Title: Wallich’s Music City
Date: Friday March 16, 10:46 pm
In September 1973. at the age of 8, I had started taking piano lessons. And a trip to Wallichs Music City in Torrance, at the corner of Hawthorne and Artesia.meant another chance to supply my voracious appetite for new sheet music. (Nearly 40-years later, I still have many of those John Brimhall piano books!)
Historical Background
Glenn Everett Wallachs, the son of Union Pacific accountant Oscar Wallichs, was born on August 9, 1910 in Grand Island, Nebraska. He became highly interested in both electronics and music. At the age of 10 he built a tiny radio inside of a sewing thimble.
In 1926, the family moved to North Hollywood. Glenn continued to tinker with radios and music. Glenn installed an Atwater-Kent radio in a Model T Ford, possibly the first car radio in Los Angeles. He made some money by installing radios in cars. During the Depression he worked a series of jobs selling radios until 1940, when he opened a music store, called “Music City,” at the corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood.
In 1946, Glenn left the business to his brother Clyde and, with singer Johnny Mercer and actor Buddy DeSylva, founded Capitol Records. Clyde instituted several innovations. He put the records in self service bins, allowing customers to select their own records rather than having a clerk retrieve them from a back room. More famously, he installed listening booths where people could hear records before deciding to buy them.. Splashy newspaper advertisements, catchy radio jingles, and a hit chart showing which records sold the most during a given week, attracted an increasing number of customers to Wallichs’ Music City.
About one third of the stores’ floor space was devoted to records and tapes, another third to consumer electronics (televisions and stereos) and the remainder to pianos, organs, band instruments and sheet music. The 1950s and 60s brought expansion to various suburban locations—Lakewood, the San Fernando Valley, Orange County, West Covina and Torrance, with plans to open stores in Santa Monica and Pasadena.
Wallachs evenopened a store in Downtown Los Angeles, but it was not particularly successful and it closed in 1964. Like Glenn’s experiment with installing a radio in a car, Wallichs’ Music City was the product of the Automobile Age.
The Sunset and Vine location was the place to be. Musicians, actors and other celebrities could be seen shopping or perhaps listening to the latest records in one of the booths. A customer might walk in off the street, and see Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, or maybe even Elvis. A young Frank Zappa worked part time at the store. Radio DJ’s often broadcast their shows live from the store. It was the place to be for anyone in the music industry….or who wanted to become a part thereof.
In Suburbia
But “Our” Wallichs’, the store in Torrance, was far away from the glamor of Hollywood. To me and my family, it was a place to buy sheet music, reeds and other band instrument supplies, and maybe take a look at the new pianos, organs and televisions on display. Wallichs was also my first encounter with a “video game” called “Pong…”
A Nat King Cole Store in a Led Zeppelin World
My last visit was probably late 1976, to buy a music book for a concert….I didn’t know it at the time, but Wallichs’ day in the sun was fading fast. One source of competition, at least for recorded music, was discount stores such as White Front, Gemco, K-mart, and Zodys. These stores would sell an LP for as low as $4, while Wallichs kept to its standard price of about $7, insisting that customers would pay the higher price because of the higher level of service. Well, not necessarily.
In the 1970s, stores specializing in stereo equipment (Pacific Stereo, Federated Group), recorded music (Tower Records, Wherehouse, Licorice Pizza) and keyboard instruments (Colton Piano and Organ, Sherman Clay) came on the scene. These new stores attracted a younger and hipper crowd. Wallichs Music City now just seemed old fashioned, full of older console-style television sets and stereos, in an era where portables and component sets were becoming more popular. And the clerks still wore jackets and ties as they did in the 1950s, whereas a Wherehouse or Licorice Pizza salesperson would likely be wearing blue jeans.
The famed listening booths fell victim to the increasing costs of maintaining the demo collection—and people shoplifting the records.
Finally in 1976 Wallichs started offering discounted prices on records, got rid of the jackets and ties on clerks, and renovated stores. But to no avail. In March 1977, Wallichs Music City, nearly $1.6 million in debt to suppliers, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Wallichs’ Music City closed its doors for good in January 1978, save for one or two liquidation sales. The site of the Sunset and Vine store was, for a time, a studio for the “Merv Griffin Show.” It’s now a mixed use development, consisting of apartments and a shopping center.
The shakeout in both the electronics and music worlds continued through the years. 30+ years after the demise of Wallichs, we buy our electronics at Best Buy, our musical instruments and supplies at Sam Ash, and our recorded music … online, mostly.
References
“Wallichs Maps Plans to Expand Disk Outlets.” Billboard, Dec 1, 1956, p. 15
Leap, Norris. “One Day Wallichs Awoke, Found Himself Millionaire.” Los Angeles Times, Jan 5, 1959.
“Wallichs Buys 3d Disk Outlet in L.A. Area.” Billboard, Apr 6, 1959, p. 3
Alpert, Don. “Stereo.” Los Angeles Times, Feb 28, 1960
“$127 Million in Downtown Projects Okd.” Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1960
“Wallichs Will Mark 30th Anniversary.” Los Angeles Times, Dec 11, 1960
Zhito, Lee. “Wallichs’ Music City Lifts Policy; to Cut LP Prices.” Billboard, January 30, 1961, p. 2
“Dealers Air LP Discount Views.” Billboard, Mar 13, 1961, p. 18
Zhito, Lee. “Earphone Doubles Music City Sales.” Billboard, November 6, 1961, p. 22
“Music Firm Will Build In Torrance.” Los Angeles Times, Jun 30, 1963
“Clyde Wallichs Sells Interest in Music City to Other Stockholders.” Billboard, March 2, 1963, p. 8
“6,000 Attend Store Opening.” Los Angeles Times, Nov 24, 1963
“Coast Chain Starts Selling Components.” Billboard, December 14, 1963
“Business Wrap-Up.” Billboard, July 4, 1964, p. 35
Tiegel, Eilot. “Los Angeles Market Booms.” Billboard, Oct 17, 1964, p. 40
“Airway Saturation.” Billboard, Oct 17, 1964, p. 40
“Organ Hobby Lesson Plan Now Available.” Los Angeles Times, Apr 4, 1965
“Music City Buys Chain.” Billboard, July 15, 1967, p. 19
Weber, Bruce. “8th Wallichs is Opened.” Billboard, Nov 11, 1967, p. 62
Turpin, Dick. “New Kind of ‘Downtown’ in Making.” Los Angeles Times, Mar 10, 1968
Freedland, Nat. “Wallichs’ ‘New Look’ Spurs Music City Chain’s Profits.” Billboard, December 18, 1971, p. 3
“Capitol Records Head, Glenn E. Wallichs, Dies.” Los Angeles Times, Dec 24, 1971
Dexter, Dave. “Glenn E. Wallichs—A Fond Farewell.” Billboard, January 8, 1972, p. 3
“Wallichs Music Filed For Protection Under Chapter 11.” Los Angeles Times, Mar 9, 1977.
