LA Times: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass outlines vision for (almost) ‘car-free’ 2028 Olympics – ‘A no-car Games’ –

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2024-08-10/la28-transportation-plans-olympics

Excerpt: Rush hour all but disappeared. There was less traffic on the freeways and not as much stop-and-go on surface streets.

Longtime residents of Southern California remember that, in terms of driving, the 1984 Summer Olympics felt something like heaven. Businesses switched to staggered schedules. Lots of people left town for a few weeks.

Now, with the world’s biggest sports competition set to return in four years, Mayor Karen Bass wants to go a step further.

“A no-car Games,” she said.

Doubling down on something she discussed with The Times in April, Bass told reporters at the 2024 Paris Olympics that she envisions expanding public transportation to a point where fans can take trains and buses to dozens of sports venues, from Crypto.com Arena downtown to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to the beaches of Santa Monica.

“That’s a feat in Los Angeles — we’ve always been in love with our cars,” she said at a news conference Saturday, adding that people “will have to take public transportation to get to all the venues.”

The LA28 organizing committee — a private group charged with staging the Games — prefers to say it is planning a “public-transit-first” Games. Some venues will have ample parking, others will not. Organizers say no one will be told they cannot drive to a competition, but public transportation might be an easier option.

 

Share: