Dana Gabbard
Recent Posts
Rail User’s Network Brings Annual National Conference to L.A.
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I first became aware of the Rail Users’ Network (RUN) some years ago when they held their Board meeting in Los Angeles and invited local transit activists to attend and observe. While I was already a member of several rail advocacy groups including National Association of Rail Passengers and RailPAC, I found appealing RUN’s broad scope, […]
Book Signing: Hidden History of Transportation
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Today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. author Charles Hobbs will have a signing for his new book Hidden History of Transportation in Los Angeles. The event is being held at Vroman’s in Pasadena, 695 E. Colorado Bl. This book is the result of years of research, and while in-progress was referred to in this […]
Ride the Owls with So.CA.TA on Their Annual Day-After-Thanksgiving Tour
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Traditionally Southern Caifornia Transit Advocates does a day-after-thanksgiving study tour , usually to explore service in far-flung areas outside urban Los Angeles (Santa Barbara, San Diego, Victorville, Bakersfield). This year we are doing something different. We are riding owl service in the L.A. area, Friday evening into Saturday morning. This is service that operates in […]
Metro Board Will Discuss Sheriff Audit Reports and Shortcomings on Thursday
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Thursday at noon the Metro Board is holding a workshop on the recent audit of the security contract it has with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). The unit of the LASD that handles the contract is known as Metro Transit Services which has an online presence on Facebook, Twitter and nixle. In 1997 […]
LADOT Seeking Input on Plan to Offer Discount to TAP Users
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Are reduced fares on the way for users of LADOT’s TAP on DASH bus service? The LADOT recently held public hearings seeking comments on proposed new Electronic Payment Incentive Fares along with sharing new Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden Fare Policies that it says “are supportive of the incentive fares, and also establish criteria for how […]
So.CA.TA. Tours Metro’s TAP Lab
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On Saturday August 16th Southern California Transit Advocates will be making a return visit to Metro’s TAP Lab. This will be an opportunity to learn about the status of the program and implementation of the changes that will facilitate the fare change that will take place September 15th. Participants will meet up at 10 a.m. […]
Electric Bus Company BYD Offers Private Tour with So.CA.TA. on Friday
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(In the absence of a “Week in Livable” Streets Events, we’re going to highlight some of our favorite events coming up this weekend – DN) Electric bus manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) has kindly offered Southern California Transit Advocates an opportunity to tour their electric bus manufacturing plant in Lancaster this Friday, July 11th. The […]
Metro Memo Quietly Responds to Board and Public Fare Increase Concerns
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On March 29th, Metro held a public hearing on its proposal to restructure fares. At that meeting, I presented the position of Southern California Transit Advocates. Among other stakeholders at the March 29th hearing was the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Transportation Committee, represented by its co-chair Darrell Clarke. He pointedly asked why Metro would raise fares […]
Ride the New sbX BRT with So.CA.TA. Tomorrow
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Tomorrow, Friday May 2nd, Southern California Transit Advocates (SoCATA) is touring of Omnitrans’ sbX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) express service. Omnitrans sbX started operating Monday. Our hope is by highlighting its key attribute, dedicated stations along an exclusive bus lane, that sbX will inspire aspirations in Los Angeles County as Metro studies corridors for a proposed BRT […]
Metro’s “Short Range Transportation Plan” Meetings Start Today
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Starting this evening and continuing during the next two weeks Metro is holding community meetings seeking input on its Draft 2014 Short Range Transportation Plan and the companion technical document. Metro describes the plan thusly: … a ten-year action plan that guides our programs and projects through 2024. It advances us towards the long-term goals […]
Thoughts on Metro’s Fare Restructuring
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(I want to be explicit this is solely my own opinion, and in no way endorsed by either Streetsblog or Southern California Transit Advocates – DG But I can’t help notice that So.CA.TA. has a special meeting just to discuss the changes this Saturday. – DN) Metro staff recently released two options for fare restructuring […]
Feds. Coming to Town to Talk SCAG, Regional Planning
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Four years have passed since the last time the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration conducted a certification review and evaluation of the region’s transportation planning process carried out by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and its partners, and that means it’s time for the process to begin again. A fairly full […]