I'm all for public transportation, and I encourage public buses to travel on busy streets. But unfortunately, bus stops here in Los Angeles on busy streets such as Santa Monica Boulevard are not big enough, so the buses tend to have their back ends sticking out into a lane of traffic.

The solution is to have bigger bus stops and this can be accomplished by eliminating one or two parking spaces were the bus stops are located.

Nothing is more frustrating and disruptive than having a city bus blocking a lane of traffic during rush hour traffic, but that's what happens because the bus stops are not big enough.

Another solution is to have shorter buses -- but more of them -- so that bus riders have shorter waits between buses.

But heaven knows that if they do decide to come up with more shorter buses that just like with the new big, longer buses, they'll all show up at the same time anyway.

I like the bus way that they have in the San Fernando Valley of metropolitan Los Angeles -- which is a highway or roadway just for buses. While that would work "in the Valley" there is not enough room to create a special lane for buses along Wilshire Boulevard or Santa Monica Boulevard. And please don't suggest building a second level for express lanes or for buses. That's not only too expensive but it would become a magnet for urban blight.