TRANSIT SYSTEM PROVES ITS WORTH.

Byline: MARIA ARMOUDIAN Local View

IT'S 8:20 a.m., and I'm standing on the corner of Sepulveda and Chatsworth boulevards, waiting for the Commuter Express 419 that takes me through downtown and to my final destination -- USC. I'm leaning against the Del Taco building and reading some of the voluminous assignments for my political science Ph.D. program. The bus is here at 8:22 a.m., on time, and I climb on, smile at the many familiar faces and take a seat to continue reading.

About an hour and a half later, I'm on campus, 40 pages ahead of where I would have been had I driven myself. And I'm relaxed.

I feel lucky that there is a direct route to school. Although this bus service is not always the most dependable, it is so much better than driving an hour and a half each way, every day.

It's better because I'm one less car on the road. Better because that's roughly five tons less carbon dioxide spewed into the Los Angeles air. Better because I've used my time wisely. Better because each year, I save thousands of dollars in gas and parking fees and hundreds of hours. Better because I meet interesting people on the buses and subways.

Admittedly, for a city as sprawling as Los Angeles, the metro system will still have trouble getting us everywhere that we need to go on time. But the Los Angeles transportation system really does work for so many trips. I often take Rapid Bus 734 down Sepulveda to get a bite to eat on Ventura Boulevard. Or from there, I jump on Rapid Bus 761 to Westwood for a meeting.

In addition, the city and county are working to perfect the system. Councilman Greig Smith has wisely proposed an extension of the wildly popular Orange Line that connects the Valley to the metro Red Line subway. The MTA recently broke ground on the Expo Line, which will connect downtown Los Angeles to the Westside; and officials are planning to have 28 more Metro Rapid lines by 2008.

The people, too, are showing policy-makers that if the system is user- friendly, they will leave their cars behind. The Orange Line's ridership has surpassed expectations by thousands of people each day.

The city and county can continue finding more innovative ways to pry us away from our cars -- more convenient parking facilities, better and more frequent connections, more direct routes, pleasant waiting areas, and more incentives for using the transit system or even for telecommuting.

As for the rest of us, our November ballots will have two offerings that will contribute to cleaning our environment: Bond measure 1B would help secure $20 billion in funding for the needed improvements in transportation, air quality and port security. Proposition 87 would establish a $4 billion program to reduce petroleum consumption through incentives for alternative energy, education and training.

Both propositions are highly worthy of our consideration.

In the meantime, give yourself a Christmas present that keeps on giving -- a reprieve from your car. Leave your gas money in your bank account and your traffic aggravations at home -- all while helping every Angeleno to breathe cleaner and more beautiful air.