Two days in a row I'm on the bus on the Westside of Los Angeles during rush hour. It's gridlock traffic, the kind where anxious drivers are honking and cutting each other off, sirens in the distance. It's like I'm riding in a chauffeured limousine. Anyone ever going to join me? The expanded 405 freeway project at a cost of billions made things worse.
Get on the bus, please.
Speaking of public transportation in Los Angeles, that Metro Expo Rail Line about to open in Santa Monica next year, well, I spoke to a Santa Monica traffic officer who said the city of Santa Monica is bracing for the worst gridlock ever, as trains are expected every few minutes delivering passengers to Santa Monica. These people will cross the street. Pedestrians in cross-walks. Yep! Cars must wait to turn right. Cars must wait to turn left, backing up traffic, every few minutes as trains deliver residents and tourists flooding the pedestrian cross-walks. So please learn a new habit to benefit everyone: If you live in a city, try the bus once a week. The issue isn't just about carbon emissions, we need to get cars off the roads. For a better life. For everyone.
I found a video (below) on abrupt climate change impacts already happening like flooding in Miami from sea rise. I don't know. Maybe I need to stop writing about this lost cause in Los Angeles. Maybe people in another city can learn from LA's costly (health impacts, and accidents and stress) transportation mistakes. Video below is courtesy of the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media. And its not just LA leaders (past and present) it's the people who refuse to get out of their cars. I just don't get it.
To sign up for my clean air newsletter for out-of-the-box inspiration for clean air adventures, and helpful gear and habits, click here.