A.M. Greenlist: How do you solve a problem like L.A. traffic?

>> High-occupancy toll lanes are the way to go, say Roger Snoble, MTA's chief executive, and Doug Failing, a Caltrans district director. Earlier: Heated anti-HOT lane arguments don't add up.

>> Debating the future of L.A. transportation. Read the five-part debate between USC professor Peter Gordon and the Transit Coalition’s Bart Reed -- with a grain of salt, as both men make false claims on occasion. Reed, for example, claims that the HOT lanes will force carpoolers into adjacent lanes -- despite the fact that carpoolers may be able to use HOT lanes for free. (Concrete decisions haven't been made yet.) Gordon's arguments are often just bizarre, with his own conjecturing being the only "proof" for his assertions: "As more people drive, they will have more range and more options." Seriously? Have you heard of, um, the congestion problem we already have? Being trapped on the 405 -- with no option to take a train that would avoid traffic entirely -- isn't exactly what I call freedom.

>> In Washington, D.C., newlyweds ride the train from the wedding to the reception: "I think Metro's easier than driving during rush hour," said the bride. "I've taken the Metro my entire career in rush hour. And it's always quicker than cabs or cars.... I just thought it would be a fun processional march and a way of getting strangers involved in sharing our joy." (via eecue)

>> Heart sidewalks? Many do, but unfortunately, it's not the item on top of Angelenos' want lists. City Planner Deborah Murphy speaks out on why roads aren't just for cars in a new StreetFilms video. In it, she points out that while L.A. residents say they want sidewalks, they're not pushing politicians to take action en masse -- perhaps because they're too busy being stuck in traffic. The biggest problem, in her opinion, is free parking -- even in our homes. "We give up so much of our private land to cars," she says.

>> President Bush defends ethanol -- despite the fact that many cite ethanol subsidies as part of the cause behind rising food prices.  Earlier: Down with ethanol subsidies!

>> Ocean debris, sorted. Ocean Conservancy reported that their volunteers found 6 million pounds of trash on the world's coastlines -- in one day. Wired mag asked for specifics -- and got them in great detail. "Perhaps not surprisingly, there's also a disturbing amount of condoms floating around the world's oceans."

Photo by Don Bartletti / LAT

Comments

[Danny Bradfield]

I sure don't have the solution to all of L.A.'s traffic problems, but I am excitedly awaiting the arrival (by mail) of the key to a bike locker at the Blue Line's Wardlow station. I have begun serving as pastor of a church in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach, which is quite a commute from my home in Burbank. I'm not sure how some of the church members will feel about their pastor showing up at their house for a visit on his new bike, but at least he'll be a lot less stressed than he would be if he had to take the Santa Ana & Long Beach freeways every day.