OUR OPINION; WHERE'S THE BUS?The perception about L.A. is that every Angeleno owns a car - but that's not reality, and reality bites for those who don't drive. Nearly a million people a day depend on mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a to get around L.A. They need buses they can rely on - clean, safe, dependable buses that run regular schedules and don't force residents to sit on top of each other. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a checkered record in this regard, as in many others. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to build a bus system to the 21st century. A transit zone to serve the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. along with Burbank, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. , Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village makes sense, and could work as well as a similar zone created to serve the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. area. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. finally is inching toward supporting this worthy concept. Last week, a City Council panel finally lurched forward by agreeing the city should sign a tentative pact with the nine jurisdictions to study an autonomous zone. It's unfortunate that just as progress is being made, the public learns that California's transit development fund is low on cash. According to Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill, California's transit development fund is facing a $158 million shortfall that will prevent funding of new projects through at least mid-2006 unless lawmakers come up with additional money. The Public Transportation Account is funded by gasoline sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenue. L.A. needs buses and the public would use them if they were cheaper, more convenient and reliable. That's not a pie-in-the-sky scenario. It's a proven fact. When L.A. offered riders more bus routes at convenient times and lower prices, ridership was at an all-time high. But, of course, that was before the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. siphoned off a majority of transit money to pay for subways that a minuscule number of people ride. Subways may lure a few more people out of their cars to travel downtown when the North Hollywood station opens this year. But the percentage won't be enough to make a dent on the freeways. The subway won't help people who need to travel from Granada Hills to Woodland Hills or from Sylmar to Reseda - across the Valley to jobs, shopping, school or college. Valley riders need more choices they can use and afford. And a dependable bus system could even lure some motorists to leave their cars at home and take buses, vans or jitneys around the Valley to work or shopping. The more responsive the system is to consumers the better the service will be. And only local control will make that happen. |
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