Readers React: Congestion pricing isn’t the answer; more bike and bus lanes are

To the editor: I agree that car drivers need to pay to travel alone in their cars on the streets of Los Angeles if we are to do anything to combat congestion. But the idea of selling car lane access to people willing to pay a fee is not the way to do it.

We need to make single-car drivers pay by making them sit in traffic. We need more lanes dedicated exclusively to buses, bicycles, scooters, carpools and even motorcycles. We can make more streets one-way to accommodate dedicated traffic lanes for these alternate modes of transportation.

Yes, we can make drivers pay for driving alone down city streets and freeways — by having them spend more time in gridlock than they would if they took a carpool or public transportation or rode a bike.

Andrew Tilles, Studio City

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To the editor: Columnist Michael Hiltzik lends his voice to the notion that raising the cost of driving will have a positive impact on L.A. rush-hour commuting and cause more people to take public transit.

My example is common: I have an eight-mile commute that takes between 15 and 50 minutes, depending on traffic. If I take mass transit, it can take hours. That’s a deal breaker right off the bat, even before considering the other onerous aspects of using Metro.

The reality is that people drive in rush-hour traffic because they must, not because they want to. Metro is not a realistic option. Creating new fees for commuting will not improve the commute or make Metro any less objectionable.

New fees will simply be a money grab with no upside for commuters.

David Garrett, Los Angeles

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