Orange Line Busway - Another SNAFU in the Making

Two accidents in one day involving the new San Fernando Valley
pseudo-light-rail bus-trains has the authorities freaking out and
assigning meter maids to act as crossing guards. Just like the olden
days when railroads crossed streets at grade and automated signals had
not yet been invented, they have real live people standing at the
intersections today to make drivers slow down. And, just to show what
MTA officials think of the average LA driver, they have ordered the
Orange Line bus drivers to go through a green light at only TEN MPH.
Bet that will do wonders for the cross-valley travel times...

http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-orang...ll=ktla-news-1

Crashes Heighten Busway Concerns

By Amanda Covarrubias and Caitlin Liu
Times Staff Writers

November 3, 2005

Seventeen people were injured — one seriously — in two collisions
between cars and Orange Line buses Wednesday, heightening concerns
about the safety of the new transitway designed to speed trips across
the San Fernando Valley.

Within minutes of the second accident, Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority officials issued an order for all Orange Line
buses to slow to 10 mph when approaching green lights.

Other officials called for additional safety measures on the 14-mile
route, including railroad-style crossing gates. But extra safety
measures could affect one of the line's main selling points: a faster
commute.

Orange Line critics and nearby residents had been predicting
collisions even before the busway's opening Saturday, saying the
crossings were confusing and dangerous for motorists.

The busway is the only transit system of its kind in the region,
designed to operate like light rail but using specially designed buses
instead of train cars on its own roadway across the south San Fernando
Valley. But the $324-million Orange Line does not employ railroad
crossing-style arms or lights to prevent motorists from crossing that
roadway while a bus approaches, relying instead on traffic lights and
warning signs.

Both accidents Wednesday apparently involved motorists running red
lights.

MTA officials said they will go back to the drawing board regarding
safety measures.

"Everything is on the table," said Richard Hunt, the MTA's general
manager for the San Fernando Valley area, at the scene of Wednesday's
second accident.

The crashes took place on the fifth day of operation of the busway,
which has been attracting more than 10,000 boardings on weekdays.

During a test run last week, a similar collision occurred but caused
no injuries.

The more serious collision Wednesday occurred shortly after 2 p.m., at
Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street in Valley Glen. A 78-year-old woman
driving south on Woodman — who, witnesses told police, was talking on
a cellphone — ran a red light and crashed into the midsection of a
bus, spun around and struck the bus again.

Fourteen aboard the bus were taken to hospitals with minor injuries,
mostly back and neck complaints, said Brian Humphrey, spokesman for
the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The car's driver was in fair condition at Providence Holy Cross
Medical Center in Mission Hills. Her condition had originally been
listed as critical.

MTA officials said the accident briefly disrupted service while buses
were rerouted on city streets, putting the schedule behind by eight to
10 minutes for several hours.

The first crash occurred about three hours earlier, at the crossing at
Corbin Avenue, which also intersects Topham Street nearby at an acute
angle. Two people — the motorist and a fare inspector on the bus —
were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, police said.

Witnesses told police that the motorist, a 65-year-old woman, was
making a right turn through a red light, an action that is no longer
allowed at many of the busway's intersections. According to the Los
Angeles Police Department, the woman and the bus driver both told
officers that they had a green light.

The Orange Line's east-west route from the Red Line subway station in
North Hollywood to Warner Center in Woodland Hills intersects with
streets at 36 points. The full run has been taking about 40 minutes,
with the buses making 13 stops.

Even before Wednesday's collisions, so many motorists had complained
about the crossings that a safety task force had been convened by Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The mayor, who is also chairman of
the MTA, took that step shortly after a bus he was riding last week on
a demonstration run narrowly escaped being in an accident. The task
force, made up of officials from the MTA, local law enforcement
agencies and city traffic engineers, met for the first time Wednesday,
just hours before the accidents occurred, but did not reach any
decisions.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, chairwoman of the city's Transportation
Committee, called an emergency meeting for today with the MTA, city
traffic engineers, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the
Los Angeles Police Department.

