Trains and traffic update

The day after my letter appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the MTA announced that instead of cutting back the number of trains during the day, they had decided to end service on some lines an hour earlier at night. Can I take credit for this change in policy?

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Trains and traffic

One of my pet causes being public transportation, I sent the following letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times about planned schedule cutbacks on the Red Line subway system, which is printed in the May 10, 2005 issue.

Just when higher gas prices seem to be persuading more people to take the train, the MTA announces schedule cutbacks due to budget cuts. So when the new Orange Line starts dumping people at the North Hollywood Red Line station, they will have to wait longer for a train, and find it harder to get a seat. That can only dissuade many commuters from using these services, and freeway drivers will inevitably welcome back the cars of many who have been experimenting with public transportation.

So the small savings to be achieved by the MTA cutbacks will soon be dwarfed by the need to spend billions more on freeway construction.

The equation is really simple: fewer trains means more traffic. What we need are more trains, and less traffic.

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