New Plan to Cut Traffic Is OKd by Council Panel

A plan to ease traffic by subsidizing bus fares and encouraging van pools that could cost large employers more than $16 million annually and the city another $6.5 million was unanimously endorsed Wednesday by a Los Angeles City Council committee.

The measure is a hybrid of proposals made earlier by Mayor Tom Bradley and Councilman Nate Holden to fight traffic congestion and air pollution, as well as higher bus fares recently imposed by the Southern California Rapid Transit District. Bradley transportation consultant William Bicker told the council panel that the mayor would support the new plan.

If the plan endorsed Wednesday is approved by the full council and by Bradley, transit officials said, that more than 37,000 auto trips daily could be eliminated from clogged city streets.

Unanimous Action

The unanimous action by the Transportation and Traffic Committee followed by one day a 6-9 City Council vote upholding Bradley’s veto of a controversial plan by Holden and Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky to set aside $17.8 million to fight rush-hour traffic congestion.

Holden, who voted to sustain the mayor’s veto of his own proposal, voiced optimism that the latest version would prevail.

“I think it will have smooth sailing,” Holden said of the compromise plan, which he said should be considered by the council next week.

Under the subsidy plan endorsed Wednesday, employers within the city limit with 200 or more workers would be required to pay $15 monthly of the cost of a bus pass. Only businesses now offering free or subsidized employee parking would be required to participate. The city would not offer these larger employers any financial help for the bus fares.

RTD officials estimated that the large employers would pay $16.1 million a year to subsidize the bus passes.

The larger businesses, totaling about 188 in the city, are already under a South Coast Air Quality Management District directive to develop employee ride-sharing plans. About 75 of the businesses with 500 or more employees are required to implement their programs July 1.

The city would also offer employers up to $5,000 toward the purchase or long-term lease of vans for their workers. Bradley said up to 1,000 van pools with an average of 12 passengers could remove the equivalent of 9,000 cars a day from the road.

At Holden’s suggestion, the three-member panel recommended another plan for smaller employers of fewer than 200 workers that are not immediately subject to the AQMD ride-sharing directive. Unlike the larger businesses, smaller employers could receive $5 in city funds per month for every employee who opts for a subsidized bus pass. With the employer paying $15 of the cost, bus passes would cost employees $20 less than the full price.

The city’s share of the compromise program would be $6.5 million--$5 million for the van pools and $1.5 million for the smaller employer bus fare subsidy. All of the funds would come from Proposition A sales tax funds now in a trust account for transportation purposes.

In other committee action, the panel endorsed a $2-million plan to keep senior citizen passes at their current $4-a-month subsidized level.