gas pains in los angeles...by judi sadowsky

living in los angeles, i am pretty certain that of all the large cities in america, we are the hardest hit when it comes to this gasoline crisis. i say that because, we not only have more cars per person than anyone where else, probably on the planet, we also have the least amount of public transportation.

a lot has changed in the last few months since gasoline prices in the west l.a. area have been hovering around $5.oo a gallon. the first thing i noticed was that suddenly, the unbearable traffic has become, dare i say it, bearable. you can actually get across town in forty minutes, these days, instead of the usual hour and a half. i also noticed that more and more people are riding bicycles and, i know you won't believe this but, i have actually seen people walking.

people are really feeling the impact of the downturn in the economy. the other day, i listened in awe, as two girlfriends, neither of whom would think twice about spending $500 for a pair of shoes, argued over who was going to drive on a field trip they were taking downtown to the museum. the loser got the job because she drove a hybrid.