LA NOTEBOOK - I recently returned from a visit to St. Kitts and a remarkable thing happened while waiting in the airport departure lounge. I was seated within earshot of a group of 7-8 businessmen who had spent a week working contacts in St. Kitts. They didn’t seem too anxious talk about their stay and so the conversation drifted to talk about the world’s best airports. The first mentioned was the Singapore airport.
Next they talked about the Honolulu International Airport. It is difficult to separate the beauty of Hawaii from the beauty of the airport. The traveler is immersed into paradise the minute your foot hits the deck. There isn’t a lot of climate control in the terminals because the terminals are open to the elements. There is tropical flora and fauna and all you have to do is step out to the front curb to catch The Bus going downtown and to Waikiki.
They talked about the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. We visited Bangkok years ago before the new airport opening so I had to depend on what they were saying. It sounded wonderful, convenient, beautiful, and accessible. Then somebody dropped a bomb and referred to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as the worst. Nobody objected. They just mumbled and looked down at their feet. Nobody could offer any explanation whatsoever as to why there is no public train access to LAX.
I regret that I could not spend more time with them and get a sense of their basis for these comparisons and where they live. I missed their perspective of this. I can, however, give you a perspective on the lack of access to LAX.
There is no access. There is a metro train, The Metro Green Line, connecting to the Southern California transit system that zooms toward LAX then suddenly, a mile from the airport, veers south toward Manhattan Beach. It is called the Train-To-Nowhere. Ten people a year ride the Green Line to Manhattan Beach while 60,000,000 people a year arrive/depart through LAX.
I once spoke to someone instrumental in building the Green Line and they were proud that the needs of 10 people are being met. One morning I rode the Green Line to the end and got off at the Marine Street station. The object was to talk with one of the commuters and learn how their needs are being met. Only problem was that I was the only commuter left at Marine Street.
Los Angeles can correct this colossal snafu and run a train underground around the LAX terminals. The Frankfurt International Airport should serve as a model. There is a flurry of metro train building right now.
In any event I am glad to be home in one piece and learn why the businessmen didn’t talk about their stay in St. Kitts. According to INTERPOL, St. Kitts has the highest murder rate in the world. Denzil Douglas and his Labour Government are helpless to stop the violence which is spiraling out of control.
(Kay Martin is a writer and a new contributor to CityWatch. His years of travel and work included tours in Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Hawaii, Latin America, and the Pacific. He can be contacted at [email protected].) –cw
Tags: LAX, Los Angeles, Green Line, train to nowhere, transportation, LA transportation
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 8
Pub: Jan 27, 2012
