REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
LOS ANGELES CONGESTION REDUCTION GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT
LOS ANGELES, CA
APRIL 25, 2008
10:00 AM PDT
Thank you, Secretary Bonner.
And thank you to Governor Schwarzenegger and Mayor Villaraigosa for joining us
for this exciting announcement.
There are few places in America that reflect the promise and potential of
transportation like Los Angeles. Yet the very same highways that hold that
promise also pose one of this city’s greatest challenges. The City of Angels is
quickly becoming the City of Tangles. Growing traffic keeps families apart,
hurts businesses, pollutes the air, and possibly worse, keeps surfers dry.
But all that is about to change thanks to the bold leadership and ambitious
vision of Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa, Secretary Bonner, Will
Kempton, the Director of the California Department of Transportation, and Roger
Snoble, the CEO of LA Metro.
They have put together an ambitious plan to tame traffic, boost the region’s
economy and pump new money into the region’s transit services by redefining the
way people drive L.A.’s fabled highways. Their plan’s use of proven approaches
like congestion pricing and faster, more reliable bus service, will take the
crawl out of L.A.’s sprawl.
And I am here today to say that their vision will become a reality. That is
because I am announcing that Los Angeles has been selected to receive $213.6
million in federal Congestion Reduction funds.
This money will make commuting faster, air cleaner, and transit better.
These funds will provide the financial leverage this region needs to begin
converting up to eighty-five miles of local HOV lanes into new, more reliable
high occupancy toll – or HOT – lanes.
These roads will use electronic tolling technology to allow single drivers to
pay a fee for access to less-congested lanes. Sophisticated sensors will monitor
the region’s freeways and, based on traffic levels, will adjust the fares for
these new lanes.
Drivers will be able to choose to avoid back ups when getting home a little
earlier means the difference between paying day care late fees or missing your
daughter’s first t-ball grand slam. That’s a better option than being stuck in
traffic and staring at an open lane just to your left.
No matter what you earn or how you commute, time is important and valuable to
all of us. And L.A.’s plan is designed to make commuting easier even if you take
transit. That is because funds generated by the tolls can be used to finance new
ambitious bus service designed to take advantage of these new HOT lanes.
Indeed, there are few cities in America that have been as creative and
successful in finding new ways to make buses as attractive for commuters. As
part of the city’s plan, new buses will begin running on this HOT-lane network.
As the city’s traffic fighting measures start going on-line over the coming
months, commuters will notice a real difference.
As more cars take advantage of the new HOT lanes, data and experience tells us
traffic on the other lanes will improve as well. That means it will take less
time to get to work, to go out for a night on the town, or even to make it to a
Dodgers game.
In addition to the new buses, transit services will see other improvements.
That’s because the revenue created by the HOT lane charges will also be
available for investments in subway and light rail services throughout the
region.
Even if you are one of the few folks who never use a highway, getting around
town is still going to get easier with this plan.
And as congestion pricing cuts polluting traffic tie ups and drives more people
to transit, it will help clear this city’s air.
This plan will help put the story of smog in L.A. where it belongs: in a museum.
And it will help all of us breathe a little easier, whether we’re commuting to
work, going for a jog or watching our kids on the playground.
The concept is simple, but the idea is bold… make L.A. an easier place to live,
a better place to do business, and a cleaner place to raise a family.
We want this iconic American city to continue to be known for epic Hollywood
movies— not epic traffic jams.
I am confident this city’s leaders will get the legislative authority they need
by October 15th to receive the full federal funding we’re announcing today.
They’ve dared to dream big, and with the support of Sacramento and D.C., their
vision of a traffic-free L.A. can become a reality.
I want to again thank Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa, Secretary
Bonner, Chief Executive Snoble, and Director Kempton for their leadership, and
their courage to say that traffic can be better, transit must be improved, and
the air will be cleaner.
Governor Schwarzenegger…
###
Briefing
Room