Sippel, John. “Wallichs Stores File Bankruptcy.” Billboard, Mar 19, 1977, p. 10
Siegel, Barry. “It’s Bankruptcy Blues at Music City.” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1977
Sippel, John. “Investor Quartet Refloats Wallichs.” Billboard, May 14, 1977, p. 5
Tepper, Ron. “The Eyes of the Industry Watch L.A. Retailing.” Billboard, November 15, 1980, p. LA-46
Ryon, Ruth. “Merv Griffin Buys Hollywood Corner.” Los Angeles Times, Nov 3, 1983
Ryon, Ruth. “Developers Gamble on Spring Fever.” Los Angeles Times, Oct 12, 1986.
Grein, Paul. “The Story So Far, From the Beginning.” Billboard, Jun 13, 1992, p. 48
AMERICAN MONTAGE – 151 “Long-Lost Hollywood” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxxH-GWmNJo
http://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2009/09/glenn-wallichs-owned-biggest-record.html
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117907759
Tags: city,music,organs,pianos,stereos,televisions,wallichs
Title: No Torrance, No MAX
Date: Sunday March 4, 10:26 pm
Since 1990, the Municipal Area Express (MAX) buses have been carrying commuters from various South Bay cities to employment sites in El Segundo. MAX service is jointly provided by the cities of El Segundo, Lawndale, Lomita, Torrance as well as the City and County of Los Angeles; Torrance,as the largest city in the South Bay, serves as the lead agency.
However, MAX service is now in danger of severe route cutbacks or even total cancellation because the City of Torrance plans to pull out of the joint agreement, citing increasing costs and fewer Torrance residents using the service. As lead agency, Torrance’s share of MAX operating funds is the largest; a Torrance pull out might mean severely curtailed service, or the end of MAX altogether.
History of El Segundo and its transit service
El Segundo (Spanish for “The Second”), named because it was the site of Standard Oil’s second refinery in California (the first one was in Richmond), became an incorporated city in 1917. The Los Angeles Airport opened in 1930, and many aviation-related businesses shortly set up shop in nearby El Segundo. Defense and aerospace companies followed suit during World War II and the Cold War.
El Segundo never had much bus service. Perhaps the most important route was the one connecting El Segundo with Los Angeles (via LAX) and the Beach Cities. (see article about the #439 for more details). Greyhound also served the city via its Long Beach-Santa Monica route (now Metro #232). A handful of private transit companies such as Inglewood City Lines and Cross Town Bus of Lynwood, also provided service to El Segundo.
The public transit lines, however, did not serve the industrial part of El Segundo particularly well, so “buspool” operators stepped in to fill in the gap. Passengers paid a monthly fee to ride on a chartered bus from places as far away as the San Fernando Valley, Orange County or even the Inland Empire, to their jobs in El Segundo.
BEEP
Closer-in commuters, such as those living in the South Bay, desired a solution that would combine the direct service of the buspools with the flexibility of regular public transit service. The federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration agreed to fund a demonstration service implementing 14 new Southern California Rapid Transit District bus routes. The service was known as the “Bus Employees Express Program” or simply “BEEP.”
BEEP started operating on June 1, 1978. Each route operated to El Segundo in the morning, dropping off passengers destined to El Segundo Employment Area. Limited stop service along surface streets kept travel times as low as possible. Although the BEEP routes did attract many commuters out of their cars (1979′s gas shortages certainly helped!) they never made the desired 60% farebox ratio, only a disappointing 23%. After the UMTA funding ran out in May 1980, RTD consolidated several BEEP routes and cancelled others. By early 1984 only two routes remained: #685 serving Rancho Palos Verdes and Torrance, and #686, which served San Pedro, Wilmington, Lomita, Torrance and Lawndale on its way to El Segundo. In 1987, Rancho Palos Verdes subsidized the #685, while #686 became part of Los Angeles’ “Commuter Express” network.
CTIP
In 1988, the cities of the South Bay, along with the aerospace companies in El Segundo, made plans for a transit system designed for El Segundo Employment Area commuters. The original “Commuter Transportation Implementation Plan” (CTIP) called for a 14-route transit system, but this proved too costly to operate. Also, the RTD bus drivers unions complained that the system duplicated too many RTD bus routes, and would take away their riders.
Instead the cities settled on three routes: the existing #686 and #687, plus a route along the coast serving the three beach cities (Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan). The coastal route replaced the former “Herman” commuter bus, which linked Hermosa and Manhattan Beach with El Segundo until its cancellation in 1986.
MAX
The new bus service, named “Municipal Area Express” or “MAX” began operations on April 18, 1990. After a few hiccups, including a bus driver being cited for not having licence plates on his new bus, the service was well received, with additional buses being dispatched due to overcrowding. MAX Route #1 served the Beach Cities, #2 was the former RTD #685 route through Torrance to Palos Verdes, and #3 was LADOT’s #686 to San Pedro. Torrance Transit also extended its #8 (Hawthorne Bl) route to El Segundo and LAX.
To lure commuters out of their cars, the MAX buses featured amenities such as reclining seats and reading lights. As did the old BEEP service, MAX made limited stops (transfer points and major destinations). Although MAX was primarily for El Segundo commuters, buses dropped off at other destinations such as TRW in Redondo Beach, Allied Signal or El Camino College (both in Torrance).
Bye Bye Surfers, Hello Airmen
In May 1993, the Beach Cities (Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo) decided to pull out of MAX due to insufficient ridership a. Thus, Route #1 ended service. (It was thought that extending the route south to Palos Verdes Estates would generate more ridership, but PVE decided not to participate in the system).
About that time an express version of Route #3 started service. The new Route #3X served San Pedro, then ran non-stop via the I-110 and I-405 freeways to El Segundo, shaving xxx minutes off the trip. #3X also served Air Force housing in San Pedro, so this route became extremely popular with military personnel commuting to the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo.
New, larger buses were purchased in 2002. These vehicles were solid blue with a new logo.
Rancho Palos Verdes Pulls Out
In March 2011, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes withdrew from MAX. Increasing costs of the service (including new buses once the units purchased in 2002 reached retirement age in 2012), and minimal use of MAX by RPV residents (only 20 daily passengers boarded south of PCH) were the main reasons for RPV pulling out of the system, although officials in that city had expressed disagreements with the way Torrance was managing MAX as early as 1993. In particular, RPV thought that the formula allocating operation costs among the cities was not easily understandable and required RPV to pay a greater share than it thought it should.
As of June 30, MAX service on Route #2 was cut to PCH, and the number of round trips was reduced from four to two.
Et tu, Torrance?
After Rancho Palos Verdes voted to leave the system, lead agency Torrance began seriously questioning its involvement in MAX. RPV’s departure meant that the cost for each remaining city would rise. Torrance’s share of the subsidy was about $6 per passenger (Torrance Transit’s per-passenger cost was only $3). And, the number of Torrance residents who actually rode MAX had dropped by 12% from 2010 to 2011. Torrance’s share of the cost of the new buses would be about $300,000. The money spent on MAX, Torrance officials surmised, could be better spent on dealing with the rising costs of own bus services.
