Transit Alternatives in Car-Crazy LA
Transit Alternatives in Car-Crazy LA
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Do you know that most Americans (nearly 75%) would prefer to drive less, but don’t feel that they have any viable alternatives to driving their own cars?
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Do you know that virtually all advocates of smart growth/New Urbanism agree that our cities need more alternative transportation options?
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Do you know that the City of Los Angeles, like more than 650 other U.S. cities and counties, is committed to a “complete streets” program (“Mobility Plan 2035”) that will presumably encourage its residents to walk more, ride their bicycles more, and use mass transit options more frequently?
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Do you know that most “millennials” are much more inclined to use alternative modes of transportation (including “car sharing” like Uber) than previous American generations?
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Do you know that Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed an executive order that commits California to a goal of 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 (a 15-fold increase from current levels)?
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Do you know that Brown’s order reflects the fact that about 40% of greenhouse gases in the State come from transportation—primarily from cars—and he is committed to mitigating climate change by changing how Californians get around?
What do you think? Are you ready to get out of your car and start using alternative modes of transportation to get around in Los Angeles? Can the City Council’s new mobility plan actually work? Is it realistic to think that Angelenos and Californians are willing to give up their cars and use alternative forms of transportation? You ready to park your car and get on the bus? take a scooter? ride a bike?
Assignment:
1)
For context:
a)
Read the NY Times article (9/9/15) “Los Angeles’ Plan to Reshape the Streetscape sets off Fears of Gridlock” (copy and paste the following link):
www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/us/a-los-angeles-plan-to-reshape-the-streetscape-sets-off-fears-of-gridlock.html
b)
Read the LA Times article (10/3/17) “L.A. Reworks another “road diet,” restoring car lanes in Playa del Rey (copy and paste the following link):
www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mike-bonin-road-diet-20171003-story.html
c)
Read the LA Times article (1/26/18) “California will put 5 million electric cars…” (copy and paste the following link): http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-gov-brown-california-will-put-5-1516999162-htmlstory.html
d)
Read the attached article on the future of urban transportation by Joel Kotkin for a contrasting perspective on the future of public/mass transit.
2)
Then:
Visit the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) website (www.metro.net) and use the “trip planner” feature (upper right corner of the home page) to explore how you might travel to and from campus using public transportation if you didn’t have access to a car and/or couldn’t afford a parking place on campus and/or plans like those proposed (road diets, etc.) make using a conventional car impractical.
Hint: When you use the trip planner spell out “Loyola Marymount University” – “Trip Planner” doesn’t always recognize “LMU” (but sometimes it takes you to our address “1 LMU Dr.”).
