
Letter to the editor:
The Untapped Potential of La Jolla’s 140 Bus Line
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wants to create “sexy streets”, but the icing on the cake is sexy infrastructure – yes, please!
Does anyone else know the MTS Route 140 bus from [La Jolla’s] Village (Silverado Street and Herschel Avenue) to Balboa Light Rail Station [Avenue]? The bus connection is a great way to get in and out of the village. A $2.50 one-way ticket and a $6 day pass will get you downtown [San Diego], the airport, UTC and Little Italy. It is environmentally friendly and eliminates parking hassles.
Two MTS Route 140 buses are on Silverado Street in La Jolla.
(Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
So why aren’t more people using it? “New La Jolla Bus Route for Blue Line Light Rail Sees Low Ridership Early on,” Feb. 3, La Jolla Light).
The 140 bus is utilitarian, square and frankly a bit ugly. On top of that, it stops at 6:30 p.m. If you wanted to stay at the beach until sunset or dine in La Jolla, this is a complete miss.
Here is what is needed:
• Get an attractive and unique bus — perhaps something that looks like a “beach cart” or is all-electric with zero emissions.
• Run the bus until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.
• Add a stop to [La Jolla] Shores.
• Day trips to La Jolla Village Market via hotels and STVRs [short-term vacation rentals] downtown and near the [trolley] Blue line.
A day trip to La Jolla could be a joy if the bus had a good atmosphere and ran evenings and weekends. We are so close. The city has laid the groundwork, but it should really test-market a transit solution that appeals to leisure travelers, especially now that remote working has grown significantly.
Liz Eller
— — —
What’s on your mind?
Letters published in the La Jolla Light express readers’ opinions on community issues. Related photo submissions are also welcome. The letters reflect the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the staff of the journal or the editor. Letters are subject to review. To share your thoughts on this public forum, email them with your first and last name and city or neighborhood of residence to [email protected]. You can also submit a letter online at lajollalight.com/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor. The deadline is 10 a.m. on Monday for publication in this week’s newspaper. Letters without the author’s name cannot be published. Letters from the same person are limited to one per 30 day period. ◆