All blog posts in the year 2008
Gift ideas for transit riders
Submitted by Steven on 20 December, 2008 - 11:48am
Don't know what to get your transit-riding friends for the holidays? Want to convince folks at work that riding transit can be cool? Get them some transit-related gifts!
OCTA has a lot of corporate-logo merchandise such as beanies, visors, water bottles, canteens, squishy stress buses, and even cute teddy bears. I've found most of this merchandise for cheaper than even general stores — the water bottle in my pic came to about around $4. You won't be able to buy these items online; you'll have to stop by OCTA's main headquarters at the OCTA Store, 550 S Main St, Orange, CA during weekdays. I'm sure they have plenty of items in stock.
Los Angeles Metro store has much more trendy apparel, Christmas ornaments, and large toy replicas of their buses. Metro sells posters with beautiful artwork that makes the thought of riding transit pleasant. However, their higher quality products translate to a higher price. The Los Angeles Times even featured the Metro Store a few years back: "Wearing a Los Angeles Metro T-shirt is 'completely counterculture, ... Because L.A. is car culture.'... Enthusiasts say part of what makes transit systems interesting in London, Berlin, Paris and New York – and why people want to buy merchandise from those places – is that they were marvels of their time when they were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."
New York MTA's Transit Museum Store sells cool station signs, toys, drinkware, and more. If you happen to visit New York, stop by their museum!
Happy shopping! read more→
OCTA service cuts, fares rising
Submitted by Steven on 15 December, 2008 - 12:57am
OCTA's new quarterly schedule (in effect today) doesn't look too hot. Bus schedules have been trimmed, and service has become less frequent. On line 57, for example, buses will arrive every 10 minutes instead of 8 minutes. Fares have raised from the once-cheap $1.25 so they're on par with other transit agencies at $1.50. read more→
Will Orange County's new rapid bus system be a success?
Submitted by Steven on 10 December, 2008 - 10:01am
Only two members of the public were present (I one of them). I asked the board to consider UC Irvine as a stop with the Bristol-Irvine Rapid Bus (what will be route 557). I don't think I articulated it particularly well, but I brought up my fears that: read more→
Bravo!: BRT or HAR?
Submitted by Steven on 8 December, 2008 - 5:29pm
At today's OCTA rapid bus public hearing, it was clear that OCTA's board is not in sync with what's really going on. read more→
OCTA proposes route, sets hearing for Harbor Blvd rapid bus
Submitted by Steven on 6 November, 2008 - 9:45am
An update on OCTA's Bravo system on Harbor Blvd: OCTA is having a Rapid Bus public hearing set for Mon, Dec 8, 2008 9:00am at their headquarters. Their description (with my own emphases added)? "Route 543 will operate primarily on Harbor Blvd between the cities of Fullerton and Newport Beach on weekdays only between approximately 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. The purpose of the BRT [sic] service is to provide a rapid transit option to Orange County commuters and visitors as well as satisfying congestion mitigation commitments and regional air quality conformity requirements by the end of 2010 in the South Coast Air Basin. The BRT service will supplement the existing local service in order to maximize operational efficiency and passenger convenience. The BRT service is proposed to be implemented with the June 2009 service change effective June 14, 2009.
It's about time!
I picked up the route map and hearing notice off a 57 bus and scanned it. Take a look at the route.
read more→
OCTA fare increase to alleviate budget problems
Submitted by Steven on 6 November, 2008 - 9:39am
OCTA has approved a fare increase. According to the Los Angeles Times (Oct 28, 2008),
The hike would increase the cost of one ride from $1.25 to $1.50 and a day pass from $3 to $4; monthly passes would go from $45 to $55. Other fares, such as those for seniors and people with disabilities, would also increase. read more→
Vote "no" on B: the slow death of Caltrain and VTA
Submitted by Steven on 1 November, 2008 - 10:48pm
Why would I ever say "no" to BART? Simple: because it'll cannibalize existing transit services. My friends, if you live in Silicon Valley, please vote NO on measure B (additional tax for BART to San Jose). read more→
Santa Ana-Garden Grove light rail, in 5 years
Submitted by Steven on 23 September, 2008 - 9:55am
I happened to pick up the September/October 2008 edition of the Greater Santa Ana Business Alliance's newsletter CityLine at The Depot at Santa Ana, and they had a fascinating article titled "Light Rail System Moving Closer to Reality." In essence, light rail will be a reality in five years, from the Metrolink station to Garden Grove: read more→
Microorganisms everywhere - a 48-hour experiment
Submitted by Steven on 18 September, 2008 - 11:46pm
We started microbiology labs this week and it's actually fun to see stuff grow. My friends — Ash, Jonny, Cliff, Jen, and Charitha — and I cracked open a bunch of agars and swabbed various things onto them and incubated them for 48 hours at 37ºC. This particular media has such a weird name: "Brain Heart Infusion agar (BHI) is a complete media used to cultivate a variety of fastidious organisms including bacteria and fungi." read more→
Bravo! rapid bus, part IV: Marketing and branding
Submitted by Steven on 18 September, 2008 - 12:45am
One of the great things about rapid buses is that with introduction of rapid bus service, most transit agencies push a fresher, more hip transit marketing effort. Take Metro. I'm a big fan of their style, and it's not undeserved: their work has won them a 10-page exposé in Communication Arts magazine's Interactive Annual 12. read more→
