An editorial in today’s Daily News calls for smart, strategic transit investments in the San Fernando Valley to insure that The Valley streets don’t resemble their clogged counterparts on the Westside. Including their editorial two weeks ago wondering when the SFV is going to get CicLAvia, this marks the second time in October that the Valley’s paper of record is asking for more progressive transportation options.
The Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills is one major development with limited transportation options. Photo: Wikimedia
The key to making a more crowded Valley work is to embrace mass transit — sooner and more intelligently than other parts of the region have done.
For years, lots of people who lived in the Valley drove to West Los Angeles for work or nightlife. Once there, we encountered some of the worst freeway and street traffic in Greater L.A. That side of town failed to do public transportation right, and they paid dearly.
The Daily News goes on to make the point that transit service needs to serve existing destinations as well as planned future destinations.
More people are coming to the Valley. We must accept it, and make smart choices about transportation and planning to avoid the mistakes of the Westside.
Congratulations to the Daily News. With two quick editorials, the paper has rocketed to the front of the list of sustainable transportation print publications. Maybe there’s a secondary benefit to having Dakota Smith wandering the news room.
