What the hell was the people of Los Angeles thinking when they got rid of the pacific electric railway system.

Question

When the railway closed down los angeles had to depend on freaking buses for 20 something years before opening the metro rail honestly the people who ran los angeles could of kept at least 6 streetcar lines including the entire long beach line active and upgrade them over the decades eventually turning 2 of the lines into light and heavy rail lines and now LA is known for its horrible traffic,smog and many freeways plus its going to take many years before LA can be more predestrian friendly city and county.

Answer 1

I often think about this… Like others have said blame evil GM for the demise of the Red car. I just got back from Amsterdam, London and Paris… All very old cities with a far more advanced rail system… Cars are useless in those cities you could take trains anywhere you want to get too… and it pisses me off that L.A. once had that kind of system only to be torn out or planted over. Now California’s government is trying to put mass transit in, for what! The only line that kinda has a purpose/destination is the blue line (but even that has reached it's capacity)… you have the gold, red lines that go nowhere and you have the green line that falls short of a destination… Now you have a Pink, lavender, aqua line (whatever its gonna be called) is gonna cost millions and millions of Dollars to build whatever the hell for it’s gonna go nowhere. The Metro system if fu-cked up! First it was the Venice Canals going away to make room for cars then it was the Red cars now we are paying for the mess the GM made. Thanks GM, Ford and AMC for F*cking up L.A. Mass Transit.

Answer 2

As always, we have only ourselves to blame for the mess we're in. In fact, none of these "new" MTA transit projects being proposed are actually new. Downtown L.A. had a rail line to the Westside. LAX airport had good transit connections (once upon a time).

Before the interstates and elevated freeway, California rivaled the Northeastern U.S. for the best public transit anywhere in North America. It was efficient, clean, and cheap. Then it all went to Hell.

In the 1930s, the automobile companies began lobbying for more freeways to boost sales, marketing the car as the "lifestyle of the future." The fickle public wholeheartedly bought into the marketing scheme. They loved the idea of the independence a car gave them. Soon, public pressure forced the politicians into doing away with public transit funding (tax cuts, yay!).

Rail travel (more costly than polluting, slow buses) was hit especially hard. L.A.'s Pacific Electric Railway began it's long 40 year ridership decline (finally dying in 1961). San Diego stopped using it's fleet of streetcars, then paved over many of the tracks. San Francisco got rid of its Municipal Railway lines in favor of buses and tore down the KEY system link to the East Bay during WW2 (only to rebuild the exact same tracks in the form of BART - at the cost of billions - in the 1970s).

So, now, the people have decided trains are a good way to travel after all...only they're still unwilling to pay for them. Figures.

Answer 3

In Long Beach the electric rails system was shut down so Firestone could sell more tires, really. Long Beach is now realizing the mistake and does have the rail system going to downtown LA.

Answer 4

Angelenos have asked this question for 50 years. You could take the Red Car from Glendale to the beach. Kids who lived in the La Crescenta boonies traveled with Mom to "Downtown", the Central Market, Chinatown and shop at Bullocks. The treat was Clifton's cafeteria. to listen to the canaries sing, or the Pig and Whistle for a hot fudge sundae. The tracks are still in Hermosa Beach suitable only for joggers and dog walkers.

Answer 5

You know, I agree with you. I rode on the electric railways many times; into LA and all over. I can still remember the distinctive smell they put out. Now in some places like Highland Park and maybe still Eagle Rock ( ?) you see the deserted tracks. Your question brought back memories. We also rode the red ( I think) buses in and out of LA from the old depot. In the 1940's-early 1950's there were many many phone booths in that station for the use of the military who passed thru. Don't know if you're old enough to recall Clifton's Cafeterias in downtown LA but we always ate in one of them when we came to town from Claremont.

Answer 6

The downside of an open society and democracy is that politicians are susceptible to pressure.
The bad decision to do away with the LA railway system was an example of a powerful (automotive) lobby at work.

Answer 7

Have you ever seen the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" It was an historical drama. Cali courts'll have cases about it, ala GM and Occidental or so.

Christoher Lloyd was bent on tearin' out trains and building freeways, you'll remember. Toon town is the OC.

Answer 8

You won't find this on the Internet.

GM bought the rail system shortly after WW II.
They shut it down, and removed the tracks.

Any questions why?

Answer 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy