When driving in Los Angeles, don't just watch the roads for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycle riders, and other drivers—look out for Metro trains too. Metro subways and light rail trains ran 83 red lights in the past four years, says the LA Times. Nearly two-thirds of those scofflaw trains were Blue Line cars, which ran 52 red lights from 2011 to 2014, according to a chart included in a motion proposed Thursday that suggests hiring an outside consultant to figure out what the hell's going on across all lines. (The Metro Board unanimously approved the motion.)
Blue Line: what's the deal? In 2011, you ran through just six red lights, according to another chart included in the Metro motion. In 2012, you ran through 17! Are Blue Line drivers distracted by trying to find change to buy cotton candy and fun socks from on-train vendors? In 2014, the Blue Line ran 15 red lights—not its worst year, but close to it. Meanwhile, all the other lines have gotten their numbers down to the lowest—or tied with the lowest—they've been in the four years surveyed.
Yes, the nearly-25-year-old Blue Line is a standout among its peers. The Gold Line, the Expo Line, and the Red Line each blasted through just two stoplights each in 2014. (Still too many!) The Blue Line is the only Metro line to have red-light violation totals in the double digits, by a long shot.
The Blue Line also "averaged more than one [red light violation] per month from 2012 through last year." So with the regularity with which you pay your rent (and then some), the Blue Line gunned it through stoplights. It's true that the Green Line, which had the fewest red-light violations (one in the last four years), runs mostly along the freeway, on tracks separate from traffic, while the bulk of the Blue Line runs on the street, but that doesn't totally explain the huge disparity between the figures. "One red light violation a year is cause for concern," Metro Board member and LA County Supe Michael Antonovich declared in a statement, which makes these numbers even more "unacceptable."
· Metro trains ran 83 red lights in four years, study finds [LAT]
· MTA Rail Red Light Violations and Agency Safety Culture [Metro]
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