In today’s world, “Armageddon” refers to a worst-case scenario, a total breakdown of normal functioning. That is exactly where the LA28 Olympic mobility plan finds itself. Los Angeles Metro requested nearly $2 billion in Federal funds for its plan, and expected to receive it, but the Trump administration’s budget unveiled last Friday excluded it.

Without those funds a fluid, Mayor Karen Bass‘ proclamation of a “no-car Games” is impossible. To fully understand the shortcoming, consider this: to create a bus fleet suitable for the Games, it must temporarily acquire, operate and store nearly 1,750 additional buses (the number has been scaled down from 3,000 to 2,700 to 1,750, whenever a critical milestone was not met). At the same time thousands of operators, mechanics and support personnel have to be hired, trained and State-certified.

It is a shock beyond Metro’s ability to absorb it. Without these funds, Los Angeles’ transportation system could hit the breaking point. “Without the full level of funding requested, the complete scope of the Games Enhanced Transit System would not be feasible, as the cost of operating this temporary system exceeds Metro`s available operating resources,” the agency has said.

...