As Traffic Grows, LA's Resistance To Subways Melts

"For two decades, one legislator in Washington, D.C., has stood as an immovable barrier to the long-discussed plans to build a subway from downtown Los Angeles to the Westside.

But now, with traffic gridlocked in his district and the Westside in the midst of a continuing development boom that promises to bring even more congestion, Rep. Henry A. Waxman is having second thoughts.

...Other cities, too, have overcome previous resistance to mass transit on the Westside. Early this year, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood officials said the MTA should revive subway building as a way to ease the region's transportation problems."