Gas prices so high people are taking mass transit in LA

Alternative transportation is on the rise in LA — at least temporarily. Metro says that ridership has risen on both its rail and bus systems since January. There are also signs that more commuters are choosing to carpool or cycle. The changes are attributed to rising gas prices, but aren’t expected to last for long.

The MTA usually sees a temporary increase in riders when gas prices reach certain thresholds, like $3, $3.50 and $4 a gallon, he said. Then ridership goes down once people become accustomed to the higher cost.

“What we hope every time,” he said, “is that as more people become introduced to using rail as an alternative, we can retain more of those discretionary riders over time.”

What is more likely, said Brian Taylor, director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, is that people will begin buying more fuel-efficient vehicles. In April, in fact, sales of passenger cars were up 5.2% nationally while light-truck and sport utility vehicle sales were down 17.4%.

Taking public transportation in LA is a privilege determined by geography and commute distance. If you can take it you’re lucky because it doesn’t go anywhere — it’s limited to a small box in the region’s center — so your origin and destination must be within a reasonable distance in the right part of town. Although I hope Angelenos will start taking mass transit in larger numbers and more frequently, the system’s geographic limitations suggest that the UCLA professor is going to be correct.

Angelenos obviously don’t see alternative transport as a blessing though. They ♥ cars. In fact, they have this social scorn for alternative transit. Some of it is reasonable — the geography — but the rest is simply bizarre:

“My friends ask me what’s wrong with me”… “When people see you walking, they think something’s wrong with you,” he said. “People driving by turn their heads away like you’re going to ask them for money.”

I’m not a psychologist, but this would be an interesting topic to research. My hypothesis would be that it has something to do with class and status. LA is so uber-social that nobody wants to be associated with the stereotypical broke bus rider. If you’re walking, you’re poor. If you don’t have a car, you’re poor.

Irony is poised to strike though. If these people continue driving and paying exorbitant gas prices, they’re going to be poor.

See also:

+ It’s about time to tax the petro-car culture