Tran 1

Danny Tran Professor Melissa Filbeck English 114B 3 April 2014 Metro Nation Theres silence all around you but people are nearby. Chairs are connected in a fashion where no ones alone. The environment differs from what youre used to. You feel this different type of aura around your surroundings. Its fast, smooth; you see a different type of view thats never been seen with your own eyes. You look out the window and see a story told by the city. This is the experience of public transportation. The LA Metro Station is an example of one of these public transportation services. The station was built on July 3rd, 1873 by David Waldron. There were about 220 private and public companies that operated transit systems such as; horse cars, cable cars, incline railways, steam trains, electric streetcars, interurban cars, trolley buses, and gas or diesel powered buses (Los Angeles Transit History, par.1). Eventually technology advanced which made transportation faster. In 1992 Metro has officially began operations on their metro link rail. This transit is incredibly fast and is convenient for commuters while spending less money on gas. The metro link presently carries an average of 24,000 people, and has over 416 miles of tracks (Los Angeles Transit History, par.36). The present monthly calendar boarding shows a mighty 8,721,751 consumers whove ridden the buses in the past month (Fact at a Glance). The buses have also covered about 1473 square miles within the previous month. This rail system delivers an impactful service to consumers that need a ride covering far distances. The consumer even pays a small fee to be driven to a fixed destination. The L.A Metro Station is a

Tran 2

utopian space because of the vast majority of people who benefit from transportation fees and the welfare it provides. There are many ideals for this particular space called The L.A Metro Station. One ideal is saving money while traveling far distances. In the article 6 Health Benefits Of Public Transportation by John Mickey, the author states that riding public transportation actually saves money. Driving individually would make up less than 20 percent of ones household finances. This would include car payments, gas prices, and parking. However, public transportation helps reduce the cost by alleviating the need of purchasing a vehicle. This would save around $6,251 annually and help riders avoid parking fees (Mickey, par.5). Another ideal is making the users more active and help the environment. Statistics have shown that individuals who use public transportation get around three times the amount of physical activity per day compared to people who normally drive (Mickey, par.1). This is triggered by the consumer walking to station stops and to their final destination. In the article Environmental Benefits of Public Transportation by Laura Jerpi, explains the benefits of public transportation and how it affects the environment. Accords to FTA officials Public transportation reduces the number of cars in street (makes the alleviate traffic congestion wording more redundant), and thus helps improve air quality, alleviate traffic congestion, and noise. This would help the environment with less fuel emissions from other automobiles and reduce traffic congestions. There are even discounts that the metro gives to try to help reduce poverty. In the article Calgary discount transit fares expanded by Robson Fletcher, he explains that the Calgary will raise the threshold for low-income transit passes next year by giving an estimated 28,000 more people access to discounted fares. This helps reduce poverty by minimizing the cost of traveling the metro. By paying less, low-income people will be able to save up more money and use that

Tran 3

money for a better cause. It is statistically shown that people who have access to the discount fares will be saving roughly $50 in monthly transit (Fletcher). This will make a huge difference for people on low income and alleviate poverty. Another ideal would be their safety. People might argue that being around complete strangers is unsafe and awkward, but from my experience of taking the public transportation I could say otherwise. I personally made new acquaintances and met old friends while taking traveling on public transit. Also, bus related accidents have a one twentieth passenger fatality rates then a regular automobile (Mickey, par.2). Using public transportation greatly diminishes the threat of getting in a car accident. Although public transportation has had crimes in the past and the present, crime is very low on the Metro system and certainly is lower than in many communities (Hymon, par.3). In addition, there were only 1,216 part one crimes that were reported on Metro buses and trains in 2010. It was about 2.77 crimes for every million boardings (Hymon, par.6). The Chief of Transit Police for Metro even states that Your chances of being a victim of violent crime on the transit system are incredibly low. Although presently the L.A Metro Station isnt a perfect place, I believe it could be changed into a utopian space. I noticed a common trait from the people who used public transportation. Many of the users wanted to mind their own business and have some private space. If the metro could have a divider between seats, I believe that it would help resolve the problem of privacy. Another trait I noticed would be the reliability of the metro transit. The metro schedule differs from the actual time it gets to the stop. One bus took an extra fifteen minutes and made me arrive to my destination late. The metro should change the schedule of the public transit electronically to help alleviate the users.

Tran 4

A large amount of users believe that public transportation is significant in their lives. Particularly, the users that have low income typically agree with my statement. In the article Public Transportations Demographic Divide by Mike Maciag, explains that A third of New Orleans residents who commute via public transportation live in poverty, compared to only 9 percent of those who drive cars. San Diego residents taking public transportation to work earn less than half as much as other city workers. This shows how much people think public transportation is significant in their life. Another source that helps back up my statement is the peer reviewed journal article called The Economic Effects of Bus Transit in Small Cities by Dagney Faulk and Michael Hicks. Transportation is a key for job opportunities, however low income people have a rough time if they dont have an automobile. For individuals, particularly low-income individuals, access to transportation may determine the number and types of available jobsThe residential location of available workers is often far from the location of available jobs, which results in relatively high commuting costs associated with moving lowincome workers between residential areas and job opportunities(Faulk & Hicks 514). This thoroughly explains hardships low income people must take without public transportation and how public transit, like the LA Metro, can help combat there hardships. The government also benefits from having public transportation. Investments in public highways and other public capital has a positive impact on state employment growth (Faulk $ Hicks 517). Investing money into public transit can help increase job employment and extend the distance for buses and rails. Every $1 invested in public transportation projects generates approximately $6 in local economic activity. Also every $10 million in operating investment in public transportation yields about $32 million in increased business sales (Benefits of Public

Tran 5

Transportation). The significance of public transportation is huge among both the consumer and the investors. People classify a utopia as some location where everything is perfect. In the eyes of many the L.A Metro Station might not be that perfect, but in fact I do know that its a utopia to low income people. Everyone should give public transportation a try once in their life. People might add that you wont have your privacy or personal security but for $1.50 you cant complain. Although the public transit might give off strange vibes, like being in a closed space with strangers, I believe it will benefit the consumer than detriment him/her. This space is a good representation of what a utopia is and how it benefits everyone in the environment. Even though the people are different, doesnt mean that the space should be used differently. The existence of this metro station is cherished by many and is needed in a sequential amount of peoples lives. I am one of few that not only benefits from public transportation but was once a low income consumer.

Tran 6

Works Cited Hicks, Michael, and Dagney Faulk. "The Economic Effects of Bus Transit in Small Cities." Public Finance Review, 38.5 (2010): 513-539. "Benefits of Public Transportation." METRO Transit Providing Central Oklahoma Transportation & Bus Service Options. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. "Facts at a Glance." Facts at a Glance. Metro.net, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Fletcher, Robson. "Calgary Discount Transit Fares Expanded." Metro News. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Hymon, Steve. "Metro's The Source." Metros The Source. N.p., 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Jerpi, Laura. "Environmental Benefits of Public Transportation." South University. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. "Los Angeles Transit History." Metro.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Maciag, Mike. "Public Transportation's Demographic Divide." Public Transportation's Demographic Divide. N.p., 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Mickey, John. "6 Health Benefits Of Public Transportation." TransLoc. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.