Traffic congestion on the Westside is not intractable. We cannot sit cocooned in our homes and grumble “it’s just the way it is”. There ARE things we can do … and must do. Recent studies by Metro show that of the 412,000 commuters traveling daily through the Sepulveda Pass, only 2% use mass transit. A commuter from the San Fernando Valley heading to Santa Monica or other areas west of the I-405 must change bus lines, or change to Expo. This need to change lines makes it an unattractive choice. The 2% choice. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) recently recommended a new Express Bus transit service starting at existing Park & Ride locations in the Valley. The “last mile” issue would be addressed by two Local Circulator Buses. See map below. We also recommend dedicated bus lanes on the I-405 during peak traffic hours. This is the realistic, fast, and cheap solution we need. This program would greatly ease the peak hour traffic congestion on all the “east/west” streets, including Sunset, San Vicente, Wilshire, Santa Monica, and Olympic. A more detailed analysis of this traffic solution can be found HERE. We must work with Metro to implement this plan. We need to act now since, at this moment, Metro is looking at new bus routes. We cannot wait for long-term ideas like a rail line through the Sepulveda Pass. We need solutions today. Please write the representatives below today, and tell them to adopt these critically needed bus routes recommended by SCAG to help solve our horrendous congestion. Supervisor Sheila Kuehl: sheila@bos.lacounty.gov Councilmember Mike Bonin: mike.bonin@lacity.org Robert Calix: Nextgen@Metro.net Or try THIS quick link.
Thanks very much for being part of what could be a significant solution to our traffic!
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