Greenlist: New 'de-car-ing' ideas

>> Ban cars from the DWP Holiday Light Festival. Walking the length of the festival during the car-ban period is "a 100% more pleasurable experience than driving it, or even walking the route while cars are driving through." Last year, one DWP reason for not walking was that people might trip while walking.

>> Create a downtown fare zone. The idea: "Trips to or from any station inside the fare zone do not require the rider to purchase a transfer. Trips entirely inside the Fare Zone would still require a valid fare."

>> Make Pico and Olympic move faster. The one-way proposal looks like it's toast, but Villaraigosa's got a new plan: immediately eliminate parking on both streets during rush hour, then, re-time traffic lights so that those traveling west on Olympic and east on Pico get longer green lights.

>> Build the subway to the sea already. Elected leaders meet at an automotive museum to talk about funding the subway. Suggestions: a parcel tax on L.A. County residents, or a public-private partnership that would allow a private firm to build and run the subway, with government oversight.

Photo courtesy of Franklin Avenue

Comments

[Don]

The one-way replacement proposal is awful. The best feature of the original proposal, dedicated bus lanes, has been removed. With those lanes, there would be great incentive to take public transit down the corridor since buses would move as fast if not faster than car traffic.

[Siel]

But the original proposal kind of sucked aside from the promised bus lanes. What is awful about this new plan, aside from the absence of bus lanes (which don't exist in the current layout either, so it's not like an eco feature's being taken out)?

[Chris]

Actually, the timing of the lights to promote west on Olympic and east on Pico will be very bad for buses going the other way, who will have to spend more time waiting at traffic lights.

[Siel]

That's a good point -- I didn't think about the buses getting delayed too. And of course it's much tougher for us bus riders to switch between Pico and Olympics than for drivers. Thanks for the info.