Los Angeles will improve its bicycle infrastructure and mass transit connections as part of a plan to reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve the environment, Mayor Eric Garcetti recently revealed in his Sustainable City Plan.
By 2017, the mayor wants to complete a bike share system plan in Los Angeles starting with at least 65 stations and 1,000 bikes. He also wants to increase multi-modal connections at 10 rail stations.
The goal is to reduce vehicle miles traveled by at least 5 percent by 2025.
Los Angeles is the most traffic-congested major city in the nation, with Los Angeles residents seen wasting 64 hours in traffic on average each year, according to the plan.
In terms of funding the transportation projects, the plan calls for exploring a new countywide transportation funding mechanism and pursuing federal transit funding though the Small Starts and New Starts programs, among other options.
The city is in the midst of the largest public works program in the United States, with more than $40 billion being invested in rail, rapid bus and other improvements. The current rail system also is being expanded by 26 miles in the city.
The mayor’s sustainability plan is an effort to prepare for an estimated population growth of 500,000 residents over the next 20 years.
