It was a dream come true for most Angelenos when Los Angeles transit authority established the rail link between the city’s famous downtown and Santa Monica in May 2016. The city was lacking a railway facility connecting the center to the Westside beaches of the city, for almost six decades.

After a year, Los Angeles is bracing up to build another rail link to the traffic-congested International Airport, including new rapid-transit bus routes and extended subway lines. This program will be financed by Measure M, a ballot proposal passed by majority votes in November 2016 to raise the sales tax by half a cent.

Excess traffic on roads and the reduction in state funding have forced authorities to take such taxation measures to pay for public transport. Inrix, a traffic-analysis firm, surveyed in 2016 that Los Angeles has the worst traffic in the world.

Other US cities like Atlanta and Seattle are now following the same Measure M procedure. The new plan, which may come into effect in July 2017, is expected to collect a gross $120bn for transport over the next 40 years.