As LA Slowly Expands Transit, Looking at Programs to Get Commuters Out of Their Cars Today

Alissa Walker sheds light on the programs and institutions pushing Angelenos to change their commuting behaviors in an effort to recoup some of the 485 million wasted hours that cost the region more than $10 billion annually due to congestion.

1 minute read

April 21, 2012, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


While Los Angeles has begun the long-term implementation of a wide variety of transportation measures aimed to provide an alternative to the automobile, from bike lanes to mass transit, Walker looks at the programs making it easier to shift behaviors now, so that Angelenos can "share, borrow, and rent vehicles so we don't have so many cars on the road."

Among the progressive programs she examines is one that helps place commuters in a carpool or vanpool, an effort to reduce traffic demand by one of the city's largest employers, and a couple of car-sharing services.

While these programs may not add up to a city-wide cultural shift, Walker notes that they might not have to: "Reducing the number of cars on the road by only 2 or 3 percent could cut congestion delays by 10 to 15 percent."

Monday, April 16, 2012 in Good

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.