Opinion: Los Angeles Must Prioritize Bikes and Buses

In an Los Angeles Times op-ed, Streets for All founder Michael Schneider writes that Los Angeles City Council members are "actively ignoring" the goals and actions laid out in the city's mobility plan that would encourage multi-modal transportation and reduce carbon emissions. The councilmembers' "persistent hostility toward the bike and bus lanes envisioned by that plan," Schneider says, affects all L.A. residents, not just those who use public transit or bicycles. By encouraging more sustainable forms of transit, city leaders could improve air quality and reduce congestion, benefiting everyone.

With nearly year-round perfect weather, a relatively flat city and an average trip of three miles, L.A. could get tens of thousands of cars off the road quickly, just by implementing its own plan and building the right infrastructure for car alternatives.

Today, bike lanes are installed in small, disconnected segments, often dumping riders onto busy streets with no protection. With cars accounting for 28 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in California, Schneider argues that local politicians should stop kowtowing to constituents who don't want to give up their cars and work to implement the recommendations in the mobility plan. Schneider advocates for citywide policy and implementation that would create a comprehensive and useful transportation network for cyclists and transit riders and help the city take concrete steps toward its climate goals.