Current MAX Route #2 passengers could use Torrance Transit #2 along Anza and transfer to #8 at Artesia Bl for service to El Segundo. Most MAX Route #3 passengers were observed riding the bus to/from El Camino College; most these trips could be accommodated on Torrance Line #5 along Crenshaw. (Passengers from San Pedro would need to use Metro #205 and #232 to access Torrance #5 at PCH/Crenshaw.) Those along Crenshaw who still needed to go to El Segundo could cobble together a three-bus trip via Torrance #2 at Artesia and then Torrance #8, or use any number of Metro lines, but a one-seat ride would no longer be possible.
But then there was the matter of Route #3X, which did not serve Torrance at all, but bypassed it via the freeway. #3X is heavily used by Air Force personnel, and it remains uncertain who would operate it if MAX ceased to exist.
The Council Votes…
On February 28, 2012, the Torrance City Council voted to continue supporting MAX for one more year, using city reserve funds. Torrance does plan to end support for MAX in 2013; this means that if MAX is to continue, another source of funding will have to be found.
References
“History of El Segundo” City of El Segundo (http://www.elsegundo.org/working/history/default.asp)
Municipal Area Express-History (http://www.maxbus.com/108.htm)
Descriptive Summary of the Bus Express Employee Program : a demonstration of employment center bus service. Final report. Washington DC : US Department of Transportation, September 1980
Evaluation of the El Segundo Employment Center Subscription Bus Service Demonstration : Executive Summary. Final Report. Washington DC : US Department of Transportation, July 1982
“10 cities ratifying South Bay transit pacts.” Daily Breeze, November 3, 1988
Rae-Dupree, Janet. “South Bay transit plan irks union.” Daily Breeze, May 13, 1989
Ryan, Carol. “Bus program for aerospace workers stalls.” Daily Breeze, December 27, 1989
Radcliffe, Jim. “Comfort to the MAX – Commuter buses roll into spotlight” Daily Breeze, February 6, 1990
Ryan, Carol. “South Bay commuters offered lift – Workers to take bus to El Segundo jobs” Daily Breeze, April 15, 1990
Ryan, Carol. “MAX steers into innovative future – Shaky start-up doesn’t deter bus commuters.” Daily Breeze, April 19, 1990
Radcliffe, Jim. “Traveling in style – South Bay’s MAX bus line warned to boost efficiency or lose funding.” Daily Breeze, September 26, 1992
Montgomery, Marie. “MAX bus line under fire – RPV blames Torrance Transit for bad service.” Daily Breeze, March 19, 1993
“MAX bus service canceled in Redondo – Council cites low ridership, high cost.” Daily Breeze, March 11, 1993
Radcliffe, Jim. “MAX bus route runs out of gas.” Daily Breeze, April 9, 1993
“Hermosa to withdraw from MAX bus service,” Daily Breeze,April 15, 1993
Sudano, Andrea. “Bus line survives aerospace ups, downs.” Daily Breeze, April 18, 2005
Pamer, Melissa. “RPV council set to reconsider support of MAX bus services” Daily Breeze, November 30, 2010
Dobruck, Jeremiah. “Peninsula loses MAX commuter bus service.” Palos Verdes Peninsula News, December 2, 2010
Parner, Melissa. “Rancho Palos Verdes withdraws from MAX bus service” Daily Breeze, March 16, 2011
Dobruck, Jeremiah. “Worries about lack of transparency spurs move to leave organization headed by Torrance Transit.” Palos Verdes Peninsula News, March 17, 2011
Green, Nick. “Torrance signs on for one more year of MAX bus service” Daily Breeze, March 31, 2011
Green, Nick. “Bus system reaching end of line?” Daily Breeze, April 1, 2011
Green, Nick. “Municipal Area Express service may be canceled” Daily Breeze, January 22, 2012
Green, Nick. “Torrance opts to consider cuts, fare hikes rather than leaving MAX” Daily Breeze, January 24, 2012
Green, Nick. “Torrance’s planned withdrawal from MAX transit may kill entire service.” Daily Breeze, February 7, 2012
Green, Nick. “Torrance proposes using reserve funds to continue MAX service” Daily Breeze, February 9, 2012
Green, Nick. “MAX bus line wins one-year reprieve.” Daily Breeze, February 29, 2012
[Torrance city council reports]
Date: Wednesday January 18, 11:37 pm
In May 2011, I listed all of the Metrolink stations by Walk Score . In this post, I’ll do the same with Metro Rail stations (including the Orange and Silver Line busways). Since Metro will open the Expo Line (from LA to Culver City) and the Chatsworth extension of the Orange Line sometime in 2012, I added those stations to the list as well.
To recap, this is how Walk Score rates stations (or other neighborhoods):
90–100 Walker’s Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89 Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69 Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49 Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24 Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.
With the same caveats as my prior article, let’s take a look at the stations with the top 10 Walk Scores.
Top 10 Walk Scores
(tie)
- Pershing Square (Red/Purple, no parking, Walk Score 100)
- Memorial Park (Gold Line, no parking, Walk Score 100)
(tie)
- Hollywood/Highland (Red Line, no parking, Walk Score 98)
- Wilshire/Western (Purple Line, no parking, Walk Score 98)
(tie)
- Wilshire/Vermont (Red/Purple Line, no parking, Walk Score 97)
(tie)
- Vermont/Sunset (Red Line, no parking, Walk Score 95)
- North Hollywood (Red Line, 803 spaces, Walk Score 95)
- Wilshire/Normandie (Purple Line, no parking, Walk Score 95)
- Del Mar (Gold Line, 290 spaces, Walk Score 95)
- Figueroa/Olympic (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 95)
- 3rd/Grand or Olive (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 95)
(tie)
- Hollywood/Vine (Red Line, no parking, Walk Score 94)
- 7th/Metro (Red/Purple Blue Lines, no parking, Walk Score 94)
- Mission (Gold Line, 118 spaces, Walk Score 94)
- 5th/Fig or Grand (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 94)
- Jefferson/USC (Expo Line, no parking Walk Score 94)
(tie)
- Long Beach Transit Mall (Blue Line, no parking, Walk Score 92)
- Vermont/Santa Monica (Red Line, no parking, Walk Score 92)
- Little Tokyo/Arts District (Gold Line, no parking, Walk Score 92)
- 1st/Spring (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 92)
(tie)
- Pico (Blue Line, no parking, Walk Score 91)
- Figueroa/Adams (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 91)
- Figueroa/Pico (Silver Line, no parking, Walk Score 91))
- 23rd St (Expo Line, no parking, Walk Score 91)
(tie)
- Civic Center (Red/Purple/Silver Lines, no parking, Walk Score 89)
- Hollywood/Western (Red Line, no parking, Walk Score 89)
- Expo Park/USC (Expo Line, no parking, Walk Score 89)
- Culver City (Expo Line, ???? spaces, Walk Score 89)
- Westlake/MacArthur Park (Red/Purple Lines, no parking, Walk Score 88)
Honorable Mention:
- Union Station (Red, Gold Lines, paid parking only, Walk Score 83)
(tie)
- Chinatown (Gold Line, no parking,Walk Score 80)
- Soto (Gold Line-Walk Score 80)
