Los Angeles should consider improving its already successful bus rapid transit system before investing in a $5 billion subway expansion.
A recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, co-authored by Michael Woo, former City Councilman and member of the L.A. Planning Commission, and Planetizen Managing Editor Christian Peralta, urges Los Angeles officials to not put an end to the MTA's dedicated bus lane pilot program, but push for completion of a planned dedicated bus lane along the county's busiest route.
"While the continuation of the Red Line subway along Wilshire championed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others is a worthy goal, the project's $5-billion cost is staggering. Even if the money is found, the 10 years it would take to construct is too long to wait for a solution to our worsening congestion there. Why not improve what's already working on Wilshire: Metro Rapid Line 720, which boasts about 50,000 boardings a day between East L.A. and Santa Monica?"
FULL STORY: An above-ground solution for Wilshire traffic
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