Discouraging Solo Commuters

I read your article with dismay. I am disappointed that officials so willingly embrace punitive measures without first attempting to encourage alternative means of transportation.

As a UCLA law student who lives in Silver Lake, my past two summer jobs have given me a firsthand look at how little our fair city has done to dump the auto as the primary transportation mode.

I first tried commuting downtown the same way I get to UCLA: on my motor scooter. Not only did I find a complete absence of special parking for motorcycles, I also found that many parking lot operators routinely refuse entry to these thrifty vehicles. Those that do welcome motorcycles charge them the same rates as cars!

I turned to my trusty bicycle. A recent survey shows that 1 in 60 Americans bicycle to work, but these bicyclists must not work in Los Angeles. There is a near total lack of bicycle parking downtown. I guiltily chained mine to a handrailing near the building entrance, always with visions of elderly and disabled visitors stumbling over it.

Granted, the promotion of bicycles and motorcycles will not solve the smog problem. But it seems a more sensible first step than the radical measures on the table.

I have decided that I’d better buy a car before I start my permanent employment this fall.

LEONARD LEICHNITZ

Los Angeles