Comments on: How Do Angelenos Travel?

By: calwatch

calwatch — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:56:58 +0000

Also, Downtown Portland is very transit-friendly, but many of your white collar jobs are in Washington County in the 217 corridor, which has the poorly-accessible WES and a couple of buses that run every half hour. Your blue collar jobs are in the Port area and the Northwest Industrial area, again not well served by transit. Also, Portland’s rail system, as I’ve complained here numerous times, is SLOW.

Seattle has not just a robust bus system, but a model express bus system (I think the BRU would have articulated this system, if they had any sense.. not just buses on carpool lanes, but actual bus stations on or near the freeway, HOV-only ramps, park and ride lots with SECURITY which are actually well used even on the weekends… I saw a park and ride lot in Lakewood half full on a SUNDAY, which shows you how amazing the usage is). Sound Transit Express buses are one of the most comprehensive express bus networks in the region. It makes up for their piddling level of commuter rail.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:07:09 +0000

I’d agree on the Portland overhype, although I have no real knowledge never having been there. I still find Seattle an interesting case and will be spending some time up there in the summer so this is good to know.

By: Damien Goodmon

Damien Goodmon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:14:00 +0000

I love any post that further illustrates the Portland hype.

By: Wad

Wad — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:54:24 +0000

Matt, if this had been a Seattle blog, you would be a meme. Surprised? Here are two explanations for the data: 1. Seattle has a lot of buses. 2. People use them.

By: Erik G.

Erik G. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:33:24 +0000

Seattle’s topography forces travel on ferries and on one of two floating bridges for much of the East-West travel. They also have a commute-trip-reduction law with teeth and have taken a serious look at the parking situation in downtown Seattle and thus have done all the work on cashing out parking and offering bus passes that L.A. is only beginning to realize it mighr need to look at.

Portland is a poster-child, except it has Vancouver, WA across the Willamette that serves as both a pressure valve and a trip generator.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:41:51 +0000

I am surprised to see Seattle on the list with such a high percentage of public transit as they just opened their first rail line, especially when compared to the poster child of good planning, Portland. I am guessing that the nature of the layout of the city with ferries often being useful has a lot to do with this unless they have an unbelievable bus system.

Tough to see LA so far behind many cities. Lets see what we can do to improve these figures in the next decade.

By: DJB

DJB — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:09:05 +0000

Good write up. I wish the Census asked about more than just the trip to work. The advantage of the Census is that it covers the whole country with one more or less consistent method over time (since 1790 in fact).

Ignoring people without jobs, people afraid to talk to the census takers, the hard-to-count homeless, etc. and all non-work trips is not an adequate way to make transportation policy.

I say lobby the Census bureau to ask about how people go to the grocery store, and how kids go to school. Also, don’t forget to avoid solo driving to work the week before April 1st 2010. That’s what the Census will pick up.