Biking to school or work is a new trend for the self-proclaimed environmentalist. You get exercise, save money on gas, and limit your fossil fuel emissions. It’s great for your body, your wallet, your planet, and your ego. So what could possibly be the problem?

Well, what if you didn’t have the option on those rainy days to take your car? What if your job or your job interview was 20 miles away and up a big hill? What if your bike wasn’t made of carbon or built for racing? What if it was a hand-me-down cruiser with a rusted chain and only one gear? What if you don’t have a bike at all? In Los Angeles, the abysmal public transit system has restricted the lives of mass amounts of people. This is transportation injustice.

While many of us in LA begrudgingly admit that our city has a terrible public transit system, most of us are unaffected by it. We pay the extra money for gas and car repairs in lieu of taking multiple trains and buses. Many public transit routes take up to four times as long as to get you to your destination than it takes to drive. But for those who don’t have access to a car, this is one of their only options.

While it may just seem inconvenient, inefficient public transit restricts a person’s ability to get jobs. If you are unemployed and without a car in Los Angeles, you have to rely on buses and trains to get to a job interview. If you have any other commitments, such as a family, you may have to arrange for child care for an entire day, which can be expensive. This can put job searching outside of someone’s budget.

If you need to see a doctor, you can’t take a long lunch. You have to take the entire day off, which is also an expensive option. In this way, people are more likely to put off going to the doctor, making those medical conditions worse. And if it’s an emergency, it could take hours to get to a hospital. If it can’t wait, you have to pay at least $1000 for an ambulance, and more if you require advanced life support.

While some people can opt out of motor transportation altogether and use bikes, not everyone has the time or is in the physical condition to do so. It’s faster to use bikes than public transit for short distances, but longer distances make biking much more complicated. If you don’t have showers where you work, bikes may be out of the question.

A bad public transit system is more than inconvenient. It can be debilitating and define someone’s access to life changing resources. Transportation reform should be a big part of the city’s growing infrastructure. Will the city’s developers continue to expand our lucrative suburban sprawl, or will they build a more equal and accessible transportation system? So far, their priorities have been pretty clear.