Transportation will be problematic during the 2028 Olympic Games in LA

Question

Los Angeles is one of America's largest metropolitan cities and will be hosting one of the world's largest events. However, road traffic has increased in the city in recent years and the public transportation system is subpar. Jill Cowan writes, "Last year, the average driver in Los Angeles lost 89 hours to congestion, one of the highest numbers in the nation, as driving trips in the middle of the day have surged..." The improvement plans are behind schedule and won't be able to be fully completed by 2028.

Comments

This is a great factcheck. First of all, the title successfully concluded the main message of the claim and the attached article. Secondly, the details of the claim were written in a reasonable and convincing way, including directly quoting from the referenced source. Most importantly, the source was trustworthy. It was not only very recent (2024), but also written by an author who originated from LA herself and has been working for the New York Times for years. The article itself also mentioned multiple trustworthy quotes from the mayor and the executive director of an organization that advocates for the expansion of public transit in the region.

Answer 1

I agree with this claim. Los Angeles public transportation system already is not the best, and adding thousands of people is only going to add to the problem. However, Sam Morrissey states that people should use public transportation during the Olympics to get around. Additionally, the city of Los Angeles has "promised" to have 2,700 buses, but what are the chances they are actually able to do this? Los Angeles is known for its traffic issues and adding this many people is only going to pose more issues. 

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/10/03/la-metro-upgrades-sustainable-2028-olympics-los-angeles/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPublic%20transportation%20will%20be%20the,Morrissey%20said%20in%20a%20statement.

Los Angeles Has Promised a 'Car-Free' Olympics in 2028. ...The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com › 2024/08/10 › los-angeles-ol...

Answer 2

It is seeming unlikely that the Twenty-eight by '28 plan will be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics. In the 6 years since this plan was proposed, only 18% of the 28 projects (or 5 of these projects) have been completed, leaving another 82% (or 23 projects) left to be completed. In 2024, eleven of the initial projects proposed by Metro were revised to be more achievable. While Metro still projects that these projects will be completed by 2028, there are concerns. In particular, the deputy chief innovation officer for Metro, Marcel Porras, raised concerns about a funding gap of hundreds of millions of dollars to KNBC. While it is possible that this initiative will be complete in time for the games, it is unlikely. Transportation is likely to be a large issue in the 2028 Summer olympics. 

https://www.metro.net/28x28/

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/los-angeles-transit-projects-delayed-ahead-2028-olympics/3475873/

https://metro.legistar1.com/metro/attachments/c147de48-93a8-45be-a0ba-dbf164aff5c2.pdf

Answer 3

This claim is true. The title has no exaggeration and gets the main point across. As someone born and raised in Los Angeles, as well as learned how to drive there, the amount of people on the road can be overwhelming especially if the person driving isn't used to it. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France attracted millions of people. 1.7 million international tourists, and 1.4 million French tourists. The number of people who visit the Olympics increases every four years. Los Angeles County has a population of nearly 10 million. By 2028 that population will likely increase. Not to mention that Los Angeles is a major tourist spot, so no surprise that people will take the opportunity to see the city while visiting for the Olympics, making transportation hard to keep up with.

Sources:

https://parisjetaime.com/eng/media/article/preliminary-report-olympic-games-a1755#:~:text=The%20global%20numbers%20of%20visitors,(+13%25%20vs%202023)