Car-free zones, remote work being explored as ways to address traffic in LA during 2028 Olympics

There's no doubt Los Angeles has undergone incredible change and growth since the city last hosted the Olympics more than 40 years ago.

Instead of seeing that as a challenge, organizers and elected officials have approached the 2028 games as a hard deadline to expand and complete ambitious transportation projects.

That includes the modernization of LAX, the expansion of the city's Metro service, and adding bike and bus lanes to connect L.A. County like never before and linking the city's existing sports and entertainment venues to every neighborhood.

"For us, it's what kind of transportation improvements can we put in today that benefit the Olympics and then that can remain after the Olympics," said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. "Integrated ticketing is so that when you purchase your venue ticket, you also then get to purchase your transit ticket at the same time. Being car-free, you will not be able to drive as a spectator to any of the venues. You have to take transit, walk, bicycle or get dropped off."

You read that correctly.

Parts of car-dependent L.A. will be car-free during the 2028 games in order to avoid a traffic nightmare.

Casey Wasserman, the chairman of LA 2028 and CEO of Wasserman, said the Department of Transportation is in the process of helping the city secure more than 3,000 buses for the games.

"The unique thing about Olympic games is that for 17 days, you can fix a lot of problems when you can set the rules for traffic, for fans, for commerce than you do on a normal day in Los Angeles," he explained. "The starting point is we take most fans who go to games in cars and put them in buses. We put all the athletes in buses, all the officials and the press in buses. In 1984, people don't remember that Tom Bradley had no truck deliveries except between midnight and 5 a.m. Now imagine the city of L.A. with no trucks."

What is a "no-build" Olympics?

LA 2028 is a "no-build" Olympics, which means the city's existing venues will be utilized with some temporary structures.

However, no new stadiums or housing will be built solely for the games. The thousands of athletes from over 206 nations and territories will stay in the dorms at UCLA in Westwood.

"Our athletes are going to love it," said Janet Evans, four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming and chief athlete officer for the LA 2028 organizing committee. "Selfishly, there's two 50-meter pools that I can see from the hill where athletes will be staying, so our aquatic athletes will be happy. The food is incredible. UCLA is an incredible place for our village. It is purpose-built for students, it houses 16,000 students a year, but everything works."

READ MORE | How a 'no-build' Olympics could cut costs as LA prepares to host in 2028

Evans said 90% of all athletes that compete at the Olympic and Paralympic games don't win medals, and much of their experience takes place at the Olympic village.

"The athletes are the greatest stakeholders of both the Olympic and Paralympic games," she said. "What does their transportation look like? What does their village look and feel like? How does the food taste? What are the venues? What are the volunteers like when the athletes get to the venues? Do they direct them to their field of play?"

I would love to replicate the legacy of Mayor Bradley. Forty years later, the city continues to benefit from the games.

But it's not just about the lead-up to the games.

Mayor Karen Bass said she hopes the Olympics leave a lasting legacy that benefits L.A. for decades.

"I would love to replicate the legacy of Mayor Bradley," she said. "Forty years later, the city continues to benefit from the games. I think a lot of Angelenos might not be aware of LA84. An organization that was started post-1984 and it provides funding for youth sports, especially in inner city areas."

LA 2028 has already donated $160 million to the Department of Recreation and Parks for youth sports. The goal is that 2028 will be as lucrative as 1984 and start their own foundation.

The 1984 Olympics are widely considered the most financially successful games in modern Olympic history.

"There was tremendous hesitancy 40 years ago about the games, too, and one of our biggest fears was traffic," said Bass. "It turned out everything was so well-organized with the leadership of Mayor Bradley, and if you think about it, 40 years ago, we didn't have anywhere near the technology that we have now. There was no such thing as remote work. We didn't have personal computers."

Bass expects remote work to be utilized (much like during the pandemic) as a tool to avoid traffic issues during the 2028 games.