LOS ANGELES HAS GOT A FLAT TIRE
By Jazmin Escobar
The reality is that Los Angeles is one of the most sought after cities in the world. People come from far places to see our beaches, enjoy the warm weather, take beautiful hikes at Griffith Park, mingle in the hot spots of the night life whether that be in the twinkling lights of Downtown LA, the loud streets of Hollywood or the artsy and quieter parts like Silverlake, Los Feliz or Echo Park. Options are plentiful in our city of angels. For any visitor or resident Los Angeles is a wonderous city full of bustling life. And when you are busy going from point A to point B and C you need to get there fast. But how? Los Angeles however beautiful she may be is notoriously known for her jam packed traffic. For those of us who live here and who find that owning a car might be a luxury that we can not afford just yet resort to our handy dandy... lousy public transportation. What's the deal here? All this Hollywood glamour and still we have not wrapped our heads around providing trusty and competent public transportation, how is this possible?
There have been a number of measures that the city has voted on in regards to our public transportation, on ways to improve them but it seems more often than none that these measures are only excuses for the city to take more of our tax paying dollar... to do what? Where are these improvements? Where is our money going? These plans to build more railway options like the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project in 2018, which would connect the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles, in retrospect sound like a great idea.
"Opening another commuter line isn’t going to fix existing infrastructure. It’s not a lack of public transportation options that is driving people away from public transit – it’s the unreliability of the options themselves" (Daily Bruin).
McGreal of the Daily Bruin is right, it is not a matter of building more lines right now, although ideally that idea should always be one in the works. Right now it needs to be a matter of addressing the problems that we have now. How do we fix them? Allotting for more busses to pass could be a step in the right direction. Having to be at the bus stop at 7 a.m. so as to be sure that I am not late for class at 11 a.m is a bit much. Sanitation issues are also something that the city needs to take into great consideration. The ever growing homeless population is a problem in itself, and understandably these members of the community also have places to be but there is a need and call for safety for all passengers. Reducing fare or making year passes more affordable would also be something to consider. The city needs to remember who this public transportation is serving. It is serving the hard working members of its communities, it is the city's duty to take care of its family.
I live in Glendale and rely mostly on public transportation when I can. Glendale's own little public transit, the Beeline is a great form of transportation. It is the Los Angeles Metro that I struggle with at times, I hate the idea of having to take an Uber or Lyft and spend thirteen or fourteen dollars when I can pay $1.75 or now absolutely nothing due to Covid. Admittedly, yes there is something very nice about being dropped off right in front of your destination but to me our public transportation is something of nostalgic. I also believe it to be something that Los Angeles should strive to be the best at. As a metropolitan city we need to fully assess and address this incredibly looming problem that affects not only our community but our planet.
"The bus exodus poses a serious threat to California’s ambitious climate and transportation goals. Reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions will be next to impossible, experts say, unless more people start taking public transit" (Los Angeles Times).
The lack of great transportation in a city that requires it is vital to its existence to prosper. And above that it is essential to an even greater looming problem, climate change. The great gas emissions that are produced by those that opt to drive either because they simply prefer it or had no other option because the buses and trains were just not cutting it are huge factors that are hurting our planet's health. I think that often times those that do not take public transportation forget about those that do and only think about how, "this huge bus is just always in the way". It is important to remember that those individuals on those buses or trains are going to work too, they are going to school, to pick up their children or going to the hospital to visit their mom. An improvement in public transportation would be a win for everyone that is a part of this community not merely those that utilize it. I chose this particular issue because it is something that is continuously put on the back burner, it is important that we not forget. Demanding better transportation is not outrageous and I believe that we need to be more outraged that we have not been appeased yet. This matter requires attention, in the end it will benefit all of us, whether we realize it or not. Protect your family, protect your homes.
References
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bus-ridership-falling-los-angeles-la-metro-20190627-story.html
https://dailybruin.com/2020/01/27/los-angeles-must-fix-car-culture-by-improving-existing-public-transit-systems
https://www.kcet.org/neighborhood-data-for-social-change/transit-ridership-in-los-angeles-county-is-on-the-decline#:~:text=Across%20Los%20Angeles%20County's%20vast,to%20get%20to%20their%20jobs.
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