European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                April 1977 Energy be the first to give up driving by Robert Nosey new York times t was just another Day on the los Angeles by the Santa the Santa the san the Ventura and the other freeways had become As congealed As a clotted and the spotters in radio station helicopters were warning Drivers to expect the usual congestion and despite president Carters warning that americans would have to icam to live with less los perhaps americas quintessential Urban expression of the conducted its business As but among business and political leaders there arc the beginnings of an apprehension that if the nation actually docs Cut Down its Energy the Mobile Way of life for which Southern California is famous and which supplies part of its economic strength is in nobody knows yet exactly How things will said Allison an executive of the California depart ment of but he summed up a commonly held View when he said people arc going to have to change their life style there going to have to spend More of their Money on gasoline and less on other and 1 think its Gonna cause inflation to get worse people will have to learn to live a Little there is no realistic Hope of a High Speed rail mass the stars and stripes Modem living Page 19 Rush hour traffic on Harbor freeway will people be forced to change their lifestyle transportation being built to solve the Complex regions commuting he but there is Hope that buses can help reduce gasoline it looks like High Speed buses on freeways is the Best solution we can of for at this More than any other Large City in los an Geles has been tailored to the mobility of the automobile unlike older cities such As new York or it grew out not up because its period of greatest develop ment paralleled the birth of the Era of mass ownership of its growth was based in the availability of chop Gaso line and cheap suburban almost All of the close in suburban land is and so is cheap people arc having to drive farther and farther into the suburbs to find affordable housing yet there is Only a Small and inadequate Public transportation the average los angles orca Accord ing to government drives approximately 20 Miles each Way to and it takes him from 45 minutes to an hour to make the trip twice each even routine trips to shopping centers or schools Are longer than in almost any other metropolitan area the average length of All trips taken each Day is More than seven los Angeles defies easy solutions by Way of mass for the most people do not com mute to work along a handful of suburb Beocity Cor commuting patterns Are often Between one suburb and such patterns Moke mass transportation expensive to and inconvenient both in bedroom areas and work Are too thin to support mass Tran sit systems economically except in Only a handful of the City of los Angeles covers 464 Square the population density is less than people a Square mile compared with More than in new to a Large los Angeles is the prototype of the sprawl where City and suburbs All blend into that have developed since world War Phoenix and Albuquerque All chips in the nations fast growing Sun Belt have developed similar patterns and Are expected to have the sum kind of difficulties in accommodating to an Era when Energy costs More and is less although economists say they have not yet had a Chance to appraise what us Long term Impact would be to the Southern California Economy in an Energy Short they say it is inescapable that cheap along with Trie has been one of the roots from which the area de the potential seriousness of a future with less Energy was spotlighted in a study by Security Pacific Bank of los it noted that demand for Energy Between now and 1980 was projected to grow at a rate almost three times As fast As the expected 1 to 2 per cent annual popu lation and that providing this Energy is one of the major challenges facing the the study noted that transportation was the regions major consumer of Energy and that this was almost exclusively it said that there were More than five million automobiles registered in the Southern Cali fornia Region of los Riverside and san Bernardino while Only persons Rode Public transportation on a regular officials say that one victim of a future with less and More expensive Energy could be Southern Cali Fornias pioneering efforts to clean its the Region has led the nation in imposing restrictions on automobile exhaust emissions to reduce air but the Price has been less efficient use of Gaso the importance of ecological considerations cannot be the Bank said in its study but the process of resolving differences Between environmental Protection and economic development will have to become More efficient in order to bring about Early com Many in discussing the presidents warnings Fiat Energy consumption will have to be say the solution will not be reduced but a reluctant willingness to pay More for the same amount of Energy there int much you can do when you live 25 Miles away from your said an executive who works for the Lockheed aircraft in but lives in sub Urban Palos you just have to spend More for Gas and that Means you have less Money left to buy a boat or go on