I live in Los Angeles, CA which consists mainly of automobile suburbs with very few pedestrian-oriented and streetcar suburbs. The metropolitan area of Los Angeles is home to 18.2 million people and covers over five counties, including Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura etc. Even in the neighborhoods where buses are available or stores are at a walkable distance, people still use their car. Los Angeles is definitely known to have crazy traffic to the point where you think you are sitting in a parking lot, especially during rush hour. It is also known for having a lot of smog since we have cold air from the ocean. In order to decrease smog, pollution, and traffic we need to change our transportation system.

In Curitiba, Brazil they were able to build a bus system with rapid dedicated routes into the city center with each bus just a minute apart. This system decreases pollution and traffic which is exactly what Los Angeles needs. However, since the greater Los Angeles area covers many different counties, there would have to be many different bus systems and routes which would take a lot of time and money to create. There has been a metro system put into place in Los Angeles county, but not many people use it because there are infrequent stops and the buses nearby are very slow. If we put the time and money into making a bus rail system that covers more of Los Angeles and has less waiting time between buses I believe more people would be willing to use it. This way people do not have to worry about parking, the hours of delay waiting in traffic, drinking and driving, or car accidents. At the same time we will also create less pollution, the only problem is getting people to break out of habits.

In Bogotá, Colombia they have Ciclovia where they shut down 75 miles of streets to make them car-free. This way, people feel safe to walk, bicycle, and skate while being able to participate in dance, aerobics, and other activities. Events like Ciclovia promote using other modes of transportation while making it a fun experience. Although shutting down 75 miles of streets in Los Angeles would definitely cause an uproar, I believe that holding events on a smaller scale would still make a difference. Certain suburbs that are more pedestrian-oriented could hold events like Ciclovia and make it fun by hosting different outdoor activities. This would attract people from outside the neighborhood and possibly influence the way they think about transportation. I also know people that would gladly ride their bike or skateboard to get around town, but many of our sidewalks are not safe to ride on and there are not many bike lanes on the street. So another solution could be to improve sidewalks and add bike lanes.