- Fillmore (Gold Line, Walk Score 75)
(tie)
- Willow (Blue Line-Walk Score 74)
- Florence (Blue Line-Walk Score 74)
Bottom 10
(tie)
- Wardlow (Blue Line, 82 spaces, Walk Score 57)
- Norwalk (Green Line, 2050 spaces, Walk Score 57)
- Vermont (Green Line, 155 spaces, Walk Score 57)
- Woodman (Orange Line, no parking, Walk Score 57)
- Tampa (Orange Line, no parking, Walk Score 57)
- Mariposa (Green Line, no parking, Walk Score 55)
(tie)
- El Segundo (Green Line, 90 spaces, Walk Score 54)
Expo/Western (Expo Line, no parking, Walk Score 54)
Artesia Transit Center (Silver Line, xxx spaces, Walk Score 54)
Pierce College (Orange Line, no parking, Walk Score 54)
Artesia (Blue Line, 292 spaces, Walk Score 54)
- Imperial/Wilmington “Rosa Parks” (Blue/Green Line, 975 spaces, Walk Score 52)
Balboa (Orange Line, 270 spaces, Walk Score 52)
- Vernon (Blue Line, no parking, Walk Score 51)
- Lakewood (Green Line, 545 spaces, Walk Score 49)
- Aviation/LAX (Green Line, 405 parking spaces, Walk Score 45)
(tie)
- Del Amo (Blue Line, 391 parking spaces, Walk Score 40)
I-105/I-110 (Green/Silver Line, 253 parking spaces, Walk Score 40)
Avalon (Green Line, 158 parking spaces, Walk Score 34)
Average Walk Score for each line:
- Purple Line: 93
Red Line: 91
Expo Line (LA-Culver City): 81
Silver Line: 79
Gold Line: 78
Orange Line (including extension to Chatsworth): 70
Blue Line: 69
Green Line: 57
Systemwide average Walk Score: 75. Not too bad.
Tags: light rail,Los Angeles Metro,subway,walk scores
Title: More Articles in the works….
Date: Sunday December 4, 3:08 pm
A new job and the holidays have kept me quite busy lately, but rest assured, I have some interesting articles planned for the next few weeks and into the next year.
Meanwhile, enjoy this video of a Metrolink express train barreling through Montclair….
Metrolink Express thru Montclair
Tags: commuter train,express,Metrolink,montclair
Title: Big Blue Bus Breakthrough
Date: Tuesday September 6, 11:36 pm
The Big Blue Breakthrough
In the early morning hours of August 29, 2011, a bus pulled up to the intersection of Wilshire and Western, loaded a few passengers, and continued on its route.
But this was not one of Metro’s orange Local or red Rapid buses. Nor was it a LADOT DASH shuttle. Instead, this was one of Santa Monica’s Big Blue buses, for the first time operating on surface streets east of the Pico/Rimpau transit center (not counting Santa Monica’s #10 Express to Downtown via the freeway).
Appreciation of the historic significance of this route extension requires a discussion of the history of the Pico/Rimpau transit center, the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines (“Big Blue Bus”) and of transit in West Los Angeles in general.
Do You Know The Way to Santa Monica?
From the late 1800′s onward, passenger transportation between Santa Monica and Los Angeles was provided by a variety of rail lines which became the Pacific Electric. In 1924, PE started a busroute along Pico Boulevard between Santa Monica and its Vineyard depot, near the intersection of Venice and San Vicente.
Additional rail service west of Downtown Los Angeles was provided by Los Angeles Railway. LARY operated streetcar routes on Pico Bl, Washington Bl, 3rd St, etc. These terminated at or just short of La Brea Avenue.
Dissatisfied with PE’s service and fares, the City of Santa Monica began running its own bus service along Pico Bl. on April 14, 1928. Santa Monica’s bus line used the same route as PE’s, except it terminated at Rimpau St. At Rimpau, passengers could board LARY’s “P” streetcar line to Downtown LA. The combination of Santa Monica’s bus and the LARY streetcar offered a lower fare than PE did between Santa Monica and LA. PE resented the competition, there was nothing they could do about it, since municipal bus services were not constrained by the same Railroad Commission regulations as private companies were. So PE discontinued its Pico Bl line, leaving the market to Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines.
Birth of the Pico/Rimpau Terminal
The SMMBL buses layed over off-street in a leased lot at Muirfield Road. This facility, which was also used by Bay Cities Transit buses, was inadequate; buses and boarding passengers often blocked the nearby sidewalk. (Bay Cities Transit, another bus company serving Santa Monica and West Los Angeles, was acquired by Santa Monica Municipal Bus in 1951.)
In mid-1934, the owner of the Muirfield lot announced plans to erect a building on the property. No longer would it be available for use as a bus depot. The transit agencies, along with the City of Los Angeles scrambled to find an alternative. By March 1935, construction began on a transfer facility, just south of Pico at Rimpau Bl. This terminal provided off-street loading areas for both streetcars and buses. The new terminal opened for service in April.
Reaching Beyond Rimpau
Although the new terminal made transferring between bus and streetcar much easier, some people in Santa Monica demanded a direct, one-seat bus service into Downtown Los Angeles. Although PE provided such services over their rail network, many in Santa Monica considered PE’s fares too high. They believed that Santa Monica’s municipal bus could provide a better service at a lower fare.
In October 1935, the City of Santa Monica applied for a permit with the City of Los Angeles to operate a proposed bus route via Wilshire, Santa Monica, Burton Way, Alpine to 3rd St through Beverly Hills and Los Angeles into Downtown. Fares for the entire trip would be 20 cents one way, 35 cents round trip. Santa Monica planned to cover the entire route in slightly under an hour.
LARY operated its “R” streetcar on 3rd St, between Downtown Los Angeles and La Brea Avenue. LARY, along with PE, vehemently protested against Santa Monica’s proposed bus route. Since Santa Monica planned to provide local service along the entire length of its proposed new route, PE and LARY worried that they would lose business to the new line, and perhaps even be foreced to cut service.
Another issue was that the Santa Monica line, as part of a government agency, would pay no franchise fees or taxes as the private companies (such as LARY and PE) were required to. The rail operators also questioned whether Santa Monica could run the line in as short a time as 55 minutes. A City of Los Angeles traffic engineer strongly advised against allowing more buses into the Downtown area, as it was already choked with auto and streetcar traffic.
Testimony, both for and against the Santa Monica line, before the Los Angeles Board of Public Utilities and Transportation went on for five days. Finally, in March 1936, the City of Los Angeles rejected Santa Monica’s application, in favor of a competing proposal by the rail operators to offer shuttle bus service between the La Brea streetcar terminal and Beverly Hills. Santa Monica mulled suing Los Angeles, but decided it had other issues to deal with at the time.
