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[ LOS ANGELES ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)
# Will We Ever Get Serious about Infrastructure and Transportation?
August 21 2017
Written by Kenneth S. Alpern.
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GETTING THERE FROM HERE--For those of us who remember the movie "The Running Man" with Dustin Hoffman, the question of "Is it safe?" still has meaning. Now it's time to ask that question about water, power, transportation, etc. There are those who want division, who are outraged, or are both ... but for the issues that USUALLY unite us (transportation/infrastructure), is it safe to raise those issues again.
Los Angeles is on its way to get the 2028 Olympics--is its mass transit system, and accompanying road/freeway system ready to take on that challenge?
Water, transportation, our electrical grid, and other T/I issues are getting in the way of affordable housing ... yet we're not seriously confronting those issues.
President Donald Trump wants to [reduce the federal regulations](https://qz.com/1054612/donald-trumps-incredible-infrastructure-flowchart-of-federal-building-permissions/) to create highways and other infrastructure, but is he too radioactive to be taken seriously in his recommendations?
Of note is that--compared to the last GOP President (G.W. Bush)--President Trump is about as pro-[infrastructure spending](http://fox61.com/2017/08/15/watch-live-president-donald-trump-to-sign-executive-order-on-infrastructure-projects/) as any political figure of either party we've seen in a long time. However, his political issues, and his "West Wing" issues like Russia-gate, Steve Bannon, etc. have never failed to eclipse his infrastructure agenda...and Trump is certainly in large part to blame for that.
And, of course, is President Trump's approach to environmental regulations too "toxic" for many Americans to allow him to influence current and future [federal infrastructure policy](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-infrastructure-idUSKCN1AV1ZI)?
For example, after Trump's departure of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, is there now a large enough segment of America that doesn't even want to talk about transportation/infrastructure with this president and his administration?
The President aside, the fact remains: The need to get serious about transportation and infrastructure is greater than ever.
*(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D. is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud father and husband to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He is also a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He was co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chaired the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at* [*alpern@marvista.org*](mailto:alpern@marvista.org)*. He also co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at* [*www.fogl.us*](http://www.fogl.us)*. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)*
*-cw*
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