Cheap Gas Vs. Mass Transit

As people start writing about the possibility of $1.50/gallon gas (when it's cheaper than milk, we're putting it in our cereal), the Daily Breeze editorial board ponders the seessaw relationship between gas prices and public transportation: "Another factor to consider, however, is that if gas prices stay low for some time, state sales tax revenues from gasoline will decline, limiting the state's ability to fund transportation needs. On a positive note, in Los Angeles County, the passage of Measure R in November - a half-cent sales tax increase to fund transit improvements - should help to compensate for the shrinking fuel tax revenues. We've seen some anecdotal evidence that freeway traffic has risen as the price of gas fell over the past several months. Perhaps the frustrations associated with that gridlock will encourage more car commuters to give public transit a try, even as gas prices bottom out in these uncertain economic times. [Daily Breeze]