L.A. mass transit is great - just be sure not to take it to work

Believe it or not, the metro area ranks second nationally in coverage and second in service frequency, according to a new study by the Brookings Institute. But here's the rub: Only 25.6 percent of workers can reach their jobs via mass transit within 90 minutes, placing L.A. in 69th position our of 100. Low-income jobs in the city are more likely to be within that 90-minute window than high-income jobs in the suburbs. Actually, L.A. isn't alone in its commuter failings. From the study:

Transportation leaders should make access to jobs an explicit priority in their spending and service decisions, especially given the budget pressures they face. Metro leaders should coordinate strategies regarding land use, economic development, and housing with transit decisions in order to ensure that transit reaches more people and more jobs efficiently. And federal officials should collect and disseminate standardized transit data to enable public, private, and non-profit actors to make more informed decisions and ultimately maximize the benefits of transit for labor markets.