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Lesly Cardenas
Instructor Jaya Dubey
Writing 39C
June 3, 2014
Air Pollution is a Hard Choice
How would life be if it became difficult to do one of the most unconscious and simple
tasks known to mankind, like breathing? That is the case for many children with asthma in the
L.A. County area. The Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, a nonprofit organization
that promotes asthma awareness by providing useful facts to the public, concludes that
approximately 6.8 million children have asthma in the country alone. One of the main culprits of
the lifelong disease of asthma is the air. Air pollution has staggered the county within the last
couple of years. According to Stephanie ONeill, a reporter for the Southern California Public
Radio that works with the American Lung Association, Los Angeles has the worst overall ozone
layer in the country. This means that the air is more prone to particulate particles in the air,
leading to higher asthma, stroke, and lung cancer rates in the area (ONeill). The Natural
Resource Defense Council, an environmental group with over 1 million members, states that
when a person has asthma their air pathways are covered by a mucus that makes it difficult to
breathe. This causes coughing, wheezing, and panic. Without their inhaler, a person would need
to visit the emergency room, costing a fortune. However, according to California Breathing, a
division in the California Department of Public Health, about 21.6% of the L.A. population has
no ways of paying for the required treatments, resulting in thousands of deaths with asthma alone
because of environmental racism and low support for the problem. Part of the problem exists
with the fact that traffic congestion has been growing in a quick pace. According to the Union of
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Concerned Scientists, a public environmental group that advocates for better air with the use of
experts in the field, one third of global warming problems coexist with transportation. In the
following graph it shows
how private cars contribute
to 61% of all carbon
emissions in America, each
one contributing to about 6
tons of carbon emissions
every year. If you multiply that by how many autos there are in Los Angeles, about 5,859,407 in
2008 according to the Los Angeles Almanac, and multiply it by the 6 tons we get 35,156,442
tons of carbon emissions every year by one county. There must be a way to solve the issue of air
pollution at hand. The lives of millions of people in the Los Angeles County are at stake.
Traffic congestion and worrisome levels of air pollution began only recently within the
last half century in America. Rachel Dreyer, a graduate reference assistant for the University of
Michigans Bentley Historical Library, has a summary on the history of cars. During the late
1800s and early 1900s, cars began to emerge as a way of people in America to start migrating
from from urbanized to suburbanized areas, resulting in a greater communication and
educational opportunity for the citizens. Near the 1920s cars were no longer a figure of luxury,
but despite it, families that owned one car did not
try to buy a second. The Big Three auto industries
Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, the auto
companies with 75% of sales, began to convince
the public that more than one car was necessary.
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They did this by accommodating sales price by car type. General Motorss president, Alfred P.
Sloan convincingly stated there was a car for every purse and purpose. During World War II,
the car industrys market went down because of incentives to focus on the war. However, the
market went back up afterwards when consumers began buying more than one car since the car
was redesigned to be smaller and have different functions according to the owners taste. It was
during the 1960s and 1980s that the car industry steadily grew. At that point, the countrys
economy had already grown to be accustomed to the car industry. Roads were made for them
and jobs were created for the purpose of car construction, resulting in a spread in the economy.
However, as explained by Martin V. Melosi, the Director of the Institution for Public History in
the University of Houston, by 1940
citizens in Los Angeles began to notice a
different hue in the air of either white or
yellowish-brown that irritated their eyes.
The air had been contaminated by
pollution in the form of smog, composed
of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons,
sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, waste heat, and aerosols. Because of that, the Environmental
Protection Agency, a federal agency whose mission is to set standards for healthy environmental
levels, issued the Clean Air Act in 1970 to begin to regulate the carbon emissions left behind by
cars (EPA). However, by 1986, 7 million tons of lead were disposed by cars and Los Angeles
gained its title of the city with the worst ozone layer in the nation (Melosi). With the problem
becoming more noticeable, the public has also responded to the situation.
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The citizens of Los Angeles know that it is air pollution that is the greatest environmental
concern in the county and yet do nothing to prevent it. Kristin Eberhard, a long time advocate for
energy efficiency whom wrote many articles for the National Resource Defense Council,
surveyed several cities in California and asked what they thought was their citys greatest
problem. As the figure that follows shows, citizens from Los Angeles declare air pollution to be
the greatest problem; however, only 12% use public transit in order to get to their destination.
