The march by some 50 hikers to the Hollywood sign last Saturday as part of the "Step it Up" campaign to cut carbon emissions beautifully stated the upside down nature of Los Angeles life: walking to gaze over the ecological sacrifice to driving.
Yet, perhaps to the surprise of Angelenos and non-Angelenos alike, the streets below, packed with quirky taquerias and 1920s bungalows, offer the walker a delectable feast for the senses--rose pedals, buttered corn, barking dogs... Even our Chief Planner, Gail Goldberg, delights in walking to the hardware store or movie theater from her Larchmont Village home.
Reading her profile in Saturday's L.A. Times, I smiled: she endorses higher densities and links planning to social justice. But the needle scraped across vinyl when I came to this: "she's still driving to city hall."
I felt like those diners at the Lake Forest Souplantation--one minute enjoying the health boost from garbanzo beans and carrot shreds, the next minute in a hot sweat bent over a toilet seat.
This administration pledged a "radical new urban vision." Right now, it's more like DiGiorno--sorry, you can still tell its frozen.
My Dear Chief Planner, Mayor and all of City Hall: start taking the bus! You can live in L.A. without a car today. All we need is exclusive lanes for express buses and frequent service--every 5 minutes peak hours, every 15 off-peak.
Step it Uppers: What can you do?
Get on the bus!
Get on the bus!
Get on the bus and fight with us!
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