Transit Advocates of Orange County

Disclaimer: The Southern California Transit Advocates is not affiliated with any governmental agency or transportation provider. Names and logos of agencies appear for information and reference purposes only. 

TAOC Monthly Meetings
Thanks to a quirk in the calendar, the June Transit Advocates of Orange County meeting could be publicized in advance for once. TAOC meets the 2nd Thursday of each month from 6 to 8pm, in downtown Fullerton. Please call (714) 525-3678 or (866) 476-2282 for location.

Thinking Outside The Farebox
The OCTA will be installing new electronic fareboxes on its buses, ones which will accept either cash or credit card-style passes and record each boarding. The Times Orange County photo-diagram matched that of the "Odyssey" farebox in the picture on GFI's Website. According to the description in the Times, the flat area to the left of the bill and coin slots is supposed to be for "smart cards". Seems a bit "busy", with places to insert a card, swipe a card and just wave a card. Several SO.CA.TA members have offered helpful comments and concerns, especially about the coin slot (jams easily, counts one coin at a time) and the card-reader (had some problems validating fare cards), but alas we heard about the farebox purchase too late to lobby for one over another.

Ch-ch-ch-changes
OCTA's finalized June service changes are on view on their e-mail. Took a couple tries, but I finally succeeded in signing up. If your e-mailbox is already too clogged, links to each one get posted on the website as well. Alas, being a typical transit agency most of the files are in .pdf, and my work PC does not have Abode Acrobat, so I don't get to see what they mean until I get home. On the other hand, it sure beats waiting to run into a Rider Alert sheet on some bus, if ever.

Tustin Metrolink Site Revisited
I went back down to Edinger and Jamboree May 13th, to check on the progress on the Tustin Metrolink station. Without being to able to legally enter the construction site, I could not tell how far along things were, but from the angles where I'd taken photos a couple months ago, the only obvious additions were more light poles, the would-be parking lot area was flatter, and there was now a sign out on the street announcing the station. Both of the site signs said "May, 2001", but I'm wondering if even the unofficial July target date is too optimistic? Also, still no sign that there will be a sidewalk from the station to Edinger, and it would be a long walk from the current eastbound #70 bus stop.
[7/1 update - They seem to be talking September now, which makes more sense...I passed the site on Amtrak today, and noted very little progress since May, with most of the platform area still a dirt hole, and the small parking lot yet unpaved.]
Unlike my February walk along the tracks from Red Hill Ave., my May walk to the site was more sensible, as I took the #167 to Bryan and Culver. Made a point to walk down Harvard from Warner to Edinger, and I see there will be fun placing the bus stop for the southbound #75 at Edinger. North of the intersection, there's a vague right turn lane, and a wide patch of dirt sloping slightly down; South of Edinger, a narrow strip of mud with a couple concrete utility access spots ("handholes") sticking out.

Junker-Car Metrolink Shuttles
Jane Reifer pointed out a couple articles in the Times Orange County back in early May, talking about some Metrolink users who keep cars at the Irvine station parking lot to use as a shuttle to work. Some folks do it for lack of timely "Stationlink" service to area businesses, and others just don't like buses but will take a train.

Getting Into Training
Fewer delays on Amtrak in and out of Los Angeles, maybe? Jane Reifer took a recent tour of the Alameda Corridor freight line project, and was told that the new railroad bridge over the Los Angeles River should be open by July.
[7/14 update - Indeed it was! We breezed over the bridge and around the curve towards Union Station this morning. We still crawls and then stopped for a time on the homeward leg, thanks to freight traffic...will remain a problem there until the rest of the Alameda work is done next year. Now if they'd either straighten the tracks, or redesign the Surfliner cars to be less jerky at high speeds between Vernon and Buena Park!]

Study Tours Coming to Orange County
Two of this year's SO.CA.TA Study Tours will involve Orange County. One will be a "PCH" tour, using bus lines which take or closely follow Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The OC section is pretty obvious, OCTA route #1. Laguna Beach Transit may be an amusing break along the way, but it might already be a full day's ride without it, as we learned on the similar "Route 66" tour in May.
The second Study would be an all-OCTA event. This one would be a bit more serious, as Dana Gabbard said in a recent e-mail to us OC activists: "Talking to Mark Saturday during the rt.66 tour made me aware our upcoming tour of OCTA post straightlining and the June changes will be the most overtly political one since the owl trip and San Pedro exploration. It seems to me we will want to publicize this via releases to local media. The object of the tour is to assess the impact on riders of the changes and whether the problems of the straightlining have been addressed. It needs to be focused on problems that effect large numbers of people and impact connectivity and ease of movement thru the system. Are there places that are now less accessible? Origin/destination pairs that used to be easy to travel between but now are not? When the labor negotiations are concluded we need to settle on a date and start finalizing trip planning and our concept for the event." I expect the OC Committee will be working on the agenda and the routes at upcoming meetings, so that it will be closer to ready once a date can be announced.

Real Orange Segments on Transportation - Joe Drummond
During Channel 50 KOCE's half hour news program "Real Orange" is an unheralded 5 minute transportation segment. It is on the Tuesday 7:00 pm newscast. It repeats at 10:30pm Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning at 7:00am. They have recently covered gasoline prices, and public transportation options in Orange County.

[Please note -- Orange County Transportation Tidbits are always a welcome addition to my e-mailbox! - Mark]