The greatest concern for the citizens is not so much their health but the increasing gas prices
(Eberhard). This means the average car user would maintain and even increase their car activity
if it did not affect their money. This type of mentality poses a problem as reported by Wendy
Koch, a heavily involved reporter with over 1,000 reports on the environment in USA Today,
because the United Statess carbon waste has grown from 315 parts per million (ppm) to 393
from 1960 to 2013. That is a 24.76% increase in about half a century. Also, as shown by
Gasbuddy, a website that gathers information on gas prices nationwide, Los Angeles has
historically higher gas prices than the nations average, burdening the citizens of the county. Gas
prices in Los Angeles are currently $4.10 per gallon. The price is a 50% increase from 2000 in
which the average gallon in L.A. was at $1.60. This poses a financial burden and problem to the
residents of the county because part of what contributes to air quality and higher gas prices is
traffic congestion. Many solutions that have been proposed to solve the problem have either been
pushed around in Congress or has been demoted in quality because of the mentality of the public
and large corporations. For example, the Clean Air Act that was enacted in 1970 gave large
corporations a leeway for tougher regulations as long as they provided evidence that they made
an effort to cope with the regulations that were currently at hand (Melosi). Instead of focusing on
regulating the big corporations that care only about making profit, rules should be provided to
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the public that makes up the 60% of carbon emissions. Metro, the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has made it its mission to create a better public
transportation system across the Los Angeles County and can help drastically reduce air
pollution and
gas prices by
creating energy
efficient buses to
reduce air
pollutants,
expanding its
roads to provide
more transportation to those without cars, and reducing traffic congestion by providing an
alternative to private cars.
The Metro Advanced Transit Vehicle Consortium Program, a program that Metro devised
to energy efficient buses, has been around since 1995. However, it has only been recently that
the program began funding for research to make the idea of eco-friendly buses a reality. Its
program includes creating many composite buses besides the 300 already available ones.
Composite buses are transportation vehicles that are advanced, lightweight, all-composite
vehicle structures. Its services also include providing different types of buses to fit the needs of
its customers. Currently it has spent over $10 million dollars in research on energy efficient
buses and is on the governmental system as independent 501.c.3. The Metro ATVC Program is
promoting advanced hybrid buses that use conventional combustion engine but also
incorporates electrical parts, making it more eco-friendly since it does not solely rely on fuel.
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The buses and projects being worked on include: ZEB battery buses which are buses that contain
a led battery to replace fuel usage, Advanced Vehicle Electrification which is used also as an
alternative to fuel in the form of electricity, and HCNG Demonstration Project which
incorporates an engine fueled 30% by hydrogen and 70% by methane. The following picture is
the electric bus that Los Angeles Metro bought from Build Your Dreams (China) in 2013 and is
planning to incorporate as part of their line of buses that they already have. Creating energy
efficient buses according to the Union of Concerned Scientists could potentially reduce diesel
emissions from buses by 70-80% if it relied only on electricity for more than two-thirds of the
time. According to Metro however, these buses are planned to have zero emissions besides
giving other improvements such as creating less noise and having better technology than
previous models. Upon implementing the buses into the regular Metro system not only will
carbon emissions decrease with the public not lifting a finger but it will also not disturb the
different routes schedules because the buses can be replaced at a slow pace. Supporters for this
plan include public agencies as the Union of Concerned Scientists and The Labor Community of
Strategy Center, and also governmental agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency and
the South Coast Air Quality District who support any plan that reduces air pollutants. The public
agencies specifically support the spread of public transit also, which is what the ATVC needs in
order to be effective.
Metro is expanding its
transportation system in order to provide
easier travel in the L.A. county and
reduce carbon that cars emit. For
example, the Rapid is a bus program
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initiated in 2000 in order to combat setbacks in travel speed such as red lights and constant bus
stops. With just two new red lines rideability increased by 26% in Whittier, California (Metro).
