Letters to the Editor: Measure HLA shows that loud NIMBYs aren’t the majority

To the editor: That Measure HLA passed so decisively is a big step for democracy.

As someone who used to live in Los Angeles, I know that local NIMBYs can loudly shout down change such as the street safety improvements required by Measure HLA. But collectively, people can voice that they want change by voting for it.

And, they want Los Angeles to be a nice place to live.

Peter Jacobsen, Port Townsend, Wash.
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To the editor: Google “L.A. streetcar map,” and see what your commute might have looked like a century ago.

Today, my commute is 45 minutes of agonizing traffic along Pacific Coast Highway. A century ago, I would have walked a couple of blocks, hopped on a streetcar, and read a book as it drove up the coast, stopping just a couple of blocks from my office.

We should bring back L.A.’s iconic streetcars, make them frequent and reliable, and give them dedicated lanes so that they don’t have to sit in traffic. We can get these dedicated lanes by removing on-street parking on major streets. People could still park in parking lots and on side streets.

Passing Measure HLA was a great first step, but we need transit improvements throughout the entire L.A. metro area. We had great public transit a century ago. There’s nothing stopping us from having it again.

Devon Hollowood, Torrance