The day after Thanksgiving is a unique day. It is not a holiday but many people get it off. Yet regular weekday transit service generally operates. It presents a rare chance to explore transit in far flung areas and ride services that only operate Monday to Friday without having to take a day off from work.
It was in 1995 that Charles Hobbs, a long time member of Southern California Transit Advocates, noted the foregoing in suggesting the group undertake a Day After Thanksgiving study tour. Thus started what has become an annual tradition. Generally in October interested members caucus and vote on where to go on the Day After Thanksgiving. Usually 3-5 proposals prepared by members vie to be the choice that year.Over the years the destinations have included:
1995 - Ventura County 1996 - Banning (Riverside County) 1997 - San Diego 1998 - Santa Barbara 1999 - Bakersfield 2000 - Ventura County II (this one was mostly SCAT, while the 1995 trip was mostly VISTA) 2001 - Lancaster and Kern County (Kern Regional) 2002 - Palm Springs (SunLINK) 2003 - Riverside and San Diego Counties (using RTA #202) 2004 - San Diego II (more suburban than the trip in 1997) 2005 - Eastern Ventura County (Thousand Oaks Transit/Simi Valley Transit) 2006 - San Diego III (Rural routes) 2007 - Bakersfield II 2008 - Ventura/Santa Barbara (Coastal Express)
This year it was Charles Hobbs who prepared the winning idea, an all-Metrolink exploration riding most of the system in a single day. It has even been written up in the latest issue of Metrolink Matters, probably more exposure (and in an official organ, to boot!) than any SO.CA.TA activity has ever received.
The tour will travel through most of the areas in which Metrolink provides service -- from Orange to San Bernardino to Moorpark to Lancaster -- and will take advantage of Metrolink's discounted weekend "Friends and Family 4-Pack" ticket offer, which lowers the cost of participation to $7.25 per person for the entire day and is specifically available on "Thanksgiving Friday" as Metrolink dubs the day after Thanksgiving.
Streetsblog readers are welcome to join in the fun. We'll meet up Friday November 27 at the Metrolink ticket vending machine at the east portal of Union Station (the side closest to the Metro headquarters building, near the giant aquarium) by 7:30 a.m. From there we'll make our way to the platform to catch our first train, departing at 8 a.m. We'll have a 40 minute lunch break at Union Station in the early afternoon. And bathrooms needs are no problem since Metrolink train cars have facilities onboard. You can even bring a snack or beverage and partake while watching the passing scenery.
As our website notes, these trips aren't just recreational. They also help familiarize those on the trip with transit service (frequency, hours of service, connections, etc.) in other areas. And our participants who don't use transit daily get a dose of "seat of the pants" knowledge about transit issues.
I'll acknowledge that the day after Thanksgiving isn't representative as to ridership patterns. Many folks who have the day off stay home or are shopping. Colleges and schools don't have classes, which is especially apparent when you take a bus that serves a University and find it mostly empty when assuredly during a regular weekday it likely has ample patronage. Although this effect generally eases and ridership visibly increases by mid-afternoon.
I have the unique honor of being the only person who has participated in all 14 trips, and I will be joining in to experience the adventure this year once again. It should be an interesting day.
There are seven L.A. County Reconnecting Communities grants totaling $162 million - about 90% of that goes to Metro's Removing Barriers project, which includes new bus lanes, first/last mile walk/bike facilities, bike-share, and more.
New bus lanes are coming to Broadway, Colorado Blvd., Crenshaw Blvd, Lincoln Blvd., Los Feliz Blvd., Santa Monica Blvd., Valley Blvd., Vermont Avenue, Westwood Blvd., Whittier Blvd. and many more city streets!