Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition

Los Angeles' ambitious plan for a car-free 2028 Olympics faces numerous challenges, including missed infrastructure deadlines, safety concerns, and the city's deep-rooted car culture.

In the aftermath of Tom Cruise's daring stunts at the Paris Summer Olympics closing ceremony, all eyes turned to Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Games. However, just four years remain for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and Mayor Karen Bass to transform the city into a metropolis worthy of the international spotlight.

Los Angeles faces formidable challenges, including rampant crime, homelessness, crumbling infrastructure, and congested traffic. In an attempt to address these issues, the city has adopted a bold plan: a "car-free" Olympics.

Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition

The "Twenty-eight by '28 Project" aims to create a public transit system capable of transporting more than one million expected visitors without the use of private vehicles. However, six years into the planning process, only five of the 28 proposed projects have been completed, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has admitted that 10 projects will miss the 2028 deadline.

Despite these setbacks, Mayor Bass remains optimistic, promising to deploy 3,000 buses to supplement public transit. This massive diversion of resources could disrupt transportation agencies throughout the country.

Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition

Furthermore, Los Angeles' sprawling geography and vast distances make public transit less convenient than private vehicles. Residents often require multiple transfers, reducing the likelihood that they will choose buses or trains.

Public safety concerns also loom large over the city's public transit system. Attacks, sexual assaults, and vagrancy are persistent problems. This is the system that will be expected to accommodate visitors from around the world during the car-free Olympics.

Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition

Local residents are likely to avoid the Games rather than abandon their cars, given the city's car culture, lack of public transit infrastructure, long commutes, and safety concerns.

Public transportation is unlikely to meet the demands of the Olympics, as the LA Metro report acknowledges, leaving a potentially disastrous experience for visitors and a negative image for Los Angeles and the Olympics organizers.

Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition

The car-free Olympics concept was initially presented as an environmentally friendly vision, but it has proven to be unrealistic. Delays, rising costs, and bureaucratic inefficiencies have exposed the emptiness of these promises.

Environmental activists may have embraced the idea, but it was ultimately a political virtue signal. The reality is that Los Angeles is ill-equipped to host a car-free Olympics, and its attempt to do so could have disastrous consequences for both the Games and the city itself.

Los Angeles' Car-Free Olympic Gamble: A Risky Proposition