Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 9

For my last post exploring a part of Los Angeles, I wanted to ride public transportation in the city to get a feel for what it is like, study the infrastructure that makes up the system, and see the people who ride it on a regular basis. Riding the bus from UCLA to somewhere could've worked, but I was curious to learn more about the light-rail and subway system that is being expanded in the city, that runs on a dedicated route that is unaffected by traffic. In my opinion, these are the only viable public transportation options that can one day lead to decreasing traffic on the congested freeways of L.A. Buses only add to the traffic and run just as slow if not slower (to stop for passengers) than a car, so I was curious to see how well the light-rail system, specifically the Expo Line from Culver City to Downtown measures up to the three variables that people use in their transportation decision: cost, time, and convenience. I will discuss these three points along with the interesting observations and connections to some lecture and reading points that we delved into throughout the course.

I took my trip on a Saturday during the early afternoon. I left my apartment shortly after noon, and it took me about 15 minutes to get to the La Cienega/Jefferson station in Culver City (the 2nd farthest west station on the Expo Line). After parking there (which was free) I went to the kiosk to buy a ticket. After a few minutes of messing with the machine, which was not terribly user friendly, I realized it would not let me just buy a ticket, but that I would instead have to purchase a Transit Access Pass (TAP) Pass that would cost me an extra $1. Yes it is a Transit Access Pass Pass, the naming scheme was not well thought through. As I got ready to buy the pass and put money on it, I looked for where it told me the cost of fare, but that was not listed anywhere. So I put $3 on, hoping my travel wouldn't cost more but prepared to load more if I needed.

Then I turned to go up the stairs to the track, and at the foot of the stairs were to electronic columns, like shorter metal detectors. It was here you scanned your pass pass to go up to the track, but there was no enforcement for it. No bar that held you back if you did not scan, no detector that noticed someone walking through without scanning, not even a security camera around looking to see a violator. The detector was not even flush with the stairs, so you could technically just go in between and never even touch the scanner. I thought to myself why did I even bother paying if there was no accountability, and its clear everyone else had thought the same thing and just moved along. No one else except me scanned my pass charging me an apparent $1.50 as shown on the screen, and then I walked up to the track.

Already, I was less than impressed by this "new" rail line that was suppose to be part of L.A.'s transportation future. I waited just a minute till the train pulled up heading east towards downtown and I hopped on the train.

I marked the departure at 12:35pm from the station, curious to see how long it would take to get to downtown. The train was lightly filled, only seven people initially in my car of which the train was made up of probably eight cars. There were people of varying ethnicity (although became predominantly Black and Latino as the trip went on) and gender, although they looked to be mostly under 30 or over 55. The travelers were either too young to be working, were commuting to their job (not career), or were retired and going somewhere.

The train went east following Exposition Blvd and parallel with I-10, with more people hopping on as the train moved, with some leaving as well. By 12:48pm we reached the Expo/Vermont station which was advertised as a stop point for the natural history museum and L.A. Coliseum, a very quick 13 minute trip that could save you the $10-$20 of parking for the museum or football game. By 12:56pm we arrived at the Pico Station which advertised as the stop point for the Staples Center and L.A. Convention Center. I got off here to turn back and realized that I was very close to both of those destinations, as shown in the photos below.

Finally I hopped back on the train and took it back west toward Culver City. As I was boarding, an unshaven African-American man wearing sweats in his mid 20s carrying a baby came up to me and sketchily asked for my phone to make a call. I figured he couldn't take it and go anywhere being on the train, so I offered and of course he did not steal it, but I felt guilty for doing so. It wasn't that he was Black that took me off guard, it was how he acted and carried his child that worried me whether or not he would. It's part of a greater insecurity I think I had being on the light-rail, an unknown mode of travel, and meeting new people who do not give off the same impression as a college student. I think it is this same insecurity that drives many in L.A. to separate themselves from the rest of the city, as talked about in the Massey and Denton article on racial segregation. They talk about white residents who can "put up with" a set amount of black residents until they want to move out of fear. I think I was a bit guilty of that mindset, comfortable with some different people but as soon as more came and they talked to me, I grew uncomfortable and assumed the worse. It's a sobering reminder that the concept of racial/ethnic/class/cultural segregation is a real thing that we consciously realize or sub-consciously do without knowing.

Now regarding the light-rail, while useful in maybe saving money in parking when going to a football game at the Coliseum, it fails on the all three aspects. I still need a car that costs money to insure and pay for gas to go to the station, unless I take an 60 minute bus ride to the station. Then I pay $1.50 each way, with an additional 21 minutes to the Pico station. It also limits the places I can go, having to walk in between stations to anywhere else I would want to go. In short, looking at this in a very Neo-liberal mentality, it does not make economic sense. Why would someone waste their time and lose the convenience of a car to save a few bucks? A Neo-liberal critique would be that the city of Los Angeles is wasting resources trying to promote the subway system and grow it by charging everyone increased sales tax. And from that perspective it's true, why invest money in public transportation when you should just charge for the use of roads we have, and if you cannot afford it then tough luck.

What I have found is that Neo-liberals sometimes lack the foresight to see the benefits in long-term investment in a system or network. Neo-liberals probably would not have supported the Interstate Highway system, seeing that as over spending by the government to prop up businesses and individuals who couldn't individually pay to build the roads themselves. But that is what government can sometimes do, collect taxes to invest in a system that directly benefits some but can indirectly benefit all. The Interstate system is only strong because you can take a truck from the Port of Long Beach and drive it to Denver, Colorado to deliver goods. It does not suddenly end when the L.A. area does, it connects all of the nation allowing for the great movement of people and goods. That same can be said for the future of the subway system, it will only be as strong as the amount of people and places it provides access to. If it stays small, no one will ever ride in the numbers needed to justify. But if people can one day actually not need a car like in a city like New York and take effective public transportation everywhere it can work. Facebook is silly with one person on, but if hundreds of millions of people are on there and you can use it to add anyone you might know from school or work, there is strength in that; there is strength in a system and sometimes an upfront cost that does not immediately make economic sense is needed.

This is where I cannot see the Neo-liberal city lasting, if everyone is looking out for themselves and never willing to make larger investments, what is the point in being part of a city?