Opposition forming to Wilshire bus lanes

We know bus-riding advocates support the plan to convert two lanes on Wilshire Boulevard for buses only. But The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II reports opposition is also forming:

Not everyone was convinced that the lanes would work, and the idea has been criticized by some who believe it will punish motorists by taking the curbside lane away from them during rush hour. "You can't take a third of the drivable lanes from people who are already stuck in traffic for 45 minutes," said Jay Handal, chairman of the Greater West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce board. "Take a guy who earns a half-million dollars a year. He's going to drive to a parking lot and get on a bus? I don't think so."

Comments

[rodney]

Even as a fully assimilated third-generation American, I still can’t help but feel that more insidious issues may be at the root of this debate.

Have issues of class and race polarized our perspective to the extent that many of us are unable to recognize the obvious logic and practicality in the city’s plan to help ease its traffic woes?

Surely, if viewed with an eye to our future (and by “our” I mean that of the populace), it’s quite clear how an efficient public transit system would benefit people of every social, economic and ethnic segment. A healthy – in every sense of the word – society should be the goal of any city, large or small.

This is not a welfare issue, as some have argued. Personally, having a portion of my tax dollars used to mitigate the many destructive consequences caused by the pervasiveness of single-occupant cars on our roads, is not something that particularly excites me. But as a responsible citizen and a single-occupant driver, I understand and freely accept the necessity of such revenue allocation.

I don’t expect anyone to acknowledge me for my benevolence or personal responsibility. But I do expect each of us to consider the proliferation of mass transit with a greater degree of pragmatism, rather than simply a raw emotional attachment to our automobiles or our possible distaste for certain members of the community

[Sean]

We have to remember one thing about Los Angeles. Buses were never the norm when public privately owned transportation systems were put into place. People took trolleys and trains. We can dedicate all the bus lines we want but it will never take off because there are too many cars crowding up the area and buses have a status of being used by the poor, uneducated, and dirilect. We need to invest on below/above grade train systems that are sleek, well maintained, fast, frequent, extensive, and affordable. This would be the only way to attract the "well-to-do" and hipsters while cutting traffic. Metro is slow as a slug on these issues and I'm sure most of it is financial hang ups due to people who can care less and love to drive top down in their BMW's.

[It's gettin' hot in here]

Global Warming is real. One of the most important ways to confront this crisis is to disadvantage single user automobiles and prioritize public transportation. This is what the Bus Only Lane plan does. Los Angeles is the Auto capital of the country. We face gridlock on our streets and asthma in our lungs. If we are serious about making a change we need to expand Bus Only Lanes to Western, Crenshaw, Vermont, and other major thoroughfares throughout the city. Then we can see if Mr. $500,000 is stupid enough to sit in his Lexus watching buses whiz by him...you know what? Who cares about Mr. $500,000??? Why don't we care about the countless more hardworking workers in our city who struggle to get to employment centers? This is a no-brainer.

[andy]

I am bi-coastal with a home on both coasts and an income to match. In NYC, I rely solely on public transportation which is fast clean and efficient. In Los Angeles, I am unable to rely on public transportation because it is slow and inefficient. When will Los Angeles get wise to the fact that unless they invest heavily in subways and buses their traffic woes will only increase. Public transportation is for the benefit of everyone. Maybe a surcharge of 18 dollars for anyone who wants to drive in the metro area alone in their car is in order? It would supplement the cost of building a large subway system and adding buses ( in nyc rush hour they run every 10minutes) and it would alleviate unnecessary travel. This is ridiculous people. Stop with the nimby politics and start thinking of our future, all of ours future.

[yours truly, johnny dollar]

Scott Mercer, I like the cut of your jib. So, let's go all the way.
1) no single passenger cars on freeways, period.
2) no on-street parking.
3) city buses are free; otherwise, not city buses.
4) cars with expired license tags and
cars with drivers having expired licenses get confiscated.
Scott, soon we will have things in tow.

