WINNER OF MTA “EXPRESS YOURSELF” ESSAY CONTEST  WILL SPEND EXTRA TIME SAVED BY USING METRO RAIL WITH HIS DAUGHTER

A panel of judges has declared a 48-year-old Woodland Hills father who “feels compelled to write about subjects he feels strongly about” as winner of the MTA’s “Express Yourself and Win” essay contest which encouraged riders to explain how Metro Rail saves them time.

The contest was one element of an aggressive communications campaign to promote the June 24 grand opening of the Metro Rail subway extension from Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley. The campaign has resulted in a dramatic increase in ridership including 500,000 boardings opening day weekend.

First-place essay winner Michael Guetzow, winner of a round trip for two on Southwest Airlines, wrote in his essay: There is somewhere, deep inside my 7-year-old daughter, Sarah, a special giggle and sweet smile she saves just for me. The time saved riding Metro Rail would allow me to play her games, read her books, or just enjoy her company, and find that special giggle she saves just for me.

Guetzow, a Chatsworth-based travel agent who promotes the benefits of  Metro Rail when planning trips for his clients, is not sure where to book the family’s vacation to with the winning prize.

“Why would we want to go anywhere now when we have a great subway?” said Guetzow, married for 28 years. 

The second place finisher, Deborah Newton of Los Angeles, will receive a shopping spree at Ralphs valued at $250. She wrote: I’ve been trying to find the time to spend with my children because I work. On Metro Rail we pretend we’re on a sightseeing tour. I will take my children to the show, zoo or beach. And everywhere we go is in Metro Rail’s reach. I will teach my children to travel responsibly when riding Metro Rail…and that we don’t need a car because Metro Rail can take us anywhere near or far. Not only do I save time and money while on the run, riding on Metro Rail gives us time to have fun.               

Three essayists tied for third place and will receive free travel on the Metro System for three months.

Paiwei Wei of Los Angeles wrote: Ever notice how people naturally daydream when they sit inside a subway train? The deadline-driven, caffeine world robs us of our personal time ¾  to tend to the gardens of our imaginations ¾  or to dream about playgrounds with puffy white clouds and fields of green. Far from the leashes of pagers, cell phones, e-mails, smog, gridlock, and road rage ¾  subways are the overlooked sanctuaries from the daily grind. Heck, it gets you there  ¾  without stop signs, parking meters or a single red light. A fleeting moment to daydream is a wonderful treat…even if it only lasts until the next station.

Christine Springett of Studio City wrote: Metro Rail is actually giving me back time that was previously lost sitting in my car.  And Paramount resident William Ochoa wrote: After living in the L.A. area for 36 years, for the first time I can see things I never knew existed.

Entry forms in English and Spanish were distributed on all Metro Buses and Metro Rail, which includes the light rail Metro Blue and Green lines and the Metro Red Line subway, beginning on April 3. Southern California Rideshare distributed the forms to some 4,000 companies. Nearly 1,000 entries were reviewed.   

Many people have been saving time since the Metro Red Line expanded to 17.4 miles on June 24. Ridership has nearly doubled according to statistics compiled by 25 MTA schedule checkers who observe daily passenger boardings at each of the 16 subway stations and record their findings on hand-held computers.    

Prior to opening of three new stations at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City and North Hollywood, when the system was 11.1 miles in length, ridership on the subway averaged 65,150 daily boardings in the month of May. Ridership on the expanded subway after one week has surged to an average of some 120,516 daily boardings through June 30, an 85 percent increase.

Ridership also jumped by 5 percent on the 22-mile light rail Metro Blue Line to an estimated 63,000 boarding passengers and by 10 percent on the 20-mile light rail Metro Green Line to 27,500 boarding passengers.

Overall, ridership on the 59.4 mile Metro Rail system has increased to 211,015 daily boardings, or 42 percent, compared to the May figure of 149,050 daily boardings. 

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