For anyone interested, the Los Angeles Times has a special set of
editorials today on the theme of how to solve congestion for that city.
They contacted me recently and asked me to provide an answer in 500
words, no easy task! Don Shoup, Jim Moore, and Bill Fulton also have
columns.

One thing that was interesting is that I supported Don Shoup's position on
parking in my column -- because it is in line with the other things I want
to do and makes a lot of sense -- but The Times deleted that agreement.
Perhaps they wanted us to all sound different. However, building
consensus on sensible ways to go is really the only way to reach
agreement on what to do.


Best,


             --Jonathan


To read all columns on transportation, go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/?track=mainnav-sundayopinion

THINKING OUT LOUD / TRAFFIC
Derail Trains and Ding Drivers

By Jonathan Richmond, Jonathan Richmond, a visiting fellow at the Asian
Institute of Technology, Thailand, is the author of "Transport of Delight
-- The Mythical Conception of Rail Transit in Los Angeles."


To defeat gridlock, Southern Californians must elect better-educated
politicians and together accept sometimes-painful solutions.

Like a beautifully wrapped toy train at Christmas, shiny new light-rail
projects offer an excuse to cut ribbons. But this symbolic mode of
transportation will lead Los Angeles nowhere.

L.A. is too dispersed for a rail system to take most people where they
want to go, nor can rail's relatively low rider capacity influence urban
development in significant and desirable ways. Meanwhile, rail's huge
construction costs and operating subsidies divert resources from more
suitable transit projects. Advocates of rail transit say it would siphon
excess traffic from roads and freeways. But the proportion of travelers
riding rail is invariably minuscule, and any increase in freeway speeds is
fleeting, as new drivers fill the available space.

The same is true of another perennial favorite among vote-seeking
politicians: road building. At first, new boulevards and freeways cut
travel time, but as soon as drivers notice the renewed convenience, they'd
motor onto the added asphalt and restore congestion. That's why the main
goal of L.A. public transportation should not be to reduce congestion but
to provide more mobility. That means supplying transit service to as many
people as possible.

For example, L.A.'s small Metro Rapid bus system is speedy, well-managed
and attracts riders. It holds the promise of far more extensive service
than rail at a fraction of the cost. Planning agencies should extend the
system regionwide, keep fares low and give priority to these buses when
deciding how to move traffic. As more resources become available, sections
of the network could be upgraded to dedicated right-of-way rapid bus
transit.

But the only way to dramatically improve traffic flow in Los Angeles is to
charge tolls. Ideally, as traffic congestion worsens during the peak hour,
transportation agencies will charge higher tolls for road use, with lower
fees at other times. This would encourage motorists either to travel at
less-congested hours or take routes that cost less.

Singapore has adopted this approach. The government determines the high
congestion spots  on city streets and freeways  and installs gantries over
them. When motorists pass a gantry, "they feel the pain," a system
designer told me. The beep they hear signifies the value of their prepaid
toll card falling. Coupled with high auto costs, this pricing scheme has
eliminated most congestion in Singapore. Public transportation is
available for those who cannot afford cars.

Converting L.A.'s highways into a pay-as-you-go system might seem a
political pipe dream. But motorists in many states, including California,
already pay freeway and bridge tolls. There are also creative ways to
charge for road use without seeming punitive. The high-occupancy-toll
lanes on the Riverside Freeway offer motorists an opportunity to escape
congestion at a price, which improves overall traffic flow, paid and
non-paid. This approach should be extended as much as possible so drivers
would have the option of buying a faster trip when they really need it.

Economics teaches that nearly everyone is better off when tolls create
freely flowing roads and that a comprehensive, high-quality bus system
takes more people to more places at lower subsidy cost. These ideas are
harder to grasp than a glamorous rail system.

The challenge for L.A. politicians is to learn the hard concepts, and then
change voters' thinking on how to make the region run more smoothly.



-----

Jonathan E. D. Richmond                               02 524-5510 (office)
Visiting Fellow                               Intl.: 662 524-5510
Urban Environmental Management program,
School of Environment, Resources and Development
Room N260B                                            02 524-8257 (home)
Asian Institute of Technology                 Intl.: 662 524-8257
PO Box 4
Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120                        02 524-5509 (fax)
Thailand                                      Intl:  662 524-5509

e-mail: [log in to unmask]               Secretary:  Kuhn Vantana Pattanakul
        [log in to unmask]                         02 524-6368
                                              Intl:  662 524-6132
http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/