[Walks on Wilshire]

Hey, LA Times, you know what else happens when there are bus lanes? Buses speed. Yes, they do. They go too fast, right up along the curb, right next to pedestrians. Check it out. It's the one thing that hasn't been written about in this whole debate. If you live in the neighborhood, or actually walk on Wilshire, you'd know how dangerous these buses sometimes are.
A GREAT STORY for the Times to investigate.

[Scott Mercer]

Forget this pussyfooting around.

Wilshire Blvd: Buses ONLY! At all times. No lanes, the whole street. Commercial delivery vehicles also.

Same thing with every freeway: No cars during rush hour! Carpools, buses, trucks, taxis or commercial vehicles only. No single occupancy cars.

Doesn't cost ANYTHING except for a few new road signs. No construction costs. Period.

Then start giving out $250 tickets to those clueless single occupancy vehicle drivers who happen to drive in from out of town cluelessly. Use that money to build the subway.

There. That'll put a sudden and distinct end to the idea of Los Angeles as a car utopia.

[Cathy]

I ride the bus when I can. There are some lines, like the 550 which aren't impossibly crowded and which move thru traffic as fast as the cars. People need to get outside -we have the best climate in the world, better enjoy it before global warming ruins it!

MTA needs to market the bus better - To the tune of "My Girlfriend"s hotter than yours" My blood pressure's better than yours, my bmi is better than yours, my auto insurance is lower than yours....... sung by young hip types with yoga mats and designer water.

[yours truly, johnny dollar]

A Modest Proposal:
Either make bus riding free or do away with buses.
Fish or cut bait.
Spent all day on a John Deer tractor.

[yours truly, johnny dollar]

And Marcotico (not to be confused with Marshal Tito), just how minimalist are all these "Greenie Weenies?" Anyone who has more than one credit card (the choice of credit card is his) is a cafeteria minimalist. (one credit card for ID purposes, ie: car rental desks.
I was on one of my two bicycles this morning (without my calico cat) on the bike path between Marina del Rey and Manhattan Beach Pier; first, I had to get to the extreme right of my side of the path to avoid a six-abreast "training" ride by the MS Team in training; then a half mile later, I had to get to the extreme right of my side of the path, again, to avoid a six-abreast "training" run by women who had some "do-gooder" logo on each of their shirts (I think it was against diabetes; but, I can't be specific). What are runners doing on a dedicated bicycle path? It's illegal for the same reason that it is illegal to have their training run on the 405 Freeway. It may not be fair; but, it's illegal. Don't like it? Change the law; until then, obey the law just like you want bicyclists to obey surface street laws.
Or are we just talking about cafeteria minimalist greenie weenies?
One credit card maximum. Everyone else is faking it.
Everyone is a star here in L A county.
You should see the things that they do.

[Marcotico]

Johnny Almighty Dollar, you have a very confused notion of what it means to live in a modern civilized democratic urban environment. What you have in mind is some sort of Mad Max post-industrial feudalism. Nobody in their right-thinking minds has any intention on "working" on your ideas because they would result in a terrible society. You should consider moving to Texas where those ideas are applauded.

[LA girl]

Mr. "Why do we need bus lanes":

the only people who actually ride the buses in LA are those who HAVE TO. There is very little to like about public transportation in our town. but, we DO need the buses because some people can't survive without them. Little old ladies, exhausted laborers, mothers with young children. There should be few delusions that the glossy populace of LA will embrace public transport anytime soon, but nevertheless, changes and improvements are desperately needed.

[Cathy]

Dedicated bus lanes would benefit drivers, too. All you need to do is drive down a street like Pico in the downtown area which has 2 lanes and at most intersections no left turn lanes. You either get stuck behind the bus or behind someone making a left turn. This morning, the bus had broken down and I was stuck behind it until the traffic cleared.

Of course, I don't drive a big SUV, like one woman who was careening from lane to lane, cutting off trucks, cars, buses as she sped by.

[Dan W.]

"I've got a calico cat and a two room flat on a street in West LA
(and two bicycles)."

While I certainly don't agree with your philosophy, I do applaud you for being a biker and having a calico cat. I have one myself. :) So there is room for agreement. And, certainly bikes need to be integrates into any transit system, public, private or otherwise. When I was in Berlin, I saw streets that had bike lines on the sidewalk, and woe to the pedestrian who got in the way.

