The Limited Vision Line

Some folks in LA want the 720 Rapid bus line in LA to be dedicated to democrat Henry Waxman. In fact, the City Beat Sniper wants to call the 720 the Henry Waxman Limited Vision Line. The congressman representing places such as Hollywood and Malibu, banned tunneling using federal funding after a methane explosion in 1985 during construction of the first subway segments. Looking back, it was particularly short sighted to take off the table the best way to reduce congestion on the busiest corridor in Los Angeles. And as LAist points out, it would also have allowed LA to focus on other bottle necks now, instead of 20 years later. While I applaud Waxman for the repeal of the digging ban, the short sightedness from the past will come back to haunt riders on the 720 and the rest of the city. I imagine he's figured it out, but its a lesson for other elected officials and cities (yeah you Charlotte) who might be looking back 20 years from now wondering 'what if?'