Santa Monica tried again in 1955 to provide direct service to Downtown LA. This time the bus line planned to extend its Pico Bl. route (#7) eastward from the Pico/Rimpau terminal via Rimpau and Olympic into Downtown. Unlike the 1935 proposal, this would be an express service, stopping only at major transfer points to discharge passengers on eastbound trips, and to board passengers going westbound.
Again the streetcar company (now Los Angeles Transit Lines) and PE’s replacement Metropolitan Coach Lines, which operated bus service along Olympic Bl, protested, claiming that the proposed Santa Monica bus route would cause them to lose money. The Los Angeles City Council, concerned about losing franchise fees paid by the two private operators if Santa Monica started operations east of Rimpau, also voiced its opposition.
On May 29, 1956, the LA BPUT voted aganist allowing Santa Monica Bus to serve Downtown LA. Santa Monica officials considered operating the service without LA City permission, claiming their right to do so under the California State Constitution, but did not push the matter further. The eastern limit of the Santa Monica bus system remained at Pico/Rimpau.
In 1971, the passage of the Transportation Devlopment Act (TDA) codified the areas in which each municipal bus company, including Santa Monica’s, covered; service could not be extended outside of its so-called “reserved service area” without permission from any other affected transit agency. During the mid-1970s, LA’s dominant transit agency, now RTD, reconfigured its services throughout the region into a grid pattern. But Santa Monica still held the rights to Pico west of Rimpau, and RTD’s Pico route (#30/31) ended at the Pico/Rimpau terminal just as its forerunner, the LARY’s “P” streetcar, did. RTD and Santa Monica did trade a few operating rights, most notably RTD’s acquiring local rights along Wilshire west of Westwood in exchange for Santa Monica getting exclusive coverage of Lincoln Boulevard between Santa Monica and LAX.
Blue Diamond Express
A major service change came in March 1976 with the opening of the “Diamond Lane,” a carpool lane on the Santa Monica Freeway. Santa Monica implemented a new Line #10, otherwise known as the “Blue Diamond Express,” along the freeway between Santa Monica and Los Angeles. While the Diamond Lanes proved politically unpopular and were removed within a few months, the express bus service remained and continues to be one of Santa Monica’s most popular bus routes.
Under New Management
Big changes were in store for the Big Blue Bus with the retirement of Jack Hutchinson and the appointment of John Catoe as General Manager in 1992. Since the early 1960s, Hutchinson had run the Santa Monica bus system efficiently but conservatively, and rarely considered route modifications or other changes to the system. With Catoe at the helm, Santa Monica’s bus service planners began to look at ways to modify the system to bring in new ridership.
A few years later, several transit advocates (including the author) presented some service change suggestions at a Big Blue Bus public hearing. Included was a proposal to extend several SMMBL routes, including the Pico route (#7), from Pico/Rimpau to the Wilshire/Western Metro Red (now Purple) Line station. In effect, Wilshire/Western would become the “new” Pico/Rimpau terminal. Although the advocates’ comments were welcomed, it was not until the mid-2000s when Santa Monica seriously began considering extending the route to Wilshire/Western. LACMTA resisted the expansion, which would have duplicated several of its own routes on Crenshaw and Wilshire Blvds.
Midtown Crossing
In 2006, the extensive redevelopment of a shopping center near the Pico/Rimpau terminal required that the bus transfer facilty be moved to the south side of the center, near San Vicente Bl. The relocation did not change the basic function of the Pico/Rimpau terminal: it was still the place where Santa Monica and LACMTA (“Metro”) exchanged passengers.
In August 2008, Big Blue Bus started their “Rapid 7″ service, using limited stops and signal preemption to provide a faster trip between Santa Monica and the Pico/Rimpau terminal. The Pico/Rimpau transfer point was becoming more and more crowded, as it was served by both local and Rapid #7 buses, other Big Blue Bus routes and Metro buses.
Breakthrough!
Finally in late 2010 or early 2011, Metro relented, and allowed the Big Blue Bus to extend its Rapid 7 to the Wilshire/Western Metro station. As part of the deal, Santa Monica agreed not to handle local passengers west east of Pico/Rimpau. But this restriction could not take away from the fact that the “Rimpau Curtain” had finally been broken after all these decades.
As more and more transit users become aware of the new connection, ridership on the extended Rapid 7 will only increase. Once Big Blue Bus starts accepting the TAP card (a universal transit pass) the ridership will increase even more.
Sources:
California Railroad Commission Decision #13841 (July 1924 – establishes PE bus service on Pico Bl.)
Ayer, Bob. History of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus.
Minutes of the Board of Public Utilities and Transportation (Los Angeles) 1935, 1936
“Proposed Bus Route On File.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, October 3, 1935.
“Board Rejects City Bus Line Extension Plea.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, March 4,1936
“SM Buses Get OK For LA Run.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, Feb 28, 1956
“SM Bus Line to LA Meets New Protests.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, Mar 19, 1956
“SM to Seek OK on Bus Line May 29.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, May 16, 1956
“SM Bus Extension Rejected.” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, May 29, 1956
TDA (Transportation Development Act). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation, p. 67
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Docs-Pdfs/STIP/TDA7-15-2011.pdf
SMMBL Short Range Transit Plans: 2005-2007, 2006-2008, 2007-2009
“New Pico/Rimpau Transit Center Opens.” Metro News, February 2006, p. 2
(http://www.metro.net/news_info/publications/images/metronews_2006_02_eng.pdf)
http://transittalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=muni&action=display&thread=465
(discussion on LACMTA’s reluctance to allow SMMBL access to Wilshire/Western)
“Big Blue Bus starts ‘Rapid 7′ service on Pico Blvd. Corridor” Argonaut, August 28, 2008.
http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2008/08/28/news_-_features/santa_monica/s5.txt
“SMC Students to Get Free Ride.” Santa Monica Lookout, April 18, 2008
Tags: bbb,beverly hills,big blue bus,bus,LARy,LATL,los angeles,los angeles railway,los angeles transit lines,mcl,metropolitan coach lines,Pico,railroad commission,rimpau,RTD,santa monica,southern california rapid transit district
Date: Sunday July 31, 12:33 pm
Last September, took a trip along the under-construction Expo Line, between Downtown LA and Culver City.
Now there are test trains running, but up until about a week ago, the trains ran along the Exposition Bl. segment of the route, where I rarely go anymore.
Last week, however, I started seeing Expo Line cars (similar to the Gold Line vehicles) on Flower St, just south of the junction at Washington Bl.
Enjoy the pictures, and I hope to see the Expo Line cars testing at 7th/Metro Station real soon….
Looking south on Flower, two Expo Line trains in distance
Along Flower headed south. One set of three cars and one set of two cars
Looking northward along Flower. Downtown in background
Looking northward on Flower towards Washington (and Downtown). A Blue Line Train can be seen in the background.