[Dan W.]

"I've got a calico cat and a two room flat on a street in West LA
(and two bicycles)."

While I certainly don't agree with your philosophy, I do applaud you for being a biker and having a calico cat. I have one myself. :) So there is room for agreement. And, certainly bikes need to be integrates into any transit system, public, private or otherwise. When I was in Berlin, I saw streets that had bike lines on the sidewalk, and woe to the pedestrian who got in the way.

[yours truly, johnny dollar]

Dan W., 1) people who have eight children should pay eight times as much in taxes as people who have one (or no) children. (People who have no children should be given a trophy and 1/8th of the money from the people with eight children--work on that one). I should not be financially burdened by the sexual practices of others. (What education?: "schools" is just a politically correct term for "Day Care Centers." If you don't believe that, just see the panic in the faces of parents when they learn that there will be no school--er day care provided-- Wednesday due to some teachers' meeting.
2) Public transportation should be terminated; thus, people would pay a high price (but, still, it is their choice) to live in Beaumont and work in Buena Park. It is not my responsibility to get Tina Delgado (with apologies to The Real Don Steele) from some garage in Pico Rivera to some hotel in Pacific Palisades round trip each day. If anything, that is the hotel's responsibility
(company car-pool vans).
3) These are Quality of Life choices that these people have made, not me.
4) I've got a calico cat and a two room flat on a street in West LA
(and two bicycles).

[Dan W]

"My tax dollars should not pay for your "improved" mobility."

We all pay taxes for the common defense and promotion of general welfare, even for items we don't like.

For businesses, employees and other people traveling in Los Angeles, people need to move from place to place and not everyone is able to own a car. Even if everyone did own a car, it is not possible for all of them to get where they need to go as congestion is as bad as it is. To keep Los Angeles economically viable and environmentally sustainable for its general welfare, public agencies are creating public transit. Public transit aids the economy and the quality of life in Los Angeles, and not just of the people riding it. As part of the general welfare of L.A, yes, YOUR tax dollars as well as mine should go to fund it. I also accept that yours and my tax dollars need to go to public education even though I do not have children yet, because the general welfare of society and a healthy economy requires an educated populace.

Taxpayer money, yours, mine and everyones, pays for public goods, including the streets you drive your single-occupancy vehicle on.

No one says, of course, that you have to like it.

[tob]

Poor Mr. $500,000 being stuck in traffic because he just cannot take the bus is not exactly "Opposition forming.' However, I am glad to see that the Los Angeles Times is staying true to itself and continues to distort public opinion in such a way that seemingly Angelenos like neither public transit nor urban density.

[yours truly, johnny dollar]

Why do we need dedicated bus lanes? Why do we need buses?
At some point, "things" will get so bad that people will re-order their
priorities: a) move closer to they work; 2) work closer to where they
live (if being on Wilshire Blvd. is living).
My tax dollars should not pay for your "improved" mobility.

[Dan W]

Uh, if the best argument against the Bus Only lanes on Wilshire is that someone who makes $500,000 a year is going to have to wait a little longer in traffic, the lanes will be built without any problem.

Maybe that frustrated $500,000 a year motorist will use some of his clout to help extend the Purple Line.

[LAofAnaheim]

What opposition? The bus only lanes will be attractive to downtowners like myself who have to work on Wilshire. Also, in reverse, for the people who live in the westside along with the Wilshire corridor with jobs in downtown. Bus only lanes are not meant to target people living off of Olympic, Pico, Hollywood Hills, Sunset, etc... it would be impractical for them to take the 720. But, by getting myself and others who live off Wilshire onto buses (b/c of the increased convenience of a bus only lane), we leave more space to mr. executive who wants to live in a 3,000 square foot home on the hollywood hills with no alternative but the car.

Bus only lanes are great for short distances, but I still support and hope the LA City Council does, a subway to the sea as our ultimate goal!

[RB]

What makes the guy who earns half a million dollars a year so special that he can't ride a bus. It's that attitude that keeps this city stuck in perpetual gridlock.