A new bike-sharing scheme is being put in place in Los Angeles early next year. Developed by Metro at a cost of $7.78 million, the plan is to bring a thousand bikes to downtown Los Angeles for rent. While it might be a green initiative, it is not a money-saving one. Someone who just wants to use it on a one-off will have to pay a staggering $3.50. That price goes down with a monthly pass ($20 with free rides if the bike is returned after a half hour). For a year, one can pay $40 for a pass but then rides cost $1.75. This is the same as it costs for a Metro bus or train.

So it’s not the cheapest transportation option but at least it’s green. Talking of green, the 2016 Green Car of the Year was announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Two plug-in electric cars with gasoline engines were also launched there. These were BMW’s 2016 330e Drive Sedan and the X5 xDrive40e crossover. At the show last year, the winner of the Green Car Award was BMW’s i3 — a battery electric car made with lighter, carbon fiber. There is a redesigned one – the 2016 i3 – that is now being launched.

In other transportation news, Los Angeles Country voters might soon be able to participate in decision-making on whether or not to make taxes higher in an effort to assist transportation work. Currently, law in California lets cities and counties impose sales and use taxes above and beyond the state sales tax, up to a combined 2 percent rate with voter endorsement.