Tags: blue line,expo line,flower,LACMTA,lrt,Metro,trade tech college,washington
Date: Monday July 25, 10:47 pm
The Transit Gods both giveth and taketh away, nowadays. It was just a few months ago when transit fans were excited over the possibility of an all-transit trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
But now another classic all-transit trip is threatened. The connection between the Orange County Transit Agency and the North County Transit District may go away, due to budgetary and other issues.
Currently, OCTA and NCTD meet in southern San Clemente, at the Orange-San Diego County border. OCTA route #1 continues via Pacific Coast Highway to Long Beach, while #191 is a local circulator through San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Mission Viejo. NCTD #395 (formerly #305) connects San Clemente and Oceanside via the Camp Pendleton Marine Base.
But the magic is in the connection between OCTD/OCTA and NCTD at Carls Jr restaurant at the southern tip of Orange County. For a few dollars (much less than Greyhound or Amtrak fares), people could take a cheap (but lengthy) trip between San Diego and Los Angeles by transferring from bus to bus to bus…
Camp Pendleton and its Transit Service
The United States Marine Corps acquired 122,798 acres of a former Mexican Rancho and built Camp Pendleton in 1942. As Los Angeles and Orange County developed, San Diegans began to consider the Marine base a buffer between their county and the urban sprawl of the counties to the north.
In 1946, Greyhound agent Ray Campbell began a taxi service between the San Clemente bus station and northern Camp Pendleton. As ridership increase, the taxis gave way to buses. Ray named his bus company “San Clemente Stage Lines” and operated two routes: one linking San Clemente with Camps San Mateo, Christanitos and Talega via the San Mateo Gate, the other serving San Onofre and Horno through the San Onofre Gate. In 1967, Community Enterprises (same company that owned several local transit lines in Orange County) acquired the system. Service operated from 4 pm to 2 am on weekdays; 8 am to 3:30 am on weekends. At some point [mid-1970s?], Pinetree Service Corporation bought the operation and operated yellow buses (school buses?) on the routes.
Meanwhile, in the mid-1970s, the Orange County Transit District implemented a network of bus lines throughout the county. One line in particular (#1) connected all of the communities along Pacific Coast Highway, from San Clemente to Long Beach. In northern San Diego County, the local transit systems in Oceanside and Escondido were merged to form the North County Transit District. NCTD ran a bus (#305) between Oceanside and the southern portion of Camp Pendleton. Connections between NCTD and the Yellow Bus were possible. But the infrequent Yellow Bus service, plus the need to pay an additional fare, made transferring between the two services inconvenient.
As early as 1984, NCTD discussed taking over the Yellow Bus service and operating one continuous line between Oceanside and San Clemente. In mid-1985, NCTD did just that; a year later, the agency added limited weekday daytime service.
Riding the Base Bus
Although the Marines and their visitors were the primary users of the NCTD route, other passengers used it to transfer to the OCTD in San Clemente and continue on into Los Angeles. These souls included VA patients needing to visit the Veterans’ Administration hospital in Long Beach, homeless and transients going from San Diego shelters to ones in Los Angeles, the occasional bus fan or transit advocacy group, and folks who simply wanted to do something different on a day off. Contrary to some people’s fears, illegal aliens rarely used the buses serving Camp Pendleton. The ID checks and other screenings on the bus as it entered the base undoubtedly deterred them.
The Threat to Transit
When NCTD took over the Yellow Bus, the agency hoped that the resulting San Clemente-Oceanside route would be a moneymaker. Instead it ended up being a high subsidy route, costing at least $5-7 per passenger. Large deployments of Marines (such as to the Persian Gulf) caused ridership to dip dangerously low. But public support for the military kept the buses running.
The 2008 closure of the San Clemente Greyhound station, combined with limited Amtrak service, diminished San Clemente’s importance as an access point for long-distance transportation. The Marines preferred to ride the bus to Oceanside and its frequent Amtrak and Greyhound service..
Recently, Camp Pendleton began to close its northernmost gate (Christanitos) in the early evening. Night trips on #395 detour via the San Onofre gate and onto I-5, adding nine miles (one way) to the trip. The longer distance also discouraged ridership to San Clemente on the night trips. In 2011, NCTD cut back the number of daytime trips to San Clemente and eliminated night service north of Camp San Mateo, forcing passengers to ride back to Oceanside to make their connections.
Also in 2011, OCTA, facing budgetary problems of its own, is considering removing all fixed-route service south of the San Clemente Metrolink station. Although OCTA proposes alternatives such as dial-a-ride, most area bus riders consider such services more inconvenient than fixed route buses. Eliminating the service to the NCTD transfer point will certainly make those inexpensive San Diego-Los Angeles trips much more difficult.
Sources:
Southern California Association of Governments. Transit Development Program.
(contains histories of bus routes up to 1971)
Shaffer, Ralph E. “To Tijuana, Via RTD, the OCTD, the NCTD.” Los Angeles Times, Mar 4, 1979.
“San Clemente Stage Lines Granted Increase in Fares.” Los Angeles Times, September 28, 1989
Sherman, Lola. “Bus -service plan revived despite Marines’ concerns.” San Diego Evening Tribune, October 18, 198
Sherman, Lola. “Orange County bus tie sought.” San Diego Evening Tribune, December 14, 1984
Ray, Nancy. “Door-to-door Van Service to Replace Bus in Fallbrook.” Los Angeles Times, Apr 12, 1985
“Bus routes.” San Diego Union, June 4, 1985
Western Transit, June 1986 (Weekday daytime service on NCTD #305)
Manson, Bill. “Buses Took 9 ½ Hours, but He Got There Cheap.” Los Angeles Times (San Diego County Edition), Jan 25, 1987.
Manson, Bill. “You Can Get Here From There…and for Only $1.85.” Los Angeles Times, April 6, 1992
Western Transit, March 2002 (NCTD #305 replaced by #395, with some route modifications)
Swegles, Fred . ”A road less traveled: the $2 tour of scenic Camp Pendleton.” Orange County Register, December 31, 2007
Nichols, Chris. “Sparsely used bus routes on chopping block.” North County Times, July 12, 2010
OCTA Transit System Study. February 2011 http://www.octa.net/TransitSurvey/Default.aspx
Swegles, Fred. “San Clemente may lose nearly all OCTA bus service.” Orange County Register, July 15, 2011
Swegles, Fred. “San Clemente wants to preserve bus service.“ Orange County Register, July 20, 2011
Tags: bus,camp pendleton,marines,military,oceanside,orange county,san clemente,san diego county,transit
Date: Monday July 18, 11:33 pm
As “Carmageddon” (the closure of I-405 in the Sepulveda Pass) fades into history for the next eleven months, let us now discuss the history of bus services between West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley
Between the Westside and the Valley – Before the I-405
Before there was a road in the Sepulveda Pass, travelers in Santa Monica or West Los Angeles who wished to get to the San Fernando Valley had to take a circuitous route via one of the other mountain passes. The Cahuenga Pass, which had both roads and rail, was the most likely choice; other passageways included Laurel Canyon, Beverly Glen and Topanga Canyon.
