Opening Day at the Ol’ Parking Lot

4_13_09_think_blue.jpg…not green. Photo:eating grass/Flickr

Just in time for Opening Day, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent out a press release announcing their efforts to make people’s experiences at the ballpark more "family-friendly."  Presuming, of course, that family owns a car.

After the Dodgers famously stiffed transit riders by refusing to lift a finger to continue transit bus service provided for free last season by the City of Los Angeles and then dissed the city’s efforts as just "a few buses;" it’s revealing to see the former Trolley Dodgers celebrating a flatlining of parking fees and new gameday "playbills" for each car coming into the stadium.

For anyone choosing to be car free yet still wants to root for an organization that spends over $20 million dollars for a left fielder but not $400,000 to provide bus service to the stadium for an entire season; as far as we know the bike racks are still located between Lot P and the Stadium.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Coming Soon:Take the Bus to the Game?

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Don't Worry, There's Nothing to Dodge These Days Councilmember Ed Reyes and Council President Ed Reyes have stood out recently as advocates for cyclists in recent weeks. If their resolution urging Metro and the Dodgers to work together to (re)create bus access to Dodger Stadium is succesful they may also gain praise from baseball fans. The resolution will be heard by the City Council Transportation Committe at tomorrow's (Tuesday, 2/27) meeting. That we're discussing adding bus service to baseball games is confusing to this east coaster. How can a baseball team that was partially named after a mode of transit (the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers) doesn't have any non-automobile options to get to the stadium? That no transit service of any kind exists for Major League baseball in Los Angeles is just one of many signs of how car culture has taken control of the transportation grid. In other major cities transit is a crucial part of local nine's transportation plan and in some cases transit is spotlighted by the team as the best way to get to the ballpark. Yet in L.A., one of our teams has no transit access at all and the next closest team, the geographically challenged Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, doesn't list transit as an option to travel to the ball park on the official website.

Update on Non-Auto Options to Dodger Stadium

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My first post for LA Streetsblog was about the Dodgers’ and City Council’s rushed attempt to provide bus access to Dodgers’ baseball games. A couple of days later, we discussed the challenges cyclists face when trying to park at Dodger Stadium. One Dodger’s fan site got in touch with Dodgers officials and confirmed that they […]

Coming Soon: Buses to Chavez Ravine?

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Some baseball teams have full transit plans…the Dodgers don’t even have buses Councilmembers Ed Reyes and Eric Garcetti have been earning high marks from cyclists recently, and soon they might be earning high marks from baseball fans as well. The councilmembers are backing a motion that will be heard at tomorrow’s Transportation Committee Hearing which […]

City Ends Traffic Officer Subsidies for Major Events

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Political events and charities, such as yesterday’s AIDS Walk, can be exempted on a case-by-case basis. Photo: Dave Marez/Flickr At last week’s meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, LADOT’s Alan Willis presented on the status that the DOT has made with the owners of the Greek Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Coliseum, Sports Arena, former Olympic […]