7 ways to help L.A. traffic

The Times' opinion section asks seven experts for their traffic-easing ideas. Here's a summary:

--MTA Monopoly: The first step is to end the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's virtual monopoly and allow private jitney and bus operators to enter the transportation market to compete with the MTA and with each other.

--Parking costs: If Los Angeles wants to reduce traffic congestion, -- as well as lower greenhouse-gas emissions -- and do it all quickly it should charge the right price for curb parking and spend the new revenue for public services in the metered neighborhoods.

--Better buses: What Los Angeles needs is a transit system that better reflects what it is -- a sprawling mid-density city. So build the world's easiest-to-use bus system. \

--Better connection: Make bus rides faster by creating dedicated bus lanes on the 10, 101 and 405 freeways and expand the MTA's Metro Rapid bus system to connect such major employment centers as downtown, the Wilshire corridor, LAX, UCLA, USC and the South Bay.

--Toll lanes: The toll would go up or down depending on the flow of cars: The greater the congestion, the more expensive to use these high-occupancy-toll lanes, or HOT lanes.

--Cheaper fares: We need to strengthen the city's only widely used rapid transit system -- buses -- by making it easier, faster, cheaper and more reliable to use than a car.

--Pay as you go: So instead of paying for transportation as we do now with bonds, sales taxes, fuel taxes, and the like, drivers would instead pay as they go -- they would pay dearly to travel at rush hour in congested areas, and much less at other times and on other routes.

What do you think? Like this list? Can you add to it? Hit COMMENT and speak out!

Comments

[Kate]

Hey, Kate. I think the log is a great first step--but I have so much trouble with that kind of record-keeping that I'm not sure I'd be able to maintain it!

I wonder if people are going to start confusing your comments with mine.

[Kate]

In trying to reduce my driving I decided to create a "miles not driven log." This includes biking instead of driving, sharing a ride, taking the bus, or walking. I find that keeping track of how much I don't drive provides an incentive for me to change my behavior. It would be even more helpful to have a support group of driving afflicted Los Angeleans share a miles not driven approach. Perhaps we could have miles not driven contests or community competitions. Anyone interested?

[Chris]

1) Having jitneys in L.A. would increase congestion, drive Metro into bankruptcy because their most popular lines would face intense jitney competition while they are left with lines with very few passengers, potentially be unsafe, and create confusion over routes and fares.

What we need is one unifying transit system in L.A. with standardized fares and a standardized route structure. Individual companies could bid on different lines, potentially resulting in savings, but for the passenger it would be seamless.

2) Increased parking meter charges is a good idea - I'm surprised it hasn't been done already. Also a good way for cities to increase their revenues.

3) Lower the bus fare - L.A. already has the lowest bus fare of any major city in the country, by far. Lowering them even further will cause overcrowding without any means of paying for more buses, and will drive the system into bankruptcy.

4) We already have several examples of freeway express buses, and almost all of them are poorly patronized. Why? Because nobody wants to wait for a bus in the middle of the noisy and polluted Harbor Freeway...let alone walk the mile to get to the stop because it's in the middle of a 12 lane
freeway.

[Kate]

I get the idea, Angel, but I'm not sure it would work. First of all, many apartment buildings don't even have one space per unit. Second, even if I can park my cars in my driveway and or garage, your rule would mean that I could never have guests over. In commercial areas, street parking allows me to pay for 10 or 15 minutes of parking while I run a quick errand. Finding a space in a lot or structure could easily take as much time as the errand. Running errands by bus often requires multiple transfers and can significantly increase the time spent on that process, particularly on the weekends when buses run less frequently. And living closer to work is a great idea--but only if there is affordable housing near where you work.

As for jitneys, in many countries they open up transportation options, particularly for people who are at the lower end of the scale. But they also have huge safety issues--how would they be regulated?

[Angel Garcia]

How about no. Just don't allow street parking. ANYWHERE. See how many people will live closer to work, take the bus, and car pool. I know of homes with 5 cars, and only 1 is parked in the driveway.

[Chuck Fry]

What assurance do we have that lifting the MTA "monopoly" won't allow commercial buses and jitneys to "cherry-pick" the most profitable routes, leaving MTA with the least profitable?

My suggestion would be to raise the gas tax to support significant improvements to transportation - whether highway, mass transit, bike lanes, or whatever - and discourage unneeded driving. I believe we're not even paying enough in gas taxes now to maintain the roads we have!

[Matt]

MTA Monopoly? Last time I checked the system map, there were 60 separate transit operations on LA. You have to count the gray color lines and check the key on the Metro system map. Jitney is code for privitizing the system. If you think it's uncoordinated now, just wait.... Parking Costs? OK valid. A nickle on some streets, a quarter on others, it makes no sense. Better buses? MTA has the most pimped buses in the country. Alternative fueled and digital climate control too at $865,000 each. Better connections? You can't have it both ways, monopoly and coordinated or a jitney free for all, which is it going to be? In either case, the 50 year old dream of using the freeways as some kind of backbone for transit just doesn't work for anyplace other than El Monte. The harbor transitway is a massively expensive failure. Maybe if it went from someplace to somewhere it would be a success, a few billion more ought to fix it. There have been LADOT express buses connecting those areas for years and carpool lanes are being built. Toll lanes? Right, so we can build it at taxpayer expense and contract out operations to some offshore company that donates to the republican party. No thanks. Cheaper fares? Metro fares are cheaper than driving. Pay as you go? This sounds like weekly allowance advice from someones dad. This list is a 1950's era libertarian dream with a few republican rewards tossed in to get it in to the offical talking points, not a solution.

[xzavier brown]

you can have all the solutions to this problem BUT if you do not have the commitment from angelenos and politicians that are willing to put the good of the city, instead of thier coffers, first, then everything is futile

[Elow]

How about turning a few minor streets into safe bikeways?