Members of the public and private firms are invited to attend a Think You Can Solve Traffic Forum that Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation is holding on December 4 at 1 p.m. at Union Station. Register here.
Los Angeles County consistently ranks as one of the most congested metro areas in the United States. While waiting in traffic has become an expectation for many residents, OEI believes there are ways to improve travel reliability and decrease commute times.
Metro is seeking ideas that align with its Vision 2028 plan, which envisions trying out the following measures to reduce gridlock:
- Incentives to encourage people to carpool, vanpool, rideshare, take transit, walk and/or bike instead of driving alone.
- Incentives to shift people from driving at peak periods to non-peak periods.
- Congestion pricing on local roads, highways and/or corridors.
- Parking and curb-use fees that optimize the existing space for cars and other modes.
- Other tools that manage travel demand.
Who Should Submit Solutions: We are looking for multi-disciplinary teams to submit new solutions to solve traffic. Technologist, start-ups, inventors, scientists and urbanists that currently work in a variety of sectors are welcome to submit ideas. The agency also welcomes transit nerds and transportation wonks to think outside the box and submit solutions. In order to improve traffic Metro would like to explore nudges to encourage people in Los Angeles County to try a new way of traveling.
Proposed solutions will be reviewed by Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation; an internal panel of Metro experts and proposers may be invited to present to Metro executives and external experts by Spring 2019. Solutions may have opportunities to advance towards a proof of concept, formal procurement or other next steps (UP Phase 2).
Proposed traffic improvements can be submitted here.
Ideas on improving traffic will be reviewed based on the OEI’s Unsolicited Proposal guidelines. Solutions that are submitted by January 31 will be considered in this review round. If you have questions, please contact Vendor/Contract Management at UnsolicitedProposals@metro.net .
Metro strongly encourages ideas that include extensive public outreach and that conforms with the agency’s Equity Platform that was adopted earlier this year. This may include connecting to assistance programs such as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), Metro LIFE, Federal Lifeline Program and Pay-Near-Me.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
– Build overpasses/at the city’s worst intersections.
– Build overpasses for bikeways.
– Let carpools drive in bus lanes.
– Get rid of unnecessary red left turn arrows.
Just because something works, does not make it right! User fees of ANY KIND on public roads are unethical. You cannot charge me to use what i already own. Taxes pay for the roads, they are owned by everyone, and everyone MUST have equal access. Fees are regressive in that they make it more costly for those who can least afford it.
The problem is an inadequate public transport system that does not serve the needs of the people. The time required to use public transit is generally prohibitive, 2 hours on public transit, 30 minutes in the car.
Restricting traffic when the alternatives do not work well, and in some places not at all, is the wrong approach. We need more investment in rail and busways, reconfigure streets and freeways to improve traffic flow (DO NOT REMOVE TRAFFIC LANES) and faster construction of these systems.
We also need a different funding system. Gas tax no linger fills the bill, How about a mileage tax on cars and trucks, that would make electrics pay there fair share of the cost. And couple that with a land tax on all privately held land in CA. (cents per sq. ft.)
Everyone benefits from roadways, even if you do not drive. We need a finding system that everyone pays into, in proportion to their income, and, in the end, make all public transit FREE – that is what you get people out of their cars.
And a warning to all who would attempt to impose user fees. If necessary to stop it, i will sponsor and amendment to the Ca. Constitution to ban any such fee in CA. And you know the people of CA would support it.
An example -from SFV to Downtown (9 – 4) to Marina Del Rey (6 – 9) to Mission Bay, San Diego (next morning event) back to SFV, next day to Port Hueneme. How do i manage that on (or any part of that, as i do not have time to go home) public transit.
Toll Expressways.
Add congestion charges to congested areas.
Just like parking, the only proven way to “solve” traffic is to charge people to use a limited resources at peak times – congestion pricing has been proven time and again to be the only mechanism that can successfully regulate traffic flow. This is not rocket science that requires an “extraordinary innovation”. The solution is clear and simple it just take political will to implement it. Congestion pricing PLUS dedicated bus lane that gives priority to transit users is how you solve transport in EVERY city that has gridlock during peak commute hours. LA is not some sort of exception to the rule. If Metro is going to get real about “solving” traffic, it needs to start building political coalitions that will make this happen. Holding forum like this only invited cranks and ideologues to spew nonsense.
Learn from other places that run much smoother.
Other places also have zones, and you pay by distance, run much smoother, much better connections, more frequent, and I’m sure I’m forgetting other benefits of those other systems.
Try paying what you pay here in any other city in America, I bet you stop thinking your paying too much. We already have one of the lowest fares for a major city.
Hiow about loowering public transit prices?They’ve doubled in the time I’ve lived here, and you have to purchase a piece of plastic that expires. I have a monthly pass only because my company offers a pretax option to pay for it. I think i am overpaying for the amount i use the trains, and i use them everyday for work. One train each way, that has seats that are too small. I’ve been sat on so many times recently, jammed up against the wall.
Also, the hour long ride from downtown to Santa Monica (okay a little bit under) the trains are over-crowded, and there is a constant stream of annoying LOUD announcements – most of the time not timed correctly.
When you compare the price of a monthly transit pass to the all-inclusive cost of driving.. it’s a lot cheaper. LA’s transit is relatively cheap and the seat size is not an issue for a healthy adult. I’m 6’1, 190lbs
Alright, YOU can sit next to me anytime.Those that have been over flowing onto me are not so compact. I’ve never owned a car so that comparison is moot. If I was paying per ride I’d be paying even less was my point. The monthly really isn’t a bargain in comparison. But I think just averages out paying for it tax free.
Paying too much?? I’m sorry but I have to laugh at this. May I ask: Have you used Public Transit outside of LA?? If anything we NEED TO RAISE fares. $1.75 with 2 hour transfers that can easily take you as far as 30 miles is nothing compared to what I paid in San Diego, Las Vegas, and Tokyo. Please explain how someone going from Azusa to Santa Monica on $1.75 is expensive.
Just wait until Distance Based fares finally come to LA. Sooner or later Metro will not have a choice on that subject. If Metro wants to be a “world class” transit system, $1.75 and half baked rail projects is not going to get it there.