The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) board approved the updated 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan, a 30-year transportation blueprint for the region, following a 45-day public review period to gather additional comments from the public.
The $400-billion plan lays out a vision and roadmap for bringing about a more mobile and sustainable future for Los Angeles County. Through extensive public outreach over the past two years that included 77 community events, 38 public meetings, and 20,000 survey responses from the public, Metro has distilled the region’s desires into four goals: better transit, less congestion, complete streets, and access to opportunity.
The 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (2020 LRTP) outlines what Metro is doing currently and its plans over the next 30 years for funding, planning, and maintaining the region’s transportation system. Current challenges — including the COVID-19 pandemic — will present opportunities for Metro to take bold action and help achieve mobility improvements in the region.
"Los Angeles is entering a transportation renaissance — a chance to redefine our city’s relationship with public transit and reimagine the ways it can be a force for good in people’s lives," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "The Long Range Transportation Plan paves a clear path to a more sustainable, fair, and equitable transportation future — an era that delivers on the promises of Measure M and our back to basics agenda, doubles down on electrification, and opens new doors of opportunity across our region."
The 2020 LRTP details how Metro will add more than 100 miles of rail over the next 30 years, invest in arterial and freeway projects to reduce congestion, and add more bicycle and pedestrian projects, such as the L.A. River Path Project to increase bicycle access.
The plan calls for improving the transit rider experience by prioritizing bus travel on L.A. County’s busiest streets and implementing the recommendations of the NextGen Bus Plan to make bus service more frequent and faster. Furthermore, Metro will invest in technology and promote innovative new mobility options such as microtransit and use freight-focused technologies.
The 2020 LRTP includes over $200 billion for operations and the agency's state of good repair, as well as $38 billion in funding that returns to local transit agencies to maintain the local transportation system.
"For this plan to succeed, we must and will continue to build strong partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies as well as our many local stakeholders," said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. "These partnerships are crucial for funding and delivering projects and for coordinated planning on issues of regional significance. Metro will increase our collaboration with local jurisdictions to support transit priority on local roadways, to improve first/last mile access to transit, and to make everyone’s mobility easier and more equitable."
The plan also notes the potential to deliver significant mobility benefits to the region through major capital projects, programs, partnerships, and policies. After implementation, 21% of L.A. county residents and 36% of jobs will be within a 10-minute walk of rail or bus rapid transit options — up from only 8% of residents and 16% of jobs currently. The plan also estimates an 81% increase in daily transit trips, a 31% decrease in traffic delay, and a 19% decrease in overall greenhouse gas emissions in the county.
View the 2020 LRTP.
