L.A. mayor puts words into action

I wrote a column for METRO Magazine last year criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for not using public transportation to get to and from City Hall. My beef with the mayor was that he told everyone who would listen that using public transportation is the right thing to do.

In his own words, "You've got to use public transit. You can't keep on pointing to someone else and saying it's their responsibility."

At the time, Villaraigosa exempted himself from this responsibility, saying that his busy schedule required that he have a car available (a GMC Yukon driven by a chauffeur).

Well, the mayor finally decided to put some action behind his words. He plans to use public transportation once a week and is encouraging others to do the same. His campaign is called "Ride Metro with the Mayor." To help launch the campaign, he invited reporters to ride the bus and subway to City Hall with him.

The local newspapers provided some interesting coverage of his kick-off ride. An article in Los Angeles CityBeat took an acerbic swipe at the mayor's initiative, while a story in the L.A. Daily News checked out the commuting practices of mayors of other major cities. Both are interesting reading.

As someone who once resolved to ride the bus to and from work at least once a week, I know how challenging it can be to stay with it. I think Villaraigosa is going to have the same problem. He'll miss a week, then two and pretty soon a month will have passed by without a bus or train ride.

Still, I applaud his efforts and wish him well.

Until next time.

Steve

Photo by Gary Leonard

Comments

[Fred Camino]

I guess it's hard for me to understand how one who promotes public transportation can reconcile with not using public transportation. I suppose it depends on your personal perspective of what public transportation is and should be. I know many see it as nothing more than mobility welfare, in which case I would understand an advocate to using it. After all, public housing advocates don't need to live in the projects. On the other hand, if you are like me and believe that public transit is far more than welfare, but a chance to reorient our cities, reduce pollution, save lives, and give back our natural rights of mobility, then it seems there is no other option but to be a transit rider. And a full time transit rider at that. I would have no credibility if I told people that a transit oriented lifestyle is the smart, efficient, and sustainable way to live if I didn't live that lifestyle myself.

If the advocates can't make the commitment, why the heck would we expect a layperson to?