And yet, in a city of the same size as the one I came from, even this 1/6th is orders of magnitude better than no non-surface mass transit at all. I read about the original "W" concept for the Metro (along with the move from a robust rail system to buses thanks largely to GM's anti-trust violations).

I really wish that W idea or some variation would/had come to fruition. Along with the Red Line - and the obvious need for transit-based development - it seems like it would be a big help.