Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In

Over and over again, I hear from transportation planners and leaders at LADOT, Metro, and beyond that Livable Streets projects can't move forward because we would take away space from cars.  If you follow that view, you're basically saying that the people that use their cars are the ones doing the right things, living their lives the right way, and the rest of us are just special interests with special needs.

If there was ever a weekend that shows the fallacy of that kind of thinking, we just experienced it.  Below are four different pictures I took this weekend, and you tell me which one seems out-of-touch with the others and who are making the healthy decisions.  The four pictures are from Santa Monica Critical Mass, my Transit People team approaching our first transit stop at Wilshire and Fairfax, the Curry Festival celebrating Thai New Year and a shot of traffic on the 101 from the Wilton Boulevard Bridge.

4_6_09_smcm.jpg
4_6_09_wilshire.jpg
4_6_09_thai.jpg
4_6_09_101.jpg

And yes, the title for this post is from the song in Thrive from the Kaiser Permanente commercial that's been running since last summer.  I had the song stuck in my head all weekend, so it seemed appropriate.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Wednesday’s Headlines

Nipsey Hussle Square, Long Beach, marathon, Griffith Park, Sycamore Grove Park, car-nage, and more

March 4, 2026

SGV Connect 146: What’s Next for the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority

CEO Habib Balian joins SGV Connect to discuss the A Line’s steady ridership, transit-oriented development along the corridor, and the shift to a new delivery model for the long-anticipated Claremont extension.

March 3, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines

ICE, Playa del Rey, L.A. City charter reform, World Cup, Pasadena, Culver City, car-nage, and more

March 3, 2026

New UCLA Report Looks into the High Cost to Build Parking

For new apartments, the research found that building required parking adds roughly $50,000 to $100,000 per unit, and disproportionately increases the cost to build smaller apartments

March 2, 2026

This Week In Livable Streets

Metro NoHo-Pasadena BRT meetings, Westwood Blvd. safety project, Chandler bikeway extension, Metro PSAC, and more

March 2, 2026

Monday’s Headlines

ICE, CicLAvia, Ride that D, large asphalt repair, Long Beach, car insurance, AQMD, Pasadena, Glendale, Wilmington, Black history, car-nage, and more

March 2, 2026
See all posts