More Subway in LA!

Let’s face it; traffic in LA is a bitch. It’s not as bad as some places across the globe, but the gutting of an early 20^th Century rail system and growth prior to the grand implementation of the US Highway system has crippled the ability for our Freeway system to grow in any meaningful fashion. Slated to cost billions either way, which is better in the long haul; double-decker freeways, or an intricate and expansive rail and subway system for the city? The answer, for multiple reasons, is the latter.

Mass transit is not commonly used in the Los Angeles metropolitan area for two major reasons. First and foremost, people are married to their cars. The ability to come and go as one pleases and to have room to toss one’s excess crap cannot go unnoticed. However, it’s commuter traffic that does the bulk of the freeway clogging. So why do we need to use our cars to go to and from work? I’m not against owning a car, I’m just against driving it 400 miles per week the way I do!

Secondly, mass transit hasn’t become embraced by the Angeleno because it is not yet convenient. Buses still have to deal with LA traffic, so they are not the practical answer for your average professional commuter. Additionally, major arteries in LA are not serviced by lightrail or subway to connect them with the Metro network. Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Marina Del Rey, LAX, Warner Center, Burbank, and Culver City are all currently not serviced by the Metro-rail network.

However, were the “Subway to the Sea” completed or the Expo Line to be extended (which only makes sense), those who commute to the West Side from East LA would be able to do it in about 50 minutes if decent scheduling were implemented. Currently, that commute could easily be 90 minutes in a car. Economic savings in the form of gas, time, and automobile wear and tear would be realized for each and every commuter that this benefited, and they would not be few. Hell, if there were a Subway to Santa Monica, I’d move there immediately and try my hardest to get myself a job in downtown. With all of the revitalization that is going on in Downtown LA it truly is becoming the place to be…..that is a pain in the ass to get to!

The latest in the rumor mill of subway/light rail for LA is a Ventura Blvd. subway. This could easily get me to contemplate living in Sherman Oaks again, too. The new Orange Line is a failure for the specific reason that it does not directly service the dense Ventura Blvd demand. A subway would whisk commuters across the Valley floor, and has even been proposed to pass through Warner center and loop around past Van Nuys and Bob Hope airports before heading back to The Boulevard. It is my firm opinion that a Ventura Blvd subway would have dramatic traffic decongesting effects on the 101 freeway across the Valley. Not to mention the fact that LA has yet to have a lightrail or subway that services the terminals at any airport in the region. The Green Line stops a good mile from the main terminals at LAX.

So it should be no surprise that I am a HUGE supporter of a robust expansion of LA’s subway/lightrail system and I firmly believe that every Angeleno should be ready to foot the bill any way possible in order to make this happen. It is in all of our best interests for the sake of easing traffic on the roads and increasing economic impact in the area by freeing up more of our day either on the train with the ability to multi-task (I love the slogan Metro has: “Multi-taskers, we commute you!”) or by spending less time on the freeway. What an exciting time to watch Lose Angeles transform from urban sprawl to urban metropolis!