Currently, Metro is expanding its Purple Line which will connect poorer areas of Los Angeles,
starting from Wilshire and continuing on towards the areas of Miracle Mile, Century City,
Beverly Hills, and Westwood. The following map shows the expansion that the transportation is
trying to make happen. The solid lines represent the existing routes whereas the dotted lines
represent the routes that will be under construction. If all goes well then the gap between the
upper class and the lower class will also lessen. This is because normally it is lower income areas
of downtown Los Angeles and nearby vicinities that are affected most by air pollution and the
lack of public transportation. With more routes to choose from and more availability, the average
user would have a higher incentive to take public transportation and rethink the usage of private
transport.

Expanding public transportation can help reduce both of the issues of bad air quality and
increasing gas prices. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a public
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organization whose members include owners of companies that support transport services,
assures that by switching over to public transportation 37 million metric tons of carbon emission
will be reduced annually. With more public transit, the carbon tax that citizens pay through gas
prices would not have to be increased as frequently and people can enjoy an alternate form of
traveling. This means that the gas prices that were once a burden to many people would go
down, benefitting the majority. Not only that but if more people were to use buses and abandon
driving by themselves then traffic congestion would also go down. The following photograph
represents the street usage of sixty people. The only difference is that in one side the people are
taking a bus and in the other they are riding by themselves in a car.
The bus (using diesel as an example), would only take up one lane and produce on average 37.43
grams of carbon per hour, according to the EPAs database, when transporting 60 people
whereas the cars would create a traffic jam and emit 229 grams of carbon per hour per car. As
seen, the difference between a bus and a private car is immense. However, as beneficial and easy
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to implement as it sounds to incorporate electrical buses and more routes into the Los Angeles
County, there are roadblocks.
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One of the major roadblocks to the expand of Metros ATVC is the lack of proper
funding and public mentality. As mentioned earlier, Metro has invested about $10 million in
research for alternative fuel buses. In order to have funds for the creation of the buses it relies on
Measure R, a half-cent sales tax implemented in the Los Angeles County to provide funding
for projects. Metro also relies on its earnings from bus fare to pay for projects but the system
itself is non-profitable. The money that Metro relies on is not enough to do all the work it needs
to do. For example, Measure R provides 35% of its earnings towards novel innovative plans that
Metro decides to do. The rest goes towards carpool lanes, city improvements, and bus operations.
The ATVC is classified as an independent in the government and is supported by the Democratic
party in general since it benefits the lower class. However, at the moment the only way to
provide more funding is to raise taxes on Measure R. According to a poll by Rebecca Rifkin, a
reporter for Gallup Politics, several Americans as of April 2014 believe that taxes are already too
high. The poll resulted in 54% believing that taxes are too high. In this case, it seems unlikely for
Metro to get new funding. However, according to the following image also from Gallup,
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Democrats are more likely than any other party to think that taxes are fair. Right now, the
Democratic party is in charge of the house whereas the Republicans
have mostly populated the Senate. As long as the Measure is proposed to the public, there
is a chance that it may pass through. Consequently, according to Fiona Kirby, a reporter for the
Daily Bruin for UCLA, on May 22, 2014, Metro announced that it would raise bus fare from
$1.50 to $1.75. Some citizens do not agree with the sudden increase of bus fare and might be less
inclined to use the bus system because of it. But it was necessary to increase bus fare because
otherwise Metro would have to unemploy more than 1000 employees because they would need
to cut 1 million service hours. Alternatively there are other solutions that have been proposed.
Some people disagree with the notion of expanding the public transit in Los Angeles
believing that most would not go through with it, instead they believe that zipcars would be
better. Zipcars, similar to the energy-efficient buses are more eco friendly than usual cars in that
they are hybrids. According to its website, zipcars are vehicles that the average person can use at
any time after
paying a
membership
fee. They are
convenient to
the user in
that they are
available for
wherever they
may need to
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go with gas and insurance provided. It is there when one needs it yet also out of the way when it
is not. Some of the cars that are available for usage are hybrids such as the Ford Escape 4WD
and the Toyota Prius. In terms of environmental friendliness, the Toyota Prius emits 1.04 grams
of carbon per meter according to The Green Car Website, a public domain that compares green
cars. In terms of vehicles zipcars emit less than buses. However, zipcars are meant for private
use and so can only fit five people maximum. They are also not in proximity to a lot of people.
