Downtowncommuter on July 01, 2011, at 07:17AM – #1

DASH is great -- the city should save money (not to mention our architectural views) by extending and expanding DASH and save the power-line-blighting, inflexible trolley system for Europe.

BTW, props to Eric for stepping up the Blogdowntown coverage of late. Or as us Tour de France fans say, "Hat tip!"

Alexander Hollywood-Man on July 01, 2011, at 10:26AM – #2

@ Downtowncommuter: your point-of-view is a common misconception, sorry. We get what we pay for. Trying to save money and expand DASH service (instead of a streetcar) will ultimately not improve things.

DASH buses will never, ever attract nearly as many riders, and especially tourists, as streetcars (trolleys) do, nor do DASH buses promote business development or revitalization. This is the reason the Broadway streetcar is being introduced (with potentially other streetcar routes in the near future). Streetcars, having a fixed guideway, with tracks and overhead wiring, creates a true permanent presence on the street , which not only boosts ridership, but also spurs economic development by encouraging local businesses to expand.

Streetcars also dramatically improve pedestrian life and bring families & friends together, improve landscaping, and revitalize the surrounding areas. (that's not even mentioning about a much more pleasant, smooth ride that streetcars offer, which also attracts higher ridreship). None of those benefits are attributable to DASH buses (or any other buses, for that matter).

All in all, DASH buses have been ultimate not-overly-successful, mediocre service, incomparible to efficiency and appeal of city streetcars. You can visit Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco, to truly see the wonders that streetcars can do!

Downtowncommuter on July 01, 2011, at 10:47AM – #3

If rail transit construction does such a great job at promoting private development, why are there so many empty storefronts and empty lots along the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green lines?

() on July 01, 2011, at 11:26AM – #4

Downtown, Koreatown, and Hollywood would have never revitalized if the rail system was not built. Since that system is in place, the city is seeing a gradual shift of core economic activity from West to East, higher property values near rail, as well as a cultural shift. The west side, which has no rail, is losing cultural venues while the parts of town that have rail are gaining them. If you focus just on single properties you'd never see the bigger picture.

Chris Loos on July 01, 2011, at 02:20PM – #5

Downtowncommuter, If you want to see what kind of economic development a streetcar is capable of, visit Portland. Its remarkable...we're talking tens of billions of dollars. A DASH-like service can't do that.

Downtowncommuter on July 01, 2011, at 03:42PM – #6

I guess I just believe the $100s of millions of tax dollars going to this project would be better of spent on other transit projects in areas that don't have alternatives, unlike Downtown.

The state's is just to broke at this juncture to be spending tax dollars to assist private development. That's a luxury for the good times.

downtown vibe on July 03, 2011, at 12:02PM – #7

I use Dash almost every day. The wait time is usually very short. The GPS system that allows you to track your bus takes a lot of the guesswork out of riding.

Some drawbacks.

1. There is not single route that circulates to the major tourist destinations downtown. Even a simple circular route would be welcome. Why not try out the proposed streetcar route?

2. No evening service. There is a need for a circulator after 7pm. We should have dash buses at LA Live to take concert and event goers into the historic core, and visa versa.

Part of the advantage of this service is it's subsidized fare. Any system used for frequent, short hops, whether bus or streetcar, needs to be inexpensive. We should learn from the Las Vegas Monorail.

I hope that those who are supporting the Streetcar don't keep our Dash service from expanding and adapting to the evolving needs of the downtown community. I could see where some might want this system to fail.

crystal on July 05, 2011, at 10:07AM – #9

Agree that the DASH needs evening hours. not even super late but at least till say 8 or 9. maybe have that one be a loop around downtown so you can go to the theater or la live from the historic core with out trekking.