While Measure R funds two rail lines that will eventually reach many westside neighborhoods, these rail lines will take decades to complete and they do not provide mass transit within walking distance of most residences and businesses. We propose a network of bus rapid transit lanes that will compliment the future rail lines and serve the majority of westside residents and commuters.
The rapid transit lanes will be installed on existing boulevards that will be converted to one-way thoroughfares. East and west boulevards will be paired with each other, with three pairs as follows: Pico & Olympic Boulevards, Venice & Washington Boulevards, and Wilshire & Santa Monica Boulevards (between Ocean Ave. and I-405).
The BRT lanes will be open to private industry to create products to respond to the needs of transit consumers. These private buses will not supplant the existing municipal bus systems, but instead compliment them. A parallel private system of buses can better meet the needs of the entire market, by offering a range of service levels to appeal to a wider demographic. Given its wealth disparity and individualist culture, Los Angeles needs a solution that melds the efficiency and environmental benefits of public transportation with the individualism and capitalist choice architecture of private transportation.
The plan also calls for grade-separated bike lanes along these boulevards. Biking can potentially be a great way to get around our fair-weathered city, but it needs to be safe. Given the speed of traffic on Los Angeles boulevards, grade-separated bike lanes are the only acceptable solution. A safe network of bike lanes will allow people to complete short trips without the need for cars or transit.
