Ramping up, July 17

Low smog or high smug?

I spotted this Prius and its accompanying license plate in Pasadena last evening. And it reminded me once again of the classic "South Park" episode in which so many people buy hybrids a "smug alert" must be issued.

Sales tax update

The Metro board's executive committee meets this morning to discuss the faltering plan to put a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot in L.A. County to pay for road and transit projects. Then, Metro chief executive Roger Snoble is sitting down with the press to discuss what's happening -- or not. State legislators aren't happy with aspects of the sales tax (how much their pet projects would get in funding and when they would get it), so they're holding up a bill that would allow the sales tax to go forward while local officials are reshuffling the spending plan to make everyone happy.

Throw those extra coins in the car

I was remiss not to note earlier this week that the City of Los Angeles -- after months of talking about it -- raised its parking meter rates to $1 an hour in most places, with some meters downtown going to $4. My colleague Joanna Lin has the story on the website today. That's a pretty typical rate for most cities, by the way. The key in L.A. will be whether the city replaces all its meters; the city has more than 40,000, and in a report last year officials said that 10% were broken at any given time. I wrote a lot about this last year, including the tales of many readers who parked at meters that read "failed" that would later reset, resulting in a ticket nearly impossible to fight. Fun, fun, fun.

NYC cabs going hybrid

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced yesterday that New York had reached a deal with three auto manufacturers to produce hybrid taxis. The city is trying to convert its entire fleet of cabs into hybrids -- 1,300 already are, reports the New York Times' City Room blog. One of the cab drivers I talked to yesterday in L.A. said he drives a Crown Vic and he's getting about 15 mpg, although I've seen a Prius cab downtown. Bloomberg has also been pushing to convert car lanes to bike lanes. Must be something in the water out there.

Wilshire Corridor forum tomorrow

The Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce and the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District are holding a forum Friday at 11 a.m. at the El Rey Theatre on the proposed subway extension down Wilshire Boulevard. It's $25 to get in -- details are here. Metro board member Richard Katz will be talking and there will be a panel discussion at 12:30. I'm on the panel, meaning I've got 24 hours to find a shirt with buttons, and a razor. I give myself a 35% chance of success.

Links to Bottleneck items

Some recent bits that may interest you:

A man in a wheelchair stops the Blue Line

Molina says local officials can figure out how to spend that sales tax dough

Cabs in parts of L.A. now allowed to pick up and drop off passengers -- a novel development

Reader comments on the sales tax and property taxes

Will turnstiles stop terrorists on the subway?

--Steve Hymon

Photo: Steve Hymon / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

I missed it, but.......
what were the findings
a) of the EPA on windmills?
b) of the head-on and side-collision tests
of the Prius?
c) windmills head-on collision tests vs. Prius.

Buying gasoline at any price for my Chevy V-8 pick-up
is just another form of survival insurance to me.

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Credit cards, credit cards, credit cards.
Install meters that accept $5 bills.
Forget credit cards; reward people
who use real money. It's almost as
good as cash.

[Tony Fernandez]

In a tax that's meant to build more transit, why are we compromising by giving those "underfunded" areas money for road projects? Doesn't anyone else think that this is kind of crazy?

[BNG]

What about getting those meters that accept credit cards?? I honestly do not think anyone minds paying $4 for an hour of prime street parking, but to have that in quarters!!! The ones in Pasadena and West Hollywood are great! I thought the City had finished its "study" of these meters and was moving forward? Have they been installed? If so where? Chatsworth where no is looking for street parking? Steve, can you look into this?

As a person that frequents downtown, I rather not have to stop at the bank for a roll of quarters if I can use my credit card and receive a text when my time is about to expire!

[Dana Gabbard]

"State legislators aren't happy with aspects of the sales tax (how much their pet projects would get in funding and when they would get it)..."

How shortsighted and counter-productive. Are there any adults able to bring order to this process?