[fdsfsafasfdas]

How are you going to get people to invest in public transit without getting them out of their cars?

LA is hands down the worst major metro area I've been to when it comes to transit, and getting people off the roads will only improve that situation—carpooling, public transit, biking, and hell WALKING are all better options.

[remarkEon]

Ehh idk. I've lived in a couple major cities, and moved here to LA in 2015. It's not as terrible is it might seem on the surface. One of the major differences that sets Los Angeles apart from other cities is that people tend to live quite far from work because of housing costs and geography. I'm fortunate that I can take the bus (for now) and often take the Expo Line downtown to go to Kings games, but I know a lot of people that live in Playa or El Segundo and work in downtown, or even the Valley. That just isn't a realistic option for them. I think people have to see Public Transit as a reliable replacement before we introduce some forcing mechanism for them to sell their vehicle.

I think LA is probably a market that most uniquely fits for self driving cars (depending on whatever business model emerges for those things). Thing is, I can't imagine the special kind of road rage that'll emerge when you're driving on the 405 and look to your left and right and see a completely empty vehicle.

[myowncrapulence]

LA is 35 miles long. What would the walking commute of 10 million people look like?

So you're suggesting that instead of fixing the problem (public transit) they should start whipping people so that the rich can drive on their traffic-free roads?

[vesinisa]

The point of tolls is not to make roads exclusive for the wealthy. A sensible toll would be something anyone who can afford to own a car can be expected pay.

[myowncrapulence]

  The point of tolls is not to make roads exclusive for the wealthy

But that's exactly what it accomplishes. Further pushing the poor into poverty punishing the commute to a minimum wage job in a part of town they can't afford.

[danesparza]

Hmmm ... so you can afford the car, the gas and the insurance -- but you can't afford to pay for the road? Perhaps you should share a car.

[CalRobert]

Not to mention that the very same person will sometimes WANT to pay a toll for an uncongested lane. Running late for an interview? Maybe $15 is worth it to go 70mph for 20 miles at 8:30 AM.

[mcbits]

The long tail very often has to "ride on fumes" until payday. Unless the tolls are literally cheaper than the fuel cost of idling in traffic, the result will be to punish those uppity poor for imagining they could afford a car (which they could previously afford, if just barely).

[ryandrake]

Some people don't have any room in their budget for anything! Any time you charge people $N for something that used to cost $0, the poor get hit the worst and the rich don't get affected at all.

[fdsfsafasfdas]

I'm saying that the transit pressure should apply to the city and the people using transit, not the roads and environment.

[phd514]

As long as it's the poor people that you get off the roads which is what the effect of tolls will be.

[andrewfromx]

"the poor people" is such a wide brush. How about it would make middle class people think about their budgets carefully and only drive when really needed.

[fdsfsafasfdas]

I'm not convinced; I believe in the power of car pooling and tax credits.