'Virtual Subways' and Suggested Solutions to L.A.'s Transit Problem

"Today I want to offer him and other local officials some ideas for improving bus and rail service over the short and long hauls. These aren't politically easy solutions, and they'd require significant compromises on the part of businesses and commuters.

But big problems require big solutions. So let's put some stuff on the table.

First of all, L.A. needs a world-class subway system - the sort of go-everywhere transit network found in places like New York, London and Tokyo. But we'll never get it. It's just too costly a proposition and would face too much opposition from self-serving (and well-lawyered) neighborhood interests."

He concedes that a subway system won't develop overnight, but suggests creating a set of "virtual subways" -- arteries that are dedicated to rapid buses during rush hours.