L.A. Officials Get Aggressive on Traffic Congestion
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L.A. transportation officials are asking motorists and the general public to pay more for mass transit. On one hand, MTA plans to petition voters to approve a half-cent sales tax increase, while the other hand approves a plan to convert a few stretches of carpool lanes on three local "freeways" into "toll lanes."
With Southern California's car culture going bonkers over rising gas prices, the efforts of MTA are sure to drive many folks into an emotional frenzy which could produce the type of backlash that move good people out of elected office.
Thus far, MTA officials are selling the half-cent sales tax increase as a way to fight global warming. I will leave the global warming debate to the likes of Al Gore and Leonardo DiCapprio.
The more likely impact of the tax increase would be to raise a substantial amount of revenue to fund sorely needed mass transit projects the state and federal governments will not find monies for.
As for the car pool lanes conversion into toll lanes, a growing practice known as congestion pricing; MTA is using a more popular messenger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was also on hand for the announcement.
They boldly tell us the goal of congestion pricing is to ease traffic on the notoriously congested freeways, but the likely impact is again to raise revenues for direly needed mass transit projects. Its not clear how this conversion reduces traffic on the non-carpool lanes.
These plans are far reaching in car crazy southern California where freeways were preferred over mass transit. Development of commercial and residential zones were planned for generations without regards to transit orientation.
And now after years of population growth, traffic is headed towards a stand still while the few light rail transit lines that have been introduced serve relatively few.
I would love to get out of my car, but in reality there is no light rail line to serve my route to and from work and home, and the busses still take longer than sitting in traffic at this point.
Indeed something must be done and MTA should be commended for thinking outside the box, however, I think I'm still waiting on a solution to my traffic problem.
With Southern California's car culture going bonkers over rising gas prices, the efforts of MTA are sure to drive many folks into an emotional frenzy which could produce the type of backlash that move good people out of elected office.
Thus far, MTA officials are selling the half-cent sales tax increase as a way to fight global warming. I will leave the global warming debate to the likes of Al Gore and Leonardo DiCapprio.
The more likely impact of the tax increase would be to raise a substantial amount of revenue to fund sorely needed mass transit projects the state and federal governments will not find monies for.
As for the car pool lanes conversion into toll lanes, a growing practice known as congestion pricing; MTA is using a more popular messenger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was also on hand for the announcement.
They boldly tell us the goal of congestion pricing is to ease traffic on the notoriously congested freeways, but the likely impact is again to raise revenues for direly needed mass transit projects. Its not clear how this conversion reduces traffic on the non-carpool lanes.
These plans are far reaching in car crazy southern California where freeways were preferred over mass transit. Development of commercial and residential zones were planned for generations without regards to transit orientation.
And now after years of population growth, traffic is headed towards a stand still while the few light rail transit lines that have been introduced serve relatively few.
I would love to get out of my car, but in reality there is no light rail line to serve my route to and from work and home, and the busses still take longer than sitting in traffic at this point.
Indeed something must be done and MTA should be commended for thinking outside the box, however, I think I'm still waiting on a solution to my traffic problem.