While outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa has made great strides in building L.A.'s public transit and bicycle culture, there's still room for improvement, argues Harris Silver. He suggests 6 ways to further reduce Angelenos reliance on the automobile.
"Residents move around Los Angeles in a transportation mono-culture that is environmentally unsustainable and puts a friction on the economy by wasting billions on congestion every year," says Harris. "Although LA has an extensive bus system and a more limited rail system that is still under construction, 97% of all trips are in automobiles and 90% of those trips are single occupancy."
Harris details six ideas for making the city more livable, and less reliant on the automobile:
- Improve the walking environment.
- Encourage people to try Mass transit.
- Encourage People to ride bikes instead of taking cars to the beach.
- Introduce variable pricing models at large events based on vehicle occupancy.
- Bring [Electric] Bike Sharing to LA.
- Commit to LA being the first City in the world with an all electric Taxi Fleet.
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