Poll says most voters in L.A. region favor more public transit

Two-thirds of voters in Southern California think elected officials should prioritize investments in public transportation -- not roads, according to a new survey.

The poll of 758 registered voters in the six-county region was released this week by the nonprofit transit advocate Move LA, the American Lung Assn. in California and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In telephone interviews, voters were asked about many issues, including transportation and the environment.

One of the questions was: “Which of the following do you think should be the highest priority for future investments to improve transportation in Southern California: The expansion of roads and highways or the expansion of public transportation, including trains, buses and light rail?

The results: 29% for the expansion of roads and highways, 66% for public transportation, and the last 5% opting for both, neither, or that they simply didn’t know.

“Voters prioritize expanding public transportation as the most effective means of reducing traffic congestion and air pollution,” said Denny Zane, executive director of Move LA. “The findings also show that voters would prefer living in communities that are walkable and mixed-use even if this means living in a smaller home,” he said. 

The survey was conducted by the California-based Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates with a margin of error calculated at 4.2%.