Los Angeles is located in the state of California and it’s rated as the most populated city in that state and the second-largest city in population in the United States after New York City with over 17.8 million people (history.com). Globally, it’s the 12th most populous metropolitan. This traffic of people have to travel to their different station’s work every day and when not going to work these people are visiting a friend or taking their families out. As the residents of L. A attend their daily duties, they create a problem because the infrastructure is not broad enough to accommodate them. As a result, a majority of the residents of L A find themselves trapped in ever-growing LA traffic yet they have little they can do because they cannot expand the roads in one night.
The LA as it is known by its initials is the home to Holly Wood, some of the world’s best Universities, and a venue for international trade and a tourist destination. The city is also ranked as the third wealthiest city in the US and the fifth in the world. Were it not for the transit problem, it is possible for LA to take the number one slot as the wealthiest city in the world. The man-hours and the resources wasted by the boring LA transit problems are enough to problem this city in that number one position if these resources that go to waste every day were to be directed into a profitable venture. With such incentives to mankind, it’s inevitable for L. A not to attract more people day in day out. LA today with its well-nourished industries, beaches, and ports, entertainment spots, security, many millions of people is a recipe to all the desires of mankind. However being held in traffic for over 72 hours per year, paying for fuel at very high prices, lack of parking slots in the city are major disincentives that are turning away potential investors and merrymakers from the city. Regardless of the economic benefits generated by the LA population to the US and the world in general transit within the metropolitan area has always been a huge setback. ( Los Angeles Times)
The current transit situation in Los Angeles
Transit in LA is cautioned by the network of freeways, highways including Interstates Highways connecting the city to other states in the US. However, commuters still experience up to 72 hours of delay in traffic per year making LA be the most congested city in the US by commuter delay per year. The Ports of Los Angeles is also too small to handle the strain demanded of them. Last year about 10 million tons of cargo were handled by this port. Plans are underway to expand these ports but the fear is that the city is growing and expanding by the night and by the time these expansions will be complete by 2015 than the city will be demanding new strategies be adapted to re-expand the ports again. Trying to solve the LA transit problem in the port so that it can sustain the city is like chasing the wind because if the sport grows, the economy grows and overrides the expansion if the ports are not expanded then problems will double because the people’s demand cannot be overlooked.
Challenges that Los Angeles traffic pose to inhibit LA full economic potential realization
The industries located in LA require a working transit solution for them to fully realize their full economic potential. California hired over 100,000 people in February alone (impress online). However, people end up turning down job offers in LA due to its transit problem. The delay in transit means that business moves slower than expected
and when this is happening overheads are still being incurred and these overheads that are incurred without generating any value have to be paid for. The people who pay are the final consumers or any product from LA meaning they have to pay more for goods from LA than from any other place and this is not good because the common made is made to suffer because of this transit problems. Let me not mention about matters that require to be attended as emergencies because with the transit problems, the utility generated by attending to emergencies has been watered down. What about the millions of man hours going to waste in trains stations, bus terminals, airport or in the ports. As mentioned above, LA can take the number one slot if the transit issue is wiped away. Millions of productive man hours going to waste would be utilized better to help grow this big economy. It could be safe to say that residents of LA have to an extent been reduced to busy bodies because of the transit problem.
Mechanisms laid down to solve the current transit situation in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is dedicated to a “30/10” initiative to build the urgently needed transit developments (mostly rail transit lines) in the next 10 years. (The transport politic).New light railway lines are already in operation but still the problem persists. The scraping of some bus lines from operating did little help to solve this problem. In fact, this move has been criticized as a setback rather than a solution. Once the ambitious 30/10’’ vision it realized, then LA will benchmark new strategies to defeat the transit problem.
NFL stadium plans, and how it will affect Los Angeles traffic
The proposed $ 1 billion stadium is expected to generate more income to the economy of LA than it poses a threat to the already worse but manageable transit problems in LA. On days when the stadium is active then the streets of LA will be in a lock down. How and where will over 100,000 people transiting at the same time be helped without affecting the ordinary daily businesses of LA? To ease traffic congestion to and from the stadium, it is proposed that tax services will come in handy. (Los Angeles Times)
Work cited
1996-2011. ivpressonline. “California adds nearly 100,000 jobs.” Web.
Los Angeles Times. Over 150 attend session on downtown L.A. stadium plan. LA, 2011.
Los Angeles Times. ” Los Angeles Times.” L.A. public transit moves in wrong direction. 2011: 14.
The transport politic. “How Feasible is Antonio Villaraigosa’s 30/10 Gambit for Los Angeles Transit?” 2010. Web.