue. OCTA faces a more than $330 million shortfall over the next five years.

The county transit agency had been preparing to cut 300,000 service hours by March. But that was before the state lost a lawsuit over how it handles millions of dollars in transportation funds – a ruling the Orange County agency thinks could send $18 million its way annually starting within two years.

For detailed route information, go to www.octa.net/marchchange.

By Alejandra Molina
Orange County Register

The Regional Transportation Commissioner, part of Translink’s labyrinthine governance structure, is seeking feedback on the proposed AddFare to the Airport and FareSaver price increases.  I submitted comments as follows, and I hope everybody writes in with their own comments! (To the Commissioner, I mean; you are welcome to comment on this blog as well, but I don’t think the Commissioner reads it.)

(Hat Tip to the Buzzer Blog for announcing this and linking to that governance schematic.)

Proposed Canada Line YVR AddFare

I support the additional AddFare on the section of the Canada Line that goes to the airport.

I am sure that many prospective users of this route will be unsure about how much they have to pay (if they even notice that there are different fares for different zones). As visitors and infrequently travelling residents, they will likely be only occasional users of the transit system. Thus the additional complexity and cost will probably bewilder tourists and anger residents enough to make the alternatives more appealing — taxis, shuttles, rental cars, etc.

With these people out of the way, there will be more room for me and my luggage. I am a regular transit user, and I’m certainly willing to pay an extra couple of bucks for an uncrowded ride to the airport. The Canada Line is currently operating near capacity already (if the lineups and crowding at rush hour are any indication). Can you imagine what a madhouse it would be around Christmas holidays if people take transit to the airport?

Proposed Fare Increases

I oppose the proposed increase to the cost of a FareSaver book.

The transit system appears to be at or above capacity during peak travel periods. (At least, every bus or train I’ve ever taken during rush hour has been overcrowded and had line-ups, often requiring drivers to leave people behind.) Ordinarily this would suggest that Translink should increase capacity. Unfortunately, the province and cities appear reluctant to provide the funding to do so (and unwilling to grant Translink the fiscal tools to raise revenues itself). The only alternative is to decrease ridership.

I believe that peak hour ridership can best be decreased by making monthly passes more expensive relative to FareSavers and cash fares. With the proposed fare increases for monthly passes, the price of FareSavers will be closer to the “break-even point.” Most people would continue to buy monthly passes for the predictability and convenience, but some will switch over to FareSavers.

Once this happens, these users are more likely to commute by car on occasion, since the marginal cost of an additional bus ride is now high enough to notice. Hopefully this will take some of the strain off the transit system at peak hours, and I will be able to get a seat.

On the other hand, by keeping FareSavers cheap, we can ensure that occasional transit users will continue to make off-peak trips for shopping, recreation, etc. There is sufficient off-peak capacity while I’m at work, so we should continue to encourage this occasional use with low FareSaver prices.

Postscript

You guys noticed how I put the words “modest” and “proposal” in the title of this post, right?

It never ceases to amaze me what passes for “news”. This story, which appears in today’s Province, merely confirms what fare evaders have known for years. And everyone who has worked for Translink or its predecessors in the area of fare evasion. If you are caught without proper authority to travel within the fare paid zone, and you are issued with a fixed penalty notice, nothing happens subsequently if you do not pay the penalty. Translink can take no further action since the collection of unpaid fines is not their business. The fine revenue goes to the province of BC. Not that there is very much.

This year, transit cops checked 374,000 people and handed out 11,500 tickets for fare evasion. …

The Insurance Corp. of B.C., which keeps track of ticket collections, was only able to provide The Province details through the end of June: 9,909 tickets handed out and 1,423 paid. There were 142 tickets partially paid and 6,829 unpaid — leaving $1.181 million in outstanding fines.

In 2008, 14,400 tickets were handed out and 11,300 went unpaid, for an unpaid-fine total of $1.95 million.

The scofflaws were even worse in 2007, when 24,200 tickets were issued and just 2,400 offenders paid up.

By the way, that’s a 3% fare evasion detection rate. Also well below the ludicrous claims made by local and provincial politicians. The installation of gates is the only thing that has ever seriously been discussed here. And will, of course, do absolutely nothing to reduce fare evasion or improve net revenue.

The penalty, by the way, is $173. So there is not a great deal of incentive to follow up each individual ticket. There are other ways of handling the problem. One would be to replace the provincial fixed penalty by a “penalty fare” levied as part of the transit tariff.  This would be less than the “fine” ($40 might be about right) but would be collected immediately, or the passenger escorted off the premises and told not to return without the ability to pay.

