The goal is to improve the downtown experience by 2028 by "linking key locations with safer, cleaner, and greener streets, parks, public spaces, and transit hubs"
This is a free one! Each week, paid subscribers can come to Torched to get access to the latest headlines, commentary, and analysis — updated daily! At the end of the week, all subscribers will see the final version in their inbox. I call it Hot Links. This week, it's open to all. Bluesky users: 🦋 will always take you to a thread I reported there.
Dude, where's my bus?
Transit updates are still down and LA's fancy new bus shelters were no help whatsoever
Metro's major outage stretched into a second week. An update on the "unauthorized activity" went out to employees, but there's been no additional information shared with riders, who are still dealing with sporadic real-time updates and an inability to load their TAP cards. As Metro employees explained to me, the ongoing network issues are actually being created by the security team turning various systems on and off in an attempt to test how safe it is to restore full service. So if something doesn't work, try again in a few hours; Apple Wallet and real-time updates both were online long enough to get me home Monday! As I rode around testing arrival data, I also got newly mad about our expensive new LA city bus shelters, most of which showed incorrect route information — like, the wrong bus line entirely! — or simply blank screens. What's the point of these if we can't use them to communicate with bus riders? In general, a bad week for core passengers and anyone else who wanted to try transit as gas prices skyrocketed.Although I guess you technically really don't have to pay? 🦋
"There are Metro signs leading you back to the station from Dodger Stadium, but none leading you along the route there. The Dodgers actually would prefer you did not take that route, or at least the last part of it." Bill Shaikin, the best chronicler of our baseball traffic challenges, has a story on why it's so hard to walk to Dodger Stadium and how a group of transit advocates tried to make it a little better during last year's playoffs. Thanks for letting me tag along!
Me and my feet are headed to Paris next week! If you'll be there, too, join me, fellow Torched subscribers, plus a few special guests for happy hour on the HĂ´tel Pulitzer's lovely patio.
I'll see you there. And a huge thank you to the HĂ´tel Pulitzer Paris for having us!
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The goal is to improve the downtown experience by 2028 by "linking key locations with safer, cleaner, and greener streets, parks, public spaces, and transit hubs"
Alissa Walker
Alissa Walker
