LA needs mass transit first
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2026
196 points (99.0% liked)
Today I Learned
30906 readers
724 users here now
What did you learn today? Share it with us!
We learn something new every day. This is a community dedicated to informing each other and helping to spread knowledge.
The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:
Rules (interactive)
Rule 1- All posts must begin with TIL. Linking to a source of info is optional, but highly recommended as it helps to spark discussion.
** Posts must be about an actual fact that you have learned, but it doesn't matter if you learned it today. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.**
Rule 2- Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.
Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.
Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.
Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.
Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.
That's it.
Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.
Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.
Rule 6- Regarding non-TIL posts.
Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-TIL posts using the [META] tag on your post title.
Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.
If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.
Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.
For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.
Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.
Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.
Let everyone have their own content.
Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.
Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.
Partnered Communities
You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.
Community Moderation
For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Maybe instead of paying to take the bus, we should pay people to take the bus. You're putting up with a lot of hassle to avoid taxing the roads with another car. Maybe you're owed a few bucks for your community service.
Or just make it free and pull the money from anti-homeless infrastructure.
I was just at a bus stop and no one wanted to use those awful standing benches so a guy decided to sit on top of a gas line cage instead. It's crazy how infrastructure is somehow more ergonomic than anti homeless furniture.
yeah, but then the homeless would use it.
Bonus
Is this not the basic premise for taking fees from fines and car related registration to reinforce public transit and proper city planning?
What society isn’t invited to think about is how cars are so heavily subsidized to the point where it drains communities instead of supports them. From gas, roads, lighting, these costs are downloaded to every single person without much thought about any other option.
Also roads are typically paid for by new road building subsidies... Meaning more roads and no maintenance.
Yes, but it's more a matter of scale. And most cities still charge bus fare. It costs cities 10x as much money to support one car commute as one bike commute, but you would be hard pressed to find a city that put even an equal amount of dollars into bike infrastructure as car infrastructure.
I think they're researching how big of a congestion tax they need to get a certain percentage of people to stop driving. Giving someone $600 is very similar to not taking away $600.
LA, what's wrong with you?
Sounds like a great way to get a free car!
Buy the car, park it in your driveway for the next six years and use the cash incentives to make your car payments!
Looks like its only a one time payment and only 2000 households. So its just a PR stunt. 2000 is enough for a news story but not enough to effect anything.
it's not a 'pr stunt', it's a research study.
This is the second phase of the program. It's already been successful.
Building on a successful pilot in Santa Monica, Metro is expanding the One Car Challenge to all of LA County in Summer 2026. This time, we’re inviting approximately 2,000 households to participate — and for the first time, one-car households are welcome.
Except those people will tell other people how it went... For better or worse.
Maybe make your metro usable so not driving would be easier. It's kind of impossible to get where you need to go without a car in LA
These are two separate comments.
The metro is usable.
It’s still impossible to get around LA without a car. It’s a very large spreadout city.
LA is a tough one for this because it's so spread out. San Francisco has a famously amazing BART system but the city is also very tiny compared to what most people think of as "LA".
Depending where you live and where you go, LA Metro can be useful. I use the Metro quite often, and I know the bus system is pretty expansive as well. They've also consistently been adding new lines and stops including a way to get to LAX via Metro. So it's not like improvements aren't being made.
Famously amazing BART system
Haha….hahahahHahahahaHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
…you spend too much time on Internet forums and not enough time riding transit lol
... I've been to SF several times and used the system, it's great. Also to add, since you enjoy being condescending, I've used public transport in Asia and Europe as well. So.. haha?
More people taking transit will help put pressure on improving it.
I agree but I think it’s much easier the other way around. First improve the infrastructure, then incentivize people to use it.
I have to admit that I'm unsure how LA does it, but up in Washington the voters have to approve more funding for transit. Which is difficult if voters feel like transit doesn't work well to begin with and then it's an uphill battle.
Double-edged sword, I'll admit.
That's a chicken-egg problem.
A double-edged sword is something that could hurt as much as it helps if you're not careful.
Hah you're right! I'll blame it on my lack of coffee thus far this morning ;)
Should try a double-sided coffee :)
$600? That's a joke.
I don't know with $120 a week that some good grocery shopping there.
If it gets people to try it, its good.
Who couldn't use $600 right now?
That's not enough to replace the utility of a car for most people in LA.
For 5 weeks?
because it's not 'right now'. You either get $120 a week or the 600 after five weeks. Emergencies don't just wait for you to have the money for them
I wouldn’t kick $120 a week out of bed, that’s for sure.
That’s literally my weekly grocery budget.
Do I have to buy a car to get the 600? And move to LA.
Anything but subsidizing transportation directly hu?
That $120 a week for every resident should just go directly into better and free transit.
Hell I would bet most car infrastructure is subsidized at a higher amount per week per person.
view more: next ›