Americans often look to Southern California as a place where lifestyle trends are born. Now, ironically, the land that has long glorified the car culture is galvanizing commuting behavior and encouraging abstinence from the once-respectable custom of solo driving. The catalyst for this...

Consider the urban transit "problem." In the 1960s the problem was declining transit patronage. Finances received little discussion because the industry was essentially self-supporting; operating costs were so low that passenger revenues covered costs. In the 1990s "problem" has a whole new...