New Sunset bus line draws criticism

Friday, February 19, 1999

New Sunset bus line draws criticism

TRANSPORTATION: Many claim service in less affluent
neighborhoods should receive funds allotted to richer areas

By Karla Y. Pleitez

Daily Bruin Contributor

When the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) adds a new
bus line on Sunset Boulevard – a street running through one of the
most affluent areas in the nation – it may raise new claims of a
commuter system that is stacked against the poor.

The Bus Riders Union said its statistics show transportation
systems in wealthier cities provide better service to
commuters.

"The transportation system is a lot different here in Westwood
than in Van Nuys. It makes you wonder why," said Lance Evans, a
third-year political science student.

Spokespeople for the MTA say the reason wealthier areas have
better transportation is not because the MTA provides more buses,
but because they can afford other public transportation
systems.

"We try to give an equal number of buses to all cities," said
Robert Calix, a spokesman for the MTA.

"The reason Westwood has a better transportation system than Van
Nuys is because it has the Big Blue buses from Santa Monica and the
Culver City bus line running through it. We can’t decide what Santa
Monica or other lines do," he said.

Even so, union officials said, odds are when the Sunset bus
arrives here, it’s doubtful cities of humbler means, such as Van
Nuys, will be getting comparable service.

MTA’s Calix said the decision to add a bus onto the Sunset line,
or any other commuter system, has nothing to do with a city’s
income or ethnic makeup.

"It takes a long time to decide where a new bus will be added,"
Calix said.

"But when we decide where to add a bus, our No. 1 goal is to put
it in an area where it will be most beneficial and will help our
problem with overcrowding," he said.

Now under way is an MTA five-year plan to improve overcrowding
in the Los Angeles mass transportation system, which serves an
estimated 12 million commuters daily. Officials hope the plan will
stall rumors that at the root of commuter overcrowding is
racism.

"The issue is definitely an emotional one. It is not going to be
downplayed and is being taken seriously by all," Calix said.

Yet critics point to another MTA project as proof that it
discriminates against low-income people.

Talk of racial injustice in LA public transportation was sparked
earlier this month by the MTA’s announcement that it will invest
$350 million into building a light rail system in Pasadena. The Bus
Riders Union, led by Eric Mann, said that the money should instead
be used to improve bus service for the poor and minorities.

The Riders Bus Union insists that the Pasadena project, like
light rail systems in general, will only benefit white, suburban
patrons. They account for 6 percent of MTA’s ridership, yet consume
70 percent of its budget, Mann said.

Calix denies the allegation, saying, "The rail will go through
predominately minority neighborhoods and will serve all
commuters."

The 13.6-mile line will follow a twisting route from Union
Station through Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, South
Pasadena and Pasadena.

To Mann, the struggle of the Bus Riders Union is not only to
make the system accessible to all, but is also part of the
continuing fight for civil rights.

During this, Black History Month, Mann said we must remember
that, "Buses have been a symbol of the civil rights movement since
the days of Rosa Parks."NICOLE MILLER

The MTA has been accused of discriminatory practices by
providing better services to affluent areas.

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