MTA greenlights $298 billion plan

In a history-setting move, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted Thursday to approve a $298 billion, 30-year plan to reduce traffic congestion and improve public transit in the "megalopolis of gridlock." The Long Range Transportation Plan -- which includes the most funding ever set aside for transportation projects in Los Angeles ...

[Tech_Daddy]

These bozos sure dream big with no real funding. Hey, it's our money not theirs! This is never going to happen, because it's too late! Morons & Idiiots!

[get a life]

So I guess these idiots think that the amount of traffic we have right now will remain the same for the next 30 years so they can complete the work?? Wanna reduce the flow of traffic.....close the f'ing borders! Sorry but the amount of people leaving this state because it simply 'stinks' is immediately filled with illegals that drive pieces of crap! Same goes for our water so called shortage. really people just work on things that are attainable and stop trying to appease us with this nonsense!

[sad city]

Forget the highways. Build a full working train system. Forget the cars. Get people off of the roads. It is shameful that a city big as ours has one of the worst infrastructures ever created. The roads are congested because the people who run it can't figure out how to build an infrastructure. Here is a tip: Go to another big city like Tokyo see how it is done. Then and contract the person who did to repeat it here.

[Debbie]

Spending that kind of money in todays economy is truly stupid. Spend it on schools at least.

[Spin Out]

Recently rode a vaunted "beautiful downtown San Diego" blue-trolley line. What a shock! It was standing room only---as crowded as its MTA bus counterpart in LA. Too many people.
Instead of spending $300B for a population increase of 3M in LA County over the next 30 years, let's demand our developer/cheap labor/votes-greedy politicians run ALL these kinds of "plans" through a population stabilization vetting process first!

[Andres]

Oh gee, we here in the Valley get 5 freeway projects but yet only one 4-mile long extension line of mass transit... Does that seem fair? What we really need is more rail in the Valley. It's a no-brainer. Anybody who's ever even ridden on the Orange Line can say "yeah it's convinient and efficient..." until you get stuck @ an "at-grade" street crossing which leads to busses bunching up. The Valley's freeway and street map looks like a bowl of spaghetti while our transit map looks like the chocolate drizzle over a fancy dessert. Let's get our acts together and invest where it is really needed.

[Oscar]

Can you say "Quid pro Quo"? Politicians are throwing big contracts to big contractors for kickbacks. It doesn't matter if Cali is broke. Lay-off more teachers, and cut more "Working-employees" salaries. Executives at City Hall exempted. Cut more services,(except handout Services for Illegals). Got to keep that Hispanic approval rating for reelection. Open up the prisons and reduce that overcrowding to keep intact the handout services for the remaining inmates. Don't want to cut that inmate Dental Program. Or College Grants for Serial Killers, or Child Molesters. More HUD homes for ILLEGALS who just want a nice place to live like everybody else. And you can't cut the Anti-gang police units, since Cali IS a Sanctuary State, you are going to have to prepare for more and more gangs and homicides and general crime so Gang Creeps can have a good life here too. Definitely don't close the border. That will anger the legal Hispanic voters, and cost politicians reelection. And don't tell Sexually Dysfunctional Gays and Carpet Munchers that they can't marry. You might lose that vote too. Promise Teachers more money, even as you are laying off whole herds of them at a time, they aren't too bright, they are Liberals. They STILL vote for CHANGE. Politicians are the Terrorists in this country. Self-serving, with NO morals. Get rich quick, because they might not get reelected. They aren't for America, or Americans. They are for the largest voting group. We should give them all 2 year terms, then evaluate if they are good for America. If not, tar and feather them to send the message..."We are mad as HELL, and aren't gonna take it anymore....". Are YOU a MORLOC or an ELOI?

[LAofAnaheim]

Oscar...are you at Tea Bagger?

[Losing]

Oscar sounds more like the average Californian fed up with the way government continues to ruin their beloved state.

[LA Resident]

Car-pool lanes are a waste. They need to use the money to rebuild the rail system that the city sold to the car companies which dismantled it.

[Tech_Daddy]

LA Resident wrote:

Car-pool lanes are a waste. They need to use the money to rebuild the rail system that the city sold to the car companies which dismantled it.

You know your LA history. That is the truth! We used to have electric buses and trains.$298 Billion? I guess they must think we are all recent grads of LAUSD and can't count. Why not build a friggin' road to the moon?

Better traffic controls and flow. Did you know we have only 3 traffic engineers in the city of LA? The worse things are the more they want us to think that they are really doing something.$150 million to sync traffic signals? That won't be done until late 2010. Lazy , stupid city governance and operations!

[All of US]

This is very good news for all Angelinos. But would it be better if we invest in RAIL instead of freeways. Just a thought?

[Richard]

You would have the money, except they have given
kick backs to the owners of Staple Center and similar projects in down town LA.

The nonsense of selling the "air space" over shorter buildings to justify increasing the size of buildings elsewhere.

The ignoring of reality when it comes to traffic
caused by these new businesses. The planning of
traffic by including in public transportation, but
then canceling the lines that would have mitigated
SOME of the traffic flow.

The forgiving of developer fees to big contributors, while running deficits as long as possible. The miss-allocation of fees meant for one thing, but used for general funding.

The allowing of THOUSANDS of illegal billboards.
Hey, here is an idea, charge a huge fee for anyone
who has an illegal billboard. Tear down the damn
things and charge them for that too. The unions
would have a few more jobs for a long time.
Of course the only problem is, is that many of these billboards are owned by the bigger campaign contributors, so we only get lip service.

[redpandabear]

with only 2 million mininum wage workers in the city it will take 300 years to pay off this 298 billion dollars

[over 65]

Its got to be millions Not Billions

[get a life]

over 65 wrote:

Its got to be millions Not Billions

Nope! they are adding in for the cost of inflation and the decline of the dollar, cause pretty soon we will have to deal in EU's dollars, cause ours are worth a dime. It blows me away that these people we pay huge money for have no idea what's going on in the rest of the world...it's just business as usual...spend, spend and spend more, the stupid tax payers are just that.........STUPID!

[redpandabear]

over 65 wrote:

Its got to be millions Not Billions

i just come out to be $ 149000.00 per taxpayer in L.A county...

[ladweller]

more strands to add the web of transportation. i know people won't face the fact that there are just too many humans, and their associated accouterments, in this space. civilization was perhaps humankind's greatest achievement, but it also meant more people concentrated (sometimes in resource poor environments, think water!!!) in population centers. Too many people!!!!!!