Between 1929 and 1934, Bay Cities Transit (a forerunner to Santa Monica’s Blue Bus) operated a bus route through the mountains via Beverly Glen Bl. Sepulveda Bl. through the Pass opened in 1935; by mid-1936, Lomita-based Motor Coach Company extended its Long Beach-Santa Monica route via Sepulveda Bl. through the Pass and into Van Nuys and San Fernando. Motor Coach was absorbed by Greyhound in 1940; the Santa Monica-San Fernando portion of the route was abandoned sometime in the mid-50s.
I-405
Over time, Sepulveda Bl. clogged with traffic. More lanes (at least in the opinion of highway engineers) were desperately needed. Construction began on the portion of I-405 (San Diego Freeway) through the Sepulveda Pass in 1960; by 1962, the freeway opened to traffic. However, transit bus service through the Pass was still a few years away.
RTD’s Freeway Flyer
In May 1967, RTD implemented new Line #88. This service started in the center of the San Fernando Valley at Van Nuys Bl. and Sherman Way, continuing south along Van Nuys to Ventura Bl, then onto I-405 to UCLA and Westwood. Service operated Monday through Saturday.
#88 was extended further south along I-405 to Westchester, using Sepulveda to LAX, in November 1968. To “protect” the Culver City #3 along Sepulveda Blvd, there were boarding/alighting restrictions on #88; these were removed in August 1973.
1976 brought a number of improvements to #88. RTD added Sunday service in January, service to the Fox Hills Mall in May, and a substantial realignment at LAX in June. #88 (along with 12 other RTD routes) were kicked out of the LAX terminal loop and ended at 88th/Vicksburg. An RTD-operated shuttle (#206) connected these lines to the airport terminals. SCRTD extended #560 northward to Lakeview Terrace in January 1977, replacing former line #157.
In 1983’s “Great Renumbering,” #88 became #560. 1984 was the year that LAX’s City Bus Center at 98th St near Sepulveda opened, and all transit buses were routed into the new facility. LAX shuttle buses replaced RTD’s #206 airport terminal shuttle service.
Imperial Terminal service
Imperial Terminal, south of LAX’s main terminals, was mostly for freight and charters, although a few scheduled services such as MGM Grand Air also used it. #88/560 served Imperial Terminal between 1981 and 1987. This was mostly late at night when other buses serving Imperial Terminal provided little service.
Out of One, Two
In 1995, bus service in the San Fernando Valley underwent an extensive restructuring. #560 was replaced by two new lines. #233 operated local service along the Van Nuys Bl-Lakewood Terrace route, while #561 followed the #560 route from LAX and Westwood via I-405 to Ventura Bl. Then served limited stops along Van Nuys Bl between Ventura Bl. and San Fernando Road. Then, #561 operated along San Fernando Road to the Sylmar Metrolink station. Late at night, when neither limited stop service on Van Nuys Bl nor additional service to Sylmar was warranted, #561 through-routed with #233 at Ventura Bl. When the Metro Green Line opened in August, #561 was extended to serve the Aviation/I-105 station. Similarly, the opening of the new Getty Museum along the I-405 in 1996 was cause for rerouting the #561 to serve that facility, although the reroute put more bus travel along Sepulveda Bl, and off the freeway.
Traffic continued to worsen on I-405, causing buses to run slower and later. It was not uncommon for a passenger aboard a #561 stuck in traffic to see a Culver City #6 zooming by on Sepulveda Bl. Therefore, in 2003, when LACMTA reconfigured #561 into Rapid Bus #761, the service south of Westwood was dropped. MTA hoped that Culver City would soon operate a rapid bus along Sepulveda Bl, replacing this portion of #561. Culver City did implement a Rapid—in January 2010.
Due to a construction (freeway widening) project in 2005 LACMTA moved the northbound #761 off the freeway and onto Sepulveda Bl. This detour became permanent in 2006.
Other services
Flyaway buses between Van Nuys Airport and LAX have been operating since the mid 1970s. An additional Flyaway route from Westwood operated briefly in the 1980s, and was reinstated in the early 2000s.
In the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, private buspools used the I-405 to connect commuters living in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita or Antelope Valleys with aerospace plants in El Segundo and Orange County.
LADOT Commuter Express started operating two new routes in 1993. #573 runs from the San Fernando Valley (Balboa Ave) to Westwood and Century City. #574 uses a similar route in the Valley, but ends in El Segundo.
After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, transit agencies in Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley started providing service along the I-405 corridor to the San Fernando Valley, Westwood and El Segundo. Many (but not all) of these services survived to the present day.
Sources:
Anton, Mike. “405 Freeway’s path tells a story of near-constant change.” Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2011
http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1004537 (Culver City Rapid)
“Bus Service Franchise is Applied For” Van Nuys News, August 23, 1929 (Bay Cities Transit service from West Los Angeles to Van Nuys via Beverly Glen)
“Taps for University Buses” Van Nuys News, July 16, 1934
“Approve Bus Line, Valley to Beaches” Van Nuys News, June 18, 1936
Husing, Jim. “Greyhound’s Santa Monica-Long Beach Commute Service.” NorCal Express, Winter 2010.
“New Motor Coach Line Operating” Van Nuys News, July 16, 1936
http://www.transit-insider.org/ (history of bus service in San Fernando Valley)
Tags: 233,560,561,761,88,carmageddon,express bus,I-405,LACMTA,mta,RTD,San Diego Freeway,SCRTD
Date: Wednesday May 4, 5:41 am
In a discussion on the Transport Politic blog, “Chris” wrote on April 25, 2011, in part
“[…]Unfortunately, unlike in New York, Metrolink usually decides to place their stations in the middle of nowhere instead of in populated areas for the ease of providing parking.”
Is this true? Are Metrolink stations deliberately located where there is nothing within walking distance?
Using data from the Metrolink website, I made an Excel spreadsheet containing the name of each station, which of the six Metrolink lines it serves, which county it is in, the number of parking spaces, and its “Walk Score” number. More on that in a moment.
Excluded from this analysis are the following
- Los Angeles Union Station. It is primarily a destination and transfer point for the vast majority of Metrolink riders. (As more people reside in Downtown Los Angeles, it may take on a future role as an originating station…)
- San Clemente Pier. Served only by a couple of weekend trains
- Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and California Speedway: Served only a few days per year.
With these exclusions, the total number of Metrolink stations (as of 5/1/2011) is 54. Many of these stations are shared between two or more Metrolink lines. For example, both the Glendale and Burbank stations are served by both the Ventura County Line and the Antelope Valley Line.
Parking
Since the vast majority of Metrolink passengers drive to the station and park, nearly all stations have parking available. I obtained parking lot figures from the Metrolink station web pages. Two stations (San Clemente and Norwalk-Santa Fe Springs) did not give the number of spaces: I obtained numbers for those stations from newspaper articles.
The total number of parking spaces at all 54 Metrolink stations is 21,629; the average number of parking spots per station is 401. The two stations without any dedicated Metrolink parking at all are Burbank Airport (not counting the airport’s own parking lots) and Cal State Los Angeles (again, not counting campus parking). Burbank Airport and Cal State are meant as destination stations anyway.