Secondly, attention should be directed at the “frequent flyers”. Most people are law abiding, and even if caught once or twice, will usually pay if they think there is a chance of being checked. But some regard fare evasion as a kind of sport. This has also been a problem with parking fines in the past. What is needed is some sort of system to identify those who regularly abuse the system. This is the old 80/20 rule in action. 80% of the offences will be committed by 20% of the offenders. The Province piece even uses the term “scofflaws” – which indicates to me they were talking to someone who knows his stuff, but they ignored the important bit. If you can target the “scofflaws” you do not charge them with fare evasion but fraud. This is a criminal code offence and is based on a record of regular, persistent behaviour designed to evade fare payment. The penalties for fraud can be significant. This approach has been used in London since the 1980’s. A $173 ticket can be ignored: a criminal case with a really significant penalty and a criminal record is something else.

This situation, left in the hands of ICBC, will continue indefinitely. The fare “scofflaws” are not the same people who prey upon transit passengers and pose a danger to the safety of their persons or property. They are also not the people currently being lifted by the transit cops for outstanding warrants and other offences. To have effective policing of the system, we have to be able to distinguish between real and imagined threats. Unfortunately, we are governed by politicians whose main qualification is party loyalty and adherence to the party line not experience in any field, or the ability to review evidence and reach sensible conclusions. The sorry story of Kash Heed being only the most recent example.

It was a while ago now that I questioned the hydrogen bus plan for Whistler,  in fact May 1, 2007. That post attracted a comment from someone using the pen name “Astrolounge” who is obviously an insider, since (s)he revealed that the “plan” was even worse than I imagined. Over two years later and long after most of the money has been spent, Ian Bruce of the David Suzuki Foundation has caught up – and is now being quoted by the Province yesterday.

Bruce says he is concerned about the priority of spending on the hydrogen buses as part of the 12-year $14-billion provincial transit plan announced in January of 2008.

“The new money was roughly $11 billion and of that just under $5 billion was committed from the province,” said Bruce. “Yet in the last budget we had roughly $150 million (toward public transit) so it is not even putting us close to being on track.”

The so called “transit plan” was bogus. I said that at the time as well. There was never any money – other than the funds committed to the Canada Line and this daft Olympic showcase as part of the “hydrogen highway”. The plan relied on money from the feds, and from the municipal level as well. Neither was consulted – and no commitments by either were ever made. The “plan” was simply a hasty rehashing of earlier proposals, designed to look like a plan. And there was never any thought given to how these projects might get enough operational funding.

The Gordon Campbell government was, as that time, looking forward to the election, and trying to appear green. Somehow they managed to work this trick with a totally inadequate carbon tax. Carol James seized on this as her (failed) strategy, when it would have been much easier to discredit the BC Liberals due to their much greater commitment to greenhouse gas increases through the Gateway – a major freeway expansion – the expansion of oil, gas and coal extraction and the yet to be realised plans to build more pipelines to export tar sands output, as well as the very real threat to open up drilling for oil around Haida Gwai.

Added to the question of costs is the fact that the hydrogen has to be bused in from Quebec, as it cannot be produced in B.C. in great enough quantities.

Actually that’s nonsense too. If you are going to spend these sorts of sums, a new electrolysis plant running off our own abundant hydro resources should not have been too difficult. After all, how can you have a hydrogen highway without the hydrogen? Of course, the fact that apart form these buses there are no hydrogen vehicles that need the fuel now or in the foreseeable future is just one of those nitpicking details that can be readily dismissed.

But, said BC Transit spokeswoman Joanna Morton, investing in future technologies is a must.

Actually, it isn’t. There are all sorts of well proven technologies that would increase transit use, reduce car dependency and start building a greener future. The problem is that would require a government that understands how transportation and land use needs to be changed to a more sustainable model. That would, for a start, mean abandoning freeway widening – something that Gordon Campbell has made clear he has no intention of doing even though studies the government themselves sponsored show will increase ghg emissions. It would also mean that some new funding source would have to be found to ensure that the proposed capital projects would actually be able to be operated. This is the most pressing problem in Greater Vancouver – not for BC Transit, since none of the other cities in the province will ever see modern transit investment in anything other than buses. Translink  (SoCoBriTCA) cannot afford any system expansion – and has simply raised fares and taxes to keep operating the same system it has now for the forseeable future.

The real question that needs to be answered is why this government can find millions for hydrogen buses which cannot operate effectively in Whistler and meets no identifiable needs at all, when all sorts of worthwhile projects that would increase transit use and enable a more efficient land use pattern are neglected. The Evergreen Line is the one that springs to mind, but let’s assume that BC Transit has to be involved and needs to spend in other places – so perhaps Rail for the Valley and on the E&N on the Island  come to mind. Or perhaps streetcars for Victoria. None of these looks Olympic of course. None offer photo ops with the Governator. But they would actually work to increase transit use and encourage transit oriented development, and thus actually do something effective about ghg emissions. Something that can not be claimed for hydrogen buses in Whistler.