>>1969990Greed and usual political bullshit created a flawed system in one of the most intentionally car dependent cities in the world that offered little convenience or practical use for the majority of people that might have benefited. LA's Metro suffers from most of the same problems as Bart just amplified significantly. If a transit system is almost exclusively utilized by people who have to use it out of economic necessity there is little chance of the system growing to attract more riders. Any economic benefits will flatline or go negative if a subway exit in practice only dumps people who are out to cause problems right into your neighborhood. If they actually finish the direct connection to LAX things might change a lot.
https://youtu.be/piF7adQyXCkFares on LA Metro are $1.75 with a tap card, free for students, and you get 20 rides free if your annual household income is sub $40k (no idea what it takes to get that but probably an address). That's a super low bar even before these last few years of inflation. If someone isn't able or willing to pay that fare they are more than likely going to cause problems and we refuse differentiate between people that are simply destitute/getting fucked and people with serious drug and/or mental issues. It's a viscous cycle with little political or public will to change.
Consider that Bart doesn't run north under the GoldenGate bridge, something that bridge was explicitly designed for due to the desires and corruption of a handful of individuals but mostly Arthur C. Jenkins. If those new fare gates testing at West Oakland can actually stop schizos from entering the system it will be a major improvement, LA has no such interest at this time.
