Yaroslavsky Calls for Network of Long Buses

Having written the law that snuffed out new subway construction in Los Angeles, county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky proposed an alternative Friday: a modest network of new lanes reserved for extra long buses.

The proposal, offered at a meeting of San Fernando Valley politicians and transit planners, echoed a plea for simplicity repeated by most of the speakers. It also reflected a growing sentiment that solutions to choked freeways and overcrowded buses are likely to come on rubber tires rather than metal rails.

“You have to have the courage to try the simple solution,” Yaroslavsky said, adding that a busway system could be built within two years at about 5% of the cost of subways. Like Mayor Richard Riordan, Yaroslavsky said he had been won over by the rapid bus system of Curitiba, Brazil. The mayor, the supervisor and 22 others visited the city in January to examine its network of express bus lanes.

A city of about 1.8 million, Curitiba uses triple-length buses that carry as many as 270 people on some routes, the journey eased by traffic lights timed to let buses pass. The vehicles stop once a mile, and trips are further accelerated by collecting fares before passengers board the bus.

Last November, voters approved Yaroslavsky’s ballot initiative banning the use of transit sales taxes to build more subways.

Yaroslavsky said his proposal would not disrupt existing traffic because the bus lanes could be built on avenues wide enough to accommodate extra lanes along the center median. He estimated the Valley segment could be built for less than $500 million.