2008 Woodie Awards
Orange Line Swerves into Trouble
Bus safety remains at level orange.
Marco Elorreaga
Issue date: 3/1/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Welcome to the San Fernando Valley where we strive for ideals.
We have the ideal worker standing by Home Depot early in the morning with his or her Protestant work ethic at hand. We have the ideal courteous driver on the 405 freeway, free of any distractions. And now we have the ideal mass transit system known as the Metro Orange Line, "the Valley's newest shortcut," which makes "rush hour" no longer an ironic term.
So, why did it take accidents upon accidents to wake up Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the safety issues concerning the Orange Line?
Because the problem with ideals is that one usually forgets about a thing called reality.
The Metro Orange Line opened to great hype, which normally means it will do great on its opening weekend and lose half its audience by the second.
Since its opening, the 14-mile bus line has been in several accidents, most recently just two weeks ago.
From the beginning, critics called the bus line a hazard because it didn't contain crossing gates and the intersections were too confusing.
With a $330-million budget, safety was sacrificed for design - plain and simple.
A 2005 study by Crossing to Safety Director Dr. Harvey A. Levine found that crossing gates are the safest type of warning devices to prevent accidents and casualties.
A report by The Federal Railroad Administration released in 2003 says that for every one accident that occurs at an intersection with crossing gates, eight and a half happen at intersections with only stop signs.
Although the Orange Line is far from a train in speed and size, crossing gates would help to enforce the red lights that are being ignored. Crossing gates for any public transportation unit should be the primary choice in warning devices because the statistics show its promise: The casualties-per-crossing have declined 56 percent from 1975 to 2004 as construction for crossing gates have increased.
An alternative to crossing gates that would help spruce up safety would be the planned installation of red light cameras. In a survey conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, there has been a 92 percent decline in red light violations in Los Angeles at intersections that have the cameras.
The Orange Line fails in safety because it assumes that drivers believe in the right of way.
Most drivers don't.
Whether the bus looked like a discotheque or was actually painted Orange, there will always be someone trying to beat that red light or too occupied with his or her Bluetooth. Knowing the pace of public works in L.A., it might be a while before anyone sees any change in the bus' safety features.
With the success of the Orange Line, Mayor Villaraigosa continues to advocate public transportation with his proposed "Subway to the Sea" next on his agenda. The $5-billion project is expected to take 15 years to complete, but if the Orange Line is any indication of what to expect, we have been warned.
We have the ideal worker standing by Home Depot early in the morning with his or her Protestant work ethic at hand. We have the ideal courteous driver on the 405 freeway, free of any distractions. And now we have the ideal mass transit system known as the Metro Orange Line, "the Valley's newest shortcut," which makes "rush hour" no longer an ironic term.
So, why did it take accidents upon accidents to wake up Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the safety issues concerning the Orange Line?
Because the problem with ideals is that one usually forgets about a thing called reality.
The Metro Orange Line opened to great hype, which normally means it will do great on its opening weekend and lose half its audience by the second.
Since its opening, the 14-mile bus line has been in several accidents, most recently just two weeks ago.
From the beginning, critics called the bus line a hazard because it didn't contain crossing gates and the intersections were too confusing.
With a $330-million budget, safety was sacrificed for design - plain and simple.
A 2005 study by Crossing to Safety Director Dr. Harvey A. Levine found that crossing gates are the safest type of warning devices to prevent accidents and casualties.
A report by The Federal Railroad Administration released in 2003 says that for every one accident that occurs at an intersection with crossing gates, eight and a half happen at intersections with only stop signs.
Although the Orange Line is far from a train in speed and size, crossing gates would help to enforce the red lights that are being ignored. Crossing gates for any public transportation unit should be the primary choice in warning devices because the statistics show its promise: The casualties-per-crossing have declined 56 percent from 1975 to 2004 as construction for crossing gates have increased.
An alternative to crossing gates that would help spruce up safety would be the planned installation of red light cameras. In a survey conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, there has been a 92 percent decline in red light violations in Los Angeles at intersections that have the cameras.
The Orange Line fails in safety because it assumes that drivers believe in the right of way.
Most drivers don't.
Whether the bus looked like a discotheque or was actually painted Orange, there will always be someone trying to beat that red light or too occupied with his or her Bluetooth. Knowing the pace of public works in L.A., it might be a while before anyone sees any change in the bus' safety features.
With the success of the Orange Line, Mayor Villaraigosa continues to advocate public transportation with his proposed "Subway to the Sea" next on his agenda. The $5-billion project is expected to take 15 years to complete, but if the Orange Line is any indication of what to expect, we have been warned.
