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Transportation Plan Update: Taxes, Planning, Bicycles, Bitching

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Via the magic of the interwebs, editor Josh is listening to today's City Council hearing on traffic and will provide updates throughout the day. Here's his first report: Assemblyman Mike Feuer spoke in regards to the relationship between land use policies and transportation policies, and the need to discourage people from taking short trips. Planning Director Gail Goldberg and DOT General Manager Rita Robinson agreed. Feuer also discussed the plan to lower the threshold from 2/3 to 55 percent for passage of transportation bonds, with the goal of funding our mass transit plans. Councilman Rosendahl suggested a regional tax be imposed so LA County isn't required to pay the entire bill for improved transit.

Gail Goldberg spoke to the uniqueness of Los Angeles, and the difficulty of creating a transit system. She stated that LA spreads density consistently across the landscape unlike older cities. She noted there are no easy solutions, and what we must do is maximize opportunities for walking and bicycling - creating community serving uses close to where people live so that they don't need to jump into their car for small trips. Goldberg also stated that a bicycle plan will be included as part of the City's new Mobility Plan.

Council Members were then allowed to badger Goldberg and Robinson for traffic problems in their district, which is still ongoing. Rosendahl went off on Lincoln Boulevard traffic and development, Alarcon went nuts about 20,000 new residential units in his district, and Reyes bitched about schools being poorly located.