The map on the side, provided by the zipcar website, shows how zipcars are only located in
downtown Los Angeles and are spread out.
This means that the average user without a
car would first need to use a bus to get to the
zipcar. Also, since they are harder to get to,
the public would be less inclined to go to
one. Another problem is that zipcars do not
fix the problem of traffic congestion. They
would only add on to the traffic congestion
in the county.
Even though the support for more
public transportation seems bleak, it is one of the best solutions to the problem of carbon
emissions by cars and traffic congestion. It also doubles as a means for people to get to where
they are going if they do not own a car and also promotes job making. All it needs is a little
support and it could make a big difference.



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Works Cited
"Advanced Transit Vehicle Consortium (ATVC)." Metro. Metro, 25 Mar. 2010. Web. 18
May 2014. <http://www.metro.net/projects/atvc/>.
EPA. "Air Pollution Emissions Overview." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 04
Nov. 2011. Web. 03 June 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/airquality/emissns.html>.
EPA. "Average In-Use Emissions from Urban Buses and School Buses." EPA. Office of
Transportation and Air Quality, Oct. 2008. Web. 3 June 2014.
<http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/420f08026.pdf>.
EPA. "Emission Facts." EPA. Office of Mobile Sources, Apr. 1998. Web. 3 June 2014.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/f98014.pdf
"Car Emissions and Global Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. UCSUSA, 31 Jan.
2014. Web. 01 June 2014. <http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/why-clean-cars/global-
warming/>.
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Dreyer, Rachael. "Automotive History." Automotive History. Bentley Historical Library,
July 2009. Web. 02 June 2014.
<http://bentley.umich.edu/research/guides/automotive/>.
Eberhard, Kristen. "People in Los Angeles Say Air Pollution Is Still a Problem.
Alternative Forms of Transportation Are a Part of the Solution." NRDC Council Staff Blog.
NRDC, 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 18 May 2014.
<http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kgrenfell/people_in_los_angeles_say_air_1.html>.
"Final Report: Los Angeles Metro Rapid Demonstration Program." Metro. Metro, Mar.
2002. Web. 17 May 2014.
<http://media.metro.net/projects_studies/rapid/images/demonstration_program_report.pdf
>.
Kirby, Fiona. "LA Metro Board Approves September Bus Fare Increases." Daily Bruin.
UCLA, 23 May 2014. Web. 04 June 2014. <http://dailybruin.com/2014/05/23/la-metro-
board-approves-september-bus-fare-increases/>.
"Los Angeles County Asthma Profile." Los Angeles. California Breathing, 25 Nov. 2013.
Web. 02 June 2014. <http://www.californiabreathing.org/asthma-data/county-asthma-
profiles/los-angeles-county-asthma-profile>.
O'Neill, Stephanie. "LA-area Has Nation's Worst Ozone, but Quality Is Improving."
KPCC. American Lung Association, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/04/24/36955/lung-association-state-of-the-air-report-la-
area-h/>
"Public Transportation Reduces Greenhouse Gases and Conserves Energy."American
Public Transportation Association. APTA, Feb. 2008. Web. 28 May 2014.
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<http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/greenhouse_brochure.
pdf>.
"Registered Vehicles Los Angeles County." Registered Vehicles. Los Angeles Almanac,
31 Dec. 2008. Web. 03 June 2014. <http://www.laalmanac.com/transport/tr02.htm>.
Riffkin, Rebecca. "More Than Half of Americans Say Federal Taxes Too High."Gallup
Politics. Gallup, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 June 2014.
<http://www.gallup.com/poll/168500/half-americans-say-federal-taxes-high.aspx>.
"Together We Can Control Asthma Now!" LBACA. Osorio Multimedia, 2014. Web. 18
Apr. 2014. <http://lbaca.org/>.
"TOYOTA PRIUS: Green Cars with CO2 Emissions under 120g/km." The Green Car
Website. Really Good Domains, 2014. Web. 03 June 2014.
<http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/green-cars/toyota/prius/>.
Zipcar. "Get Wheels When Youwant Them for $6 a Month." Car Sharing, an Alternative
to Car Rental and Car Ownership Zipcar. Zipcar, 2014. Web. 04 June 2014.
<http://www.zipcar.com/>.