Can LA Deliver a Transit-First Olympics in 2028?

Can LA Deliver a Transit-First Olympics in 2028?

Transforming Car Culture to Multimodal Bliss…

As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, City leaders are talking about a car-free (or transit-first) experience, drawing lessons from Paris, who just held the 2024 Olympics. The transportation strategies that Paris implemented for the 2024 Olympics offer valuable insights as they set a successful benchmark by continuing to improve a reliable, integrated, and user-friendly transit system to manage the influx of international visitors while minimizing dependency on personal vehicles. Additional investments were made in signage and assistance staff nearby transit stations and key mobility corridors to maximize the visitor experience. These efforts provided critical lessons for LA as it gears up for its own Games in 2028.

Since the first modern Olympics in 1896, cities have eagerly competed to host the Games, despite the often-times significant economic strain of building stadia and other required infrastructure. Past host cities, like Montreal and Athens, faced severe cost overruns, prompting the International Olympic Committee to implement reforms like the Olympic Agenda 2020 and the New Norm, aiming to promote sustainability and reduce costs.

Paris 2024 set ambitious goals for its Games, emphasizing the use of existing infrastructure and prioritizing low-carbon transportation. Los Angeles, looking towards hosting in 2028, is aiming to follow suit with similar strategies and commitments. In preparation for the 2024 Games, Paris advanced the Grand Paris Express, which opened on June 24 of this year, more than a month prior to the Olympics. It will continue to open in stages until 2030. Similarly, LA is expanding its Metro rail system, among several key initiatives leading towards a transit-first approach to mobility in LA during the 2028 Games. 

Paris’s experience leading up to the 2024 Olympics highlighted the importance of an integrated and reliable public transportation system. The city made significant investments in its metro, bus, and rail services, ensuring they were frequent, accessible, and easy to navigate. This approach successfully alleviated car dependency, reduced traffic congestion, and provided a seamless travel experience for Olympics visitors. Beyond the Games, these improvements are intended to leave a lasting, improved public transportation system for Paris.

For Los Angeles, with its infamous legacy of traffic congestion and air pollution, the lessons from Paris are directly applicable. So what transportation improvements is LA aiming to achieve by 2028?

California, in the larger geographic context, is pushing forward plans to modernize its rail transportation network and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable transportation options to create a more efficient and environmentally friendly transportation network. The focus on sustainability, accessibility, and safety will be key to reducing emissions, easing congestion, and creating a transit system that meets the needs of all Californians and visitors in 2028 and beyond. With strategic investments and a commitment to innovation, LA and California can build a transportation future that is not only efficient and reliable but also environmentally responsible and inclusive.

As we move forward, continued collaboration between state agencies, regional transportation planning organizations, and local communities will be critical in ensuring that California’s transit systems evolve to meet the demands of the future, much like what Paris achieved in 2024 and what LA is planning for in 2028 and forward. The success of these plans hinges on public engagement, safe and reliable mobility options, and sustained political will. The shift toward lasting urban reform signals a new era for Olympic host cities, where inclusive transportation and environmental goals take center stage.