"We want to assure the public that we're doing everything we can about
safety," Greuel said.

At the time of the Valley Glen collision, authorities said, the bus
was traveling between 25 and 30 mph. The speed was in accordance with
MTA policy in place until Wednesday afternoon, requiring Orange Line
drivers to "cover their brakes" with their foot while passing through
intersections. The posted speed limit at the intersection is 35 mph
for buses and cars.

The decision to immediately require the drivers to slow to 10 mph at
intersections was made while MTA officials were en route to that
accident. Shortly after the first accident, county Supervisor Zev
Yaroslavsky, a busway advocate, had called for the speed reduction.

"It's not the bus that's creating the problem; it's the motorists who
are running red lights," said Councilman Dennis Zine. "If not the bus,
they would've hit something else."

Some safety experts warn that collisions between buses and other
vehicles could be far more dangerous to riders than those between
vehicles and trains.

"When you have a rail collision, it is very rare that passengers get
injured," said Tom Rubin, a former MTA official who has worked as a
consultant to busway opponents. "With buses, you don't have the same
weight ratio. A bus is more likely to get knocked around, and it's
more likely to overturn."

Safety at public transit crossings has been a chronic problem in the
Los Angeles area — one some officials attribute to many drivers' lack
of familiarity with public transportation.

"It's a learning curve. Once the public gets adjusted, I think we'll
be fine, but people need to realize this busway exists," said LAPD
Capt. Ronald Marbrey of the Valley Traffic Division.

Councilman Jack Weiss said that "the types of negligent driving" have
also plagued the light rail Blue Line between Long Beach and downtown
Los Angeles.

"It's not the fault of the line," Weiss said. "L.A. drivers have had a
hard time understanding that they need to share the road with mass
transit."

Even so, Weiss said that who was at fault was less important than
preventing future accidents.

"If the Orange Line is basically a train on rubber wheels, maybe the
warning systems to drivers should be similar as well," he said.

Near the site of the Valley Glen accident, some neighbors said the
occurrence of a crash involving the busway had been just a matter of
time. Friends Steve Pepper and Lisa Freedman had in recent days
discussed the likelihood of accidents. Freedman had predicted a crash
there within a month. Pepper had said it would occur within 10 days.

"It's very unnerving," Freedman said of the intersection. "It's so
confusing for your eyes to see lights all over the place. It's really
poorly designed."

"Scott en Aztlán" > wrote in message ...
>
> Two accidents in one day involving the new San Fernando Valley
> pseudo-light-rail bus-trains has the authorities freaking out and
> assigning meter maids to act as crossing guards. Just like the olden
> days when railroads crossed streets at grade and automated signals had
> not yet been invented, they have real live people standing at the
> intersections today to make drivers slow down. And, just to show what
> MTA officials think of the average LA driver, they have ordered the
> Orange Line bus drivers to go through a green light at only TEN MPH.
> Bet that will do wonders for the cross-valley travel times...
>
> http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-orang...ll=ktla-news-1

You know, I was thinking this idea, though it sounds good on paper is like
multiple accidents waiting to happen. Southern Californians do have a
reputation as excellent drivers, I've heard several stories from friends
around the world getting "congratulated" on being L.A. drivers.

But the reality, I just can't imagine people obeying the traffic laws
knowing SoCal folks as I do to make way for these buses. It sounds downright
dangerous.

Larry

In article >,
"Larry G" > wrote:

> "Scott en Aztlán" > wrote in message ...
> >
> > Two accidents in one day involving the new San Fernando Valley
> > pseudo-light-rail bus-trains has the authorities freaking out and
> > assigning meter maids to act as crossing guards. Just like the olden
> > days when railroads crossed streets at grade and automated signals had
> > not yet been invented, they have real live people standing at the
> > intersections today to make drivers slow down. And, just to show what
> > MTA officials think of the average LA driver, they have ordered the
> > Orange Line bus drivers to go through a green light at only TEN MPH.
> > Bet that will do wonders for the cross-valley travel times...
> >
> > http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-orang...ll=ktla-news-1
>
> You know, I was thinking this idea, though it sounds good on paper is like
> multiple accidents waiting to happen. Southern Californians do have a
> reputation as excellent drivers, I've heard several stories from friends
> around the world getting "congratulated" on being L.A. drivers.
>
> But the reality, I just can't imagine people obeying the traffic laws
> knowing SoCal folks as I do to make way for these buses. It sounds downright
> dangerous.