The station with the largest parking lot (most number of spaces) is Montclair, at 1600 spaces. Irvine is #2 (1500 spaces) and Industry is #3 (1000 spaces). Montclair and Irvine are major bus transit hubs as well as Metrolink stops.
Walking
To return to the original question: Are Metrolink stations “out in the middle of nowhere?” Although I could check Google Maps for businesses and services within walking distance of each station, I instead chose to take advantage of Walk Score, which tries to determine the walkability of a given address by counting how many destinations (shops, restaurants, bars, schools, parks, etc..) are within walking distance. Certain road configurations (such as block length) are also taken into account in calculating the neighborhood’s score. Walk Scores, ranging between 0 and 100, indicate how easy it is to perform various errands in a neighborhood by walking:
90–100 Walker’s Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89 Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69 Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49 Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24 Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.
Walk Score is not perfect: its scores are based on where one can walk to various shops and services, not necessarily on whether one would like to walk or even should walk. See http://www.walkscore.com/how-it-doesnt-work.shtml for a list of limitations. For example, the Orange and Chatsworth Metrolink stations both get a Walk Score of 80. I’ve been to both: the area around the Orange station is very walkable; leaving the Chatsworth station on foot requires a long walk from the platform to the street, then (most likely) a walk across busy Devonshire Blvd, then perhaps a traipse through a parking lot to get anywhere….
The systemwide average Walk Score for all 54 stations is 66 (“Somewhat Walkable”) 31 stations, or 57% of all stations, have a Walk Score of 66 or higher. Only 14 stations (26 %) have a Walk Score of 50 or lower (“Car Dependent.”)
There was no correlation between parking lot size and Walk Score (see the graph in the spreadsheet).
Here are the stations with the top ten Walk Scores:
[Note: I will make links to the associated Walk Score pages in the near future. -CPH]
Claremont (400 spaces, Walk Score 98)
When Walk Score says that downtown Claremont is a “Walker’s Paradise,” they mean it. All sorts of shops, restaurants, banks, public services (post office, library) and the Claremont Colleges too. Need to get away? Grab a Foothill #480 to Pomona or West Covina, or #187 or #690 to Pasadena….
San Juan Capistrano (103 spaces, Walk Score 97)
Even if the swallows are not around, there is plenty that is reachable with a short walk from the station.
Fullerton (510 spaces, Walk Score 95)
From the platform you are just steps away from downtown Fullerton, with its choices of restaurants, bars and other entertainment.
Oxnard (75 spaces, Walk Score 94)
Again, a station right smack dab downtown. Too bad Metrolink doesn’t offer any reverse commute or midday service there…
Newhall (150 spaces, Walk Score 89)
This is “Old Town Santa Clarita,” so to speak. While most of Santa Clarita is typical suburban, Newhall is very accessible via foot. The Newhall Metrolink station is also a bus hub for the local Santa Clarita Transit buses.
Oceanside (450 spaces, Walk Score 89)
If you like your walkable neighborhood with a military touch, this is the station for you. The station itself is a veritable beehive, with four rail services (Amtrak, Metrolink, Coaster and Sprinter) and a major transfer point for NCTD buses.
Pomona Downtown (300 spaces, Walk Score 88)
Once bleak and neglected, Downtown Pomona now sports several restaurants, nightclubs, and the ever-expanding Western University. The real problem is that Metrolink only runs commuter service to Downtown Pomona, so carless visitors will most likely have to use Foothill Transit’s Silver Streak to get here. The elevators and walkway over the tracks is a bit spooky, especially at night, but your other alternative, should you need to cross the tracks, is to walk all the way to the street. And look out—freight trains are frequent, and do not blow their horns through here!
Burbank (450 spaces, Walk Score 86)
You have to take an elevator from the station to the street, then walk over a freeway (better than under, in my opinion), but once you do, however, you will find yourself in a very walkable neighborhood indeed.
Covina (874 spaces, Walk Score 86)
A happening neighborhood is just a short walk south of the station, give or take a few car dealerships along the way….
Fontana (300 spaces, Walk Score 86)
A goodly number of shops and restaurants within walking distance. Also a bus hub for trips farther afield, such as to the Kaiser Medical Center (12 blocks south of the station) Nearby (senior?) apartments are also a good sign that the area near Fontana Metrolink should stay walkable for a long time to come…
Honorable mentions go to Upland (170 spaces, Walk Score 82) and Orange (225 spaces, Walk Score 80).
Now the bottom ten:
Riverside-La Sierra (350 spaces, Walk Score 46)
This station is near Kaiser Hospital and the Castle Park amusement park, but it is stuck behind the Riverside Fwy (SR-91), necessitating a long walk.
Industry (1000 spaces, Walk Score 45)
There may be shuttles to nearby workplaces….
Buena Park (300 spaces, Walk Score 45)
On Dale Street in the middle of a residential neighborhood. If Metrolink could have put the station at/near Beach Blvd. instead, the Walk Score would be at least in the low 60s…
Rancho Cucamonga (960 spaces, Walk Score 42)
Actually, not all that bad if you work at one of the nearby office parks, and there is even housing (apartment complexes) nearby. And the Ontario Mills Mall in all its glory is only a 20-30 minute walk away (I’ve done it…)
North Pomona (225 spaces, Walk Score 40)
The platform is some distance from Garey Ave. and its bus stops. And once you get there, what do you find? Mostly car repair shops and a burger joint or two. If you don’t need to park here, I suggest you stay on the train until Claremont.
Pedley (285 spaces, Walk Score 40)
Actually, there’s a cluster of shops (mostly fast food in a strip mall) 1/3 of a mile south, at Limonite and Van Buren. But Van Buren is like a little freeway here, with fast traffic…
West Corona (540 spaces, Walk Score 38)
Hey, what do you expect of a station whose address is “155 Auto Center Drive?”
East Ontario (650 spaces, Walk Score 29)
It’s just a place to park. The nearest transit service is nearly ½ mile away on Haven, and runs once an hour. Airplanes from nearby Ontario Airport buzz in and out, but if you think you’re going to use this station to catch a plane, think again.
Santa Clarita (350 spaces,Walk Score 18)
This was the first Santa Clarita station, opened when Metrolink started service in October 1992. It was (and is) still well served by local buses, but there is nothing nearby. Visitors to Santa Clarita should probably get off at Newhall, then take a bus from there if needed.
Vincent Grade/Acton (414 spaces, Walk Score 0-yes, zero)
This station is so far out in the country, people using it probably expect hitching posts for horses in the parking lot….
Sources:
Metrolink Station Guides (http://www.metrolinktrains.com/stations/)
Walk Score (http://www.walkscore.com)
Adler, Arnold. “Norwalk Hikes Parking Fee; SFS Expands Metrolink Lot.” Los Angeles Wave, Jan 27, 2011.
Hall, Len. “San Clemente: North Beach Metrolink Station Near Completion.” Los Angeles Times, Feb 1, 1995.