In Los Angeles, where drivers spent an average of 128 hours sitting in traffic in 2018, most commuters still choose to drive to work alone. A new aerial view of a street in downtown L.A. helps make the case for picking public transit instead, as it shows buses flying down a dedicated bus lane. In 17 seconds of traffic, a GIF from the city’s transportation department shows cars crawling down the street moving (at most) five people, while three buses—carrying 210 people—fly by. The city says that around 70 buses now use the bus lane every hour during the evening rush hour. The city added the bus lane in early June as a temporary replacement for a light rail line that is under construction, though many people now want the change to be permanent. Here’s another view of a bus blowing past cars on the opening day. Of course, to convince more people to ride the bus—at a time when public transit ridership is shrinking—L.A. would need a bigger network of dedicated bus lanes everywhere. But it can be a relatively easy change to make if the city just adds paint (and enforcement to keep drivers out of the lane). It’s arguably something that should also expand in other cities.
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