Traffic Questions Get Answers

By Sue Doyle, Daily News columnist

Driving, riding and even walking along local thoroughfares, Southern Californians frequently find themselves confused by a transit line, puzzled by interminably long stoplights, mystified by a bumpy road that never gets repaired. In search of answers, readers have come to us with their pet peeves. If you have questions about roads, traffic or commuting in Southern California, write to our transportation blog at: www.insidesocal.com/theride.

Q: Richard Cassel of Calabasas notes that riders can be fined for playing the radio on buses, so he wonders why he has to listen to Transit TV blaring on MTA buses.

"It's a constant assault of commercials about gray hair, mortgage rates and the weather in Atlanta," Cassel says.

A: Transit TV generates about $100,000 annually for the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, broadcasting commercials, weather reports, trivia, classic TV scenes and public-service announcements on screens mounted in its buses.

The agency received about 40 complaints a month, mostly about the noise, after the service debuted in June 2005. Complaints subsided after audio levels were lowered - something riders can simply ask the driver to do.

Spokesman Dave Sotero also said the TVs are intended to be an amenity - not a nuisance - to passengers.

Q: Glenn Bailey of Encino and Joe Sims of Woodland Hills both wondered about work being done on the bike path paralleling the Orange Line, which opened to great fanfare in November 2005. "What were they thinking when they resurfaced the bike path near the Canoga Station?" Sims asked. "The resurfacing job is very bad. Those paths used to be an improvement to the community."

A: The simple answer: It's being redone. Again.

The problem started months ago when a contractor restriped the bike path for cycling and walking but made the lines off-mark, MTA official Roger Dames said.

To correct the problem, the contractor last month repaved the stretch between De Soto and Variel avenues. However, some portions were sloppily repaved and have to be redone, Dames said. Pedestrians and bicyclists can use the path while repairs are being made.

Once the project is complete, the path will be turned over to the city of Los Angeles for maintenance.

However, it's interesting to note that the path is on MTA-owned land. So if the MTA ever wants to build a rail system that needs wider lanes, it can reclaim the bike path, Dames said.

Q: Finally, Richard Haviland of Tarzana loves the DASH (Downtown Area Short-Hop) shuttle buses in the Valley and hopes the service will be expanded. "They only cost a quarter to ride, and we need transportation at that price," he said.

A: Sorry, but no new DASH lines will be added anytime soon.

In fact, the city Department of Transportation is facing a $200million deficit in operating its DASH, Commuter Express, Cityride and Charter Bus programs, and it has put the brakes on adding routes, transportation planner Phil Aker said.

In the next six weeks, the department will complete a report recommending ways to eliminate the deficit. Possible alternatives include raising fares and eliminating underperforming lines, he said.

Once the budget is under control, two new Valley routes are in the pipeline to be added: along Van Nuys Boulevard, across Oxnard Street, then north on Whitsett Avenue; and Sepulveda Boulevard and Hubbard Street, from Sylmar to San Fernando.

The Valley already has five DASH routes that serve Warner Center, Northridge, Panorama City, Van Nuys and Studio City.

Most DASH fares are 25 cents - the same price since 1985, when the city took over the bus service from Mini Ride. Seniors and disabled riders pay just a dime.