L.A. will never get rid of its traffic problem, with or without congestion pricing

To the editor: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to explore congestion pricing. We cannot tax our way out of traffic any more than we can reduce the number of residents in and around Los Angeles, nor can most people change where they live or where they must travel to work. Encouraging housing development along the various Metro routes is an option, but ultimately, we will never be able to overcome the challenges presented by the spread-out geography of greater Los Angeles. If Los Angeles and other nearby cities really want to see traffic move more quickly, they should put significantly more effort and money into repairing our streets, which are in a shameful and dare I say dangerous state of disrepair. To the editor: A single word appearing in the article explains everything. The word is "choice," and it implies that working people will make an informed decision about whether or not to pay an additional tax to get to work.