LA needs more than paving

Fifty years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the first transportation bill that put thousands of people to work laying thousands of miles of roads. This bill signaled the beginning of what would become our first foray into life on the open highway, offering new and exciting ways to connect cities and citizens across the country to an extent previously unimagined.

The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act launched the construction of a world-class highway system that drove prosperity in the 20th century and now criss-crosses the nation. Since then, presidents and members of Congress have sought to reform and update Eisenhower’s vision to address America’s changing transportation needs.

This week, Republican Representative John Mica, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer are in Los Angeles to hold a hearing on the next transportation bill, and they couldn’t have picked a better city to visit.  Not only has Los Angeles been the center of America’s car culture for decades, but in recent years it has also seen a resurgence in biking, walking and public transit.

LA has much to gain from a reformed transportation bill that reflects this reality. Mayor Villaraigosa is a strong proponent of the 30/10 initiative, which would compress a 30-year major overhaul of LA’s public transportation system into 10 years. There is also the expansion of the Metro Transit Authority’s bus system on the horizon, including creating bus only lanes to foster more effective public transportation.

On the flip side, there are poison projects Rep. Mica and Sen. Boxer should be aware of. The best example of these is the plan to massively expand the I-710.  In the northern part of this highway, there is a desire to spend more than $5 billion to dig a tunnel to connect the highway to I-210. On the southern end, regional planners are considering adding lanes for more diesel trucks.

But we know that Los Angeles can’t pave enough lanes to get out of its congestion predicament.  These money pit projects will not resolve our congestion woes and will add to the harmful pollution we should instead work to minimize. We need rational investment in alternatives to single-passenger automobile traffic and other cleaner transportation choices if our region is to grow, welcome new residents and continue to breathe cleaner air.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama stressed that investment in our roads and infrastructure is vital for our international competitiveness and for getting the economy back on track.  Fortunately, the transportation investments Los Angeles needs, namely transit in the 30/10 initiative, generate more jobs than just the same old road building and freeway widening.  A reformed transportation bill will help lift LA out of the slump today, while laying the groundwork for the Southland’s economic growth tomorrow.

Our country continues to expand and our legislation must also grow with it if we are to build a 21st century system that makes America safer, cleaner, more secure, and more prosperous.

Note: This piece originally ran as an op-ed in today’s LA Daily News.