TRAINS ARE THE NEW CARS

Michael Balter’s bold suggestion to “turn Wilshire Boulevard into a car-free, rapid-transit, bicycle-friendly transportation artery” is, if anything, not bold enough. We should be thinking in terms of the entire city.

Individual transportation vehicles (cars), as interesting, fun, and profitable as they have been in the past, have outlived their usefulness. I suppose we could keep them for side trips and NASCAR races, but beyond that they’re more trouble than they’re worth: They kill 50,000 people a year, they pollute the air, and they cause us to grovel at the feet of brutal, oil-rich dictators. Mass transiti - clean, fast, and comfortable - is definitely where it's at.

As for digging a subway to the sea, if it weren’t for the invasion of Iraq I would say this idea was in a class by itself. It gives morons a bad name. It is ill-conceived, budgeted by cock-eyed optimists, and will benefit its builders far more than any potential riders.

This is a golden opportunity for Los Angeles public officials to shape the future by serving the many people who elected them rather than the few who paid for the campaign.

a foot on either side