A statistic I can be proud to be part of

With gas prices above $4 a gallon, I'm not the only person in LA exploring the web of train and bus routes for the first time. According to the Los Angeles Times, the number of people riding the train is up 15 percent so far this year (wow!) and bus ridership has risen 8 percent. I'm used to opening up the newspaper and reading about what other people are doing. This time, I'm a part of that statistic and it feels good because I'm not contributing as much car pollution and I'm helping to support a mostly ignored public transportation system. The miles I'm not putting on my car aren't bad either.

And of course, I'm not the only one writing about using public transportation, since the concept is still new enough to be a novelty in this city of freeways. Although snarky, I liked this story by a BBC reporter about his first time taking the subway in LA: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7413056.stm