LAist: Santa Monica Traffic Initiative is Now Prop T

thecheddar

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:46:29 -0800

Taunting and name calling ("ne'er do wells and westsiders"?) does not make a good argument. Property values are high here because it's a good place to live and there's tons of good jobs. But this issue is not limited to Santa Monica and will become a very common question for other cities very soon (eastside as well): What does a city do once saturation has been achieved? There's no denying Santa Monica is now 100% saturated with traffic as a result of commercial growth. Therefore, limiting growth - blasphemy to some - is a reality we have to face. People live here and, yuppies or not, quality of life for PEOPLE has to be put first before commercial interests. As such, limiting commercial growth for quality of citizens' lives is a necessary, real and viable option.

jackjood

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:51:01 -0800

Just another instance of well-to-do, ne'er-do-well Westsiders trying to stall the inevitable growth & densification of their 'gem' of a city, whose heart they sold out to commercial developers over twenty years ago. Double standard. And to top it off, they are selling it with false information. The proposition will not ease the pressure of existing traffic. It will only limit growth, and ultimately slow the timeline for the Expo Line - a real, long-term solution to the traffic problems in SM.

WagonMonster

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:41:08 -0800

Affordable housing in Santa Monica will never happen, the yuppification is too entrenched at this point. My already overpriced rental house is 2 blocks outside Santa Monica, and, if it were 2 blocks west, it would be 50% more.

GarySe7en

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:26:20 -0800

This initiative is a non solution, with no effect on present horrible traffic, and a marginal influence on future traffic at best, with the consequence of stunting economic development. Real solutions are creating affordable housing so more workers currently commuting to Santa Monica can actually live here. The subway to the sea cannot happen soon enough, and improvements to the bus lines with emphasis on the big job centers could help. Not sure the feasibility, but something I just thought of is what about park and ride stations at the borders of Santa Monica, with bus lines directly to places like the Water Gardens and Yahoo Center, reducing traffic within the city, since most traffic here is not from local residents. Oh yes, and riding a bike, which is what I and over a dozen other co-workers do at Sony's Santa Monica Video Game Studio.

rinkrat

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:06:14 -0800

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My Mr. T picture did not appear. :(

WagonMonster

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:58:28 -0800

The biggest causers of traffic in Santa Monica are the Water Garden and The Yahoo! Center. So, unless they plan on tearing them down, I don't see anything helping.

papercut

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:56:11 -0800

Santa Monica has way too many jobs, and draws way too many tourists and shoppers. Somebody must put a stop to it. Who is thinking of the children?

rinkrat

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:49:36 -0800

Here is the new spokesman for Prop T.