It was supposed to be dangerous. Everyone knows this while few will
admit it. There was a deliberate decision that traded safety for
construction costs. While I disagree with the MTAs calculations I do
not disagree with the practice. It needs to be done, just in this case
the MTA erred away from the side of caution. The danger is in the
design that was chosen. It cannot be fixed with meter maids as crossing
guards. It is also going to prove an interesting issue as certain
segments of society being to view the corridor as unowned property and
thus subject to turf squatting.

someone said they had meter maids directing trafffic
wrong they ARE CALLED TRAFFIC OFFICERS.. not meter maids
yes they do ticket cars at expired meters and illegal parking but their
offical
name are Los Angeles Traffic officers..

In article . com>,
"mrpanitz" > wrote:

> someone said they had meter maids directing trafffic
> wrong they ARE CALLED TRAFFIC OFFICERS.. not meter maids
> yes they do ticket cars at expired meters and illegal parking but their
> offical
> name are Los Angeles Traffic officers..

Do they give sanitation engineers tickets for double parking their trash
trucks? Excuse me, mobile recycling transfer and compaction vehicles?

On 3 Nov 2005 18:54:02 -0800, "mrpanitz" > wrote:

>someone said they had meter maids directing trafffic
>wrong they ARE CALLED TRAFFIC OFFICERS.. not meter maids
>yes they do ticket cars at expired meters and illegal parking but their
>offical name are Los Angeles Traffic officers..

A rose by any other name...

In my book, if it walks like a meter maid and quacks like a meter
maid, it's a gol-durned meter maid.

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:

> Two accidents in one day involving the new San Fernando Valley
> pseudo-light-rail bus-trains has the authorities freaking out and
> assigning meter maids to act as crossing guards.

" Both accidents Wednesday apparently involved motorists running red lights. "

Why do some dickhead motorists apparently think it's optional to stop at red
lights? I hope they lose their driving licenses.


Graham

In article >, newsgroup says:

>Witnesses told police that the motorist, a 65-year-old woman, was
>making a right turn through a red light, an action that is no longer
>allowed at many of the busway's intersections. According to the Los
>Angeles Police Department, the woman and the bus driver both told
>officers that they had a green light.

It gets better- this morning on KTLA reported many passengers said
.... wait for it ... the bitch was *on the phone*.

I'll beg it again: PLEASE, GOD- let someone famous, connected or rich
get killed by some ****tard yapping on their cellphone, so we have a
real chance of getting them banned (or at least limited) here in Cali!
(Nobody here will care if it's just some "regular" person.)

-Kenny

--
Kenneth R. Crudup Sr. SW Engineer, Scott County Consulting, Los Angeles
H: 3630 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #138, L.A., CA 90034-6809 (310) 391-1898

In article . com>,
"mrpanitz" > says:

>wrong they ARE CALLED TRAFFIC OFFICERS, not meter maids

Yeah, good luck with that. (Clue: they're not calling 'em
"meter maids" in the spirit of accuracy. Try "derision".)

-Kenny

--
Kenneth R. Crudup Sr. SW Engineer, Scott County Consulting, Los Angeles
H: 3630 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #138, L.A., CA 90034-6809 (310) 391-1898

In article >,
(Kenneth Crudup) wrote:

> In article . com>,
> "mrpanitz" > says:
>
> >wrong they ARE CALLED TRAFFIC OFFICERS, not meter maids
>
> Yeah, good luck with that. (Clue: they're not calling 'em
> "meter maids" in the spirit of accuracy. Try "derision".)

Meter Maid is the -least- derisive term I can think of. Do you really
want to go into an -accurate- decscription of their societal function?