Los Angeles mayor says 2028 Olympic games will be car-free

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her city is working to make the Summer Olympic games car-free when they’re held in her city in 2028.

“We’re already working to create jobs by expanding our public transportation system in order for us to have a no-car Games,” she said in a Saturday release. “And that’s a feat for Los Angeles, as we’ve always been in love with our cars. We’re working to ensure that we can build a greener Los Angeles.”

Ahead of Sunday’s closing ceremony at the Paris Olympics, Bass is attempting to address a big issue for the next games: Los Angeles traffic.

Bass said the only way to access the Olympic venues will be public transportation. The city will borrow 3,000 buses from all over the country and ask businesses to allow their employees to work from home, The Associated Press reported.

“Part of have a no-car Olympics means getting people not to drive,” Bass said.

The AP noted that officials in Paris have been praised for how accessible the events have been, since nearly every venue has been reachable by public transportation.

Bass also highlighted Los Angeles’s efforts to invest in small businesses during the next games.

The mayor said the city plans to meet with its major employers and talk about staggering work hours, “which is something that was done 40 years ago” and before today’s technology.

“I think the workforce, probably around the world, certainly around our country, is grappling with remote work now,” she said. “So I do think that there might be some employees that we could say, ‘Could you be remote for 17 days?’”

“It’s going to be a lot easier because we did go through COVID, so people will have some reference point in recent history as to how you could do that,” Bass said.

Bass, the first female mayor of Los Angeles, will receive the flag Sunday from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the city’s first woman to hold the office.

The Associated Press contributed.