Could Los Angeles Lead The Way For Transit?

With the city already having pioneered the freeway and car culture 50 years ago, could Los Angeles now lead the United States towards a resurgence in public transit ridership?

1 minute read

December 19, 2006, 11:00 AM PST

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


"To be sure, the car still rules in Los Angeles...Only 6.6 percent of the workforce in this region uses public transit to get to work."

"[But] Los Angeles is No. 2 in the nation in bus ridership and No. 3 in light rail, according to industry statistics. Since 1993, it and Detroit are the only major metropolitan regions in the nation that have succeeded in lowering the annual hours of delay per traveler."

"Other cities interested in expanding their public transit systems, notably Atlanta and Tampa, are even studying Los Angeles."

The city's increasing dense 'sprawl' "has helped shift public opinion toward support for public transportation. Roger Moliere, who heads the MTA's real estate development business, speaks of a 'paradigm shift' in the way Angelenos view mass transit. Real estate ads now regularly use proximity to transit as a selling point. Developers are eager to build near transit stops;"

Sunday, December 17, 2006 in The Washington Post

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