Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Breaking: The Newest Light Rail Line Is Really Useful

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Good news: it turns out Los Angeles' newest light rail line does exactly what it was supposed to do. When the Expo Line opened in Spring 2012, people living nearby started using more public transportation, driving less and polluting less.

USC conducted a study of the transportation habits of people who live within a half-mile of the western stops of the line that goes from downtown to Culver City. The study looked at seven days before the line opened and seven days after the line opened. Their habits were compared to a control group that had statistically similar habits before the Expo Line opened.

Here are some of the interesting stats from the study:

  • Households who lived less than a half mile from a station traveled 10-12 fewer miles in their cars after the station opened compared to the control group
  • Households near a Metro stop had 30% less vehicle CO2 emissions than the control group
  • The habits of some very inactive people changed when the Expo Line opened: 40% of the least active people increased their daily physical activity by an average of 8-10 minutes a day. However, active people became less active.
  • The biggest increases in ridership were near stations with fewer lanes and more bus lines
  • Los Angeles' Metro lines will be longer than DC's if all goes as planned by 2020
  • Overall ridership has been increasing, and August was the best month for ridership on the Metro. KPCC reports that there were 27,000 weekday boardings that month for the Expo Line compared to 22,000 the year before.

    As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

    Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

    We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

    No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

    Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

    Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

    Chip in now to fund your local journalism
    A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
    (
    LAist
    )

    Trending on LAist