Back in 2008, Los Angeles passed a ballot measure, Measure R, that increased the sales tax in the county to raise $40 billion for public transportation projects. It was a big victory for sensible planning in a city that's unfortunately dominated by cars.
Now one of the groups that helped get that measure passed, Move L.A., is trying to get the city to step on the gas, so to speak. They want the Federal government to advance some Measure R cash so Los Angeles can finish an ambitious list of transit projects in 10 years rather than 30. They're calling it the "30/10 plan." Check out a big version of the graphic above from The Transport Politic to see how it would work.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is behind the plan and it looks like it's getting some traction in the Senate from Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.
LA, like the rest of the state, has no time to lose in building out a mass transit network that can handle the travel needs of its population. As oil prices rise later this year, part of a long-term trend upward that will lead to a sustained price of $175 a barrel by 2017 according to Deutsche Bank analysts, the LA economy will grind to a halt unless more effective mass transit options are provided.
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