Buzz
The fifth annual Traffic Index report, released in March by GPS company TomTom, declares Los Angeles as having the most congested traffic in the world. However, the city’s transportation struggles started well before its 20th and 21st-century population explosion. Between 1895 and 1945, the Los Angeles Railway—often referred to as “Yellow Cars”—replaced cable cars as the city’s primary transport option. At its peak, the Yellow Cars operated within the largest urban rail network worldwide and were known as 'the backbone of the city’s transportation system.'
Over time, the yellow cars faded away, just as cable cars did before them. By the 1950s, cars became the primary mode of transport in L.A., and automotive companies may have played a role in this shift. A popular theory suggests that General Motors and other automotive interests bought up numerous streetcar lines, converting them into bus routes. This idea became part of the plot in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? These companies aimed to boost vehicle sales, but current research shows that post-WWI economic forces would have eventually made streetcars obsolete anyway.
L.A. inaugurated its first freeway, the 8.9-mile, six-lane Arroyo Seco Parkway (later renamed the Pasadena Freeway), in 1940. More freeways followed, though nowhere near the number initially planned. Throughout the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, massive construction projects carved through L.A.'s mountains and neighborhoods, aiming to create a 527-mile freeway network. This resulted in the eviction of countless businesses and homeowners, and the creation of a physical divide between once-connected communities. Though plans called for more roads to be built, many were never completed, contributing to the city's present-day traffic congestion.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, construction came to a stop. Some point the finger at then (and current) Governor Jerry Brown, while others blame the skyrocketing costs of constructing modern freeways. In some cases, it was the successful protests of affluent communities that halted development. The Eastside of L.A. experienced the brunt of this construction, as its residents lacked the means to fight against the powerful forces at play. (The east vs. west L.A. divide existed long before the freeways and continues to this day.)
L.A. has no more space left to build additional freeways, and even if there were room, research indicates that expanding roads would only result in even more congestion. Additionally, upgrading current freeways is already a costly and lengthy process. It doesn’t help that L.A. is the most populous county in the United States.
In recent years, L.A. has made significant efforts to encourage “choice” riders—those who have alternatives to buses—to use mass transit. You might be surprised to learn that, according to a 2011 report from the Brookings Institution, L.A. provides more access to public transportation for the carless than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S., even surpassing New York City. However, only 25% of choice riders use the bus. This lack of interest from those who have other options is one of the main reasons behind the persistent traffic problems.
Los Angeles has a challenging road ahead in terms of reforming its roadways and transit system, but they’re exploring new solutions. A few years ago, L.A. brought back the 19th and 20th-century streetcars that were previously replaced by automobiles. Eddie Valiant, the character portrayed by Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, would likely appreciate this revival. He famously says, “Who needs a car in L.A.? We have the best public transportation system in the world.”
