33
BUS OR BUST? A personal account of the Los Angeles public transportation system - a central component in landscape urbanism.
One day a bus driver was in his bus when the biggest man he had ever seen got on. The giant looked at the driver and said: “Big John doesn’t pay”, and took his seat on the bus. The bus driver was only a little man and he didn’t want to argue. This happened for several days. After a week , the bus driver was beginning to get a little angry. Everybody else paid, so why not the big man? So the driver went to the gym and started a course of body-building. He didn’t want to get frightened of Big John any more. Three weeks later the driver had strong muscles and was feeling very fit. At the usual stop, Big John got on. “Big John doesn’t pay”, he said. But this time the driver was prepared for him. He got up and said : “Oh, yeah? And why doesn’t Big John pay?” “Because Big John has got a bus pass”, the man replied.
A
s a soon-to-be college grad, just about to enter the working world as a young professional, I am already feeling the weight of responsibility bearing down on me. As I continue my search for the “perfect” place to live - let alone the “perfect” job, I’m experiencing a rollercoaster of debacles. I’ve found myself settling for “less-than-perfect” lately because of the high price and availability of each side of my search spectrum. I am mostly concerned with being close enough to my job to spare me that wearisome commute in my car that any Californians could relate to. This all calculates to paying higher rent if I wind up taking a position in a Los Angeles hot spot. I am, however, willing to sacrifice a little income for a better location, specifically near my job, because
I know, in large, I will be saving money and time on transportation. This brings me to my next quandary. If I want to avoid a strenuous commute, and, using a personal vehicle, what alternatives do I have? Public transportation? In Los Angeles? Are you serious? I have a few options in alternative to my car. I can walk. This would be great cardio and totally “green”, although, I will never make it in time to work, and then probably lose my job. Besides, modern transportation has come very far from the Oregon Trail. I could ride my bike. Again, a great workout and stylishly “green” but still not time efficient. Either alternative would also leave me a sweaty mess on those hot southern California days. Scratch both. The metro rail would be a lot of fun! On the other hand, it doesn’t span far enough out to the Westside, so if I do get a job anywhere near, I’d be stuck at some point. And then there is Big John’s choice, the bus, that usually sits at the bottom of the list just above hitchhiking for the typical car-dependent individual - or so it seems. The bus was never regarded as a hip alternative. This was the notion I created as other peers, predominately in my adolescent years, made jokes about those who took the bus. This impression seemed to stick, and I associated a particular taboo about the bus; they smell, you run the risk of sitting next to a crazy person, they’re crime ridden, they’re slow, and that riding a bus is basically a red-flashing indicator of lower economic class.
SUBSURFACE 2008