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| March 25, 2007 - March 31, 2007 »
 Malibu officials are fuming at the slow pace in installing traffic safety signs on Pacific Coast Highway, which has been the site of numerous serious crashes. According to the Malibu Times, the money is there, but the effort seems caught in red tape:
When Public Safety Commissioner Carol Randall's son-in-law Mark Osborne was killed by a speeding motorist in front of her family home on Pacific Coast Highway, she went before the Malibu City Council and demanded that something be done about motorists traveling at excessive speeds on what basically amounts to a residential street but is treated like a freeway. Her campaign led to the approval of six traffic reduction or Vehicle Calming signs, but four and a half years later, the signs are nowhere to be seen. "I've been pounding on it," Randall said. "But it's moving at a snail's pace."
 As the fare hike battle (a proposed increase from $1.25 to $2 a ride) heats up, MTA Chief Roger Snoble is saying there is nothing else left to cut. The Times' Jean Guccione reports, however, that with the big hike in fares will likely come more cuts in services:
Passengers, on average, pay 58 cents per ride, an MTA calculation based on the larger number of riders who use monthly and other discounted passes. Snoble estimates that next year it will cost $2.50 per ride to operate the buses and trains. In recent months, ridership has increased, gently boosting revenue, he said. The MTA also is preparing to cut $10 million in services as part of its semiannual service adjustment. Last year, the transit agency balanced its operating budget by cutting administrative costs and increasing revenue by selling more advertising on buses and in subway stations.
What do you think? Are there other alternatives besides raising fares? Hit the COMMENT button and join the debate!
 Blogger Dan Tutor recounts his experience of coming to L.A. on business and the insanity of driving the 101 and 405 ("Avoid it at all costs. Unless, of course, you enjoy going 7 miles per hour in bumper to bumper traffic") But what he really found bizarre was the L.A. experience that came next:
Then something interesting happened. The traffic headed into a tunnel. All of a sudden, a chorus of honking horns rang out. Little car horns. Big car horns. Truck horns. It was crazy. We inched through the tunnel and almost every driver was sounding their horn. I even rolled down my window to hear it all a little better. When we emerged at the other end, the horns stopped. OK, here's my point in telling you this story. Actually, my point should start with a question that hit me as I emerged from the tunnel: "What made everyone honk?"
What do you think? Does tunnel honking annoy you or feel like community? Hit the comment button and have your say!
It looks like the long-awaited carpool lanes on the 10 Freeway between the 605 and the 57 in the San  Gabriel Valley is coming together. The MTA board this week allocated $365 million for the widening, says the Bulletin. But we're not quite there. MTA funding for the car-pool lane - coupled with $197.5 million in future commitments by the state - will allow construction to start by August 2010 and finish by May 2014. The MTA funding hinges on final authorization by Caltrans and the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a statement released by Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina.
 That 405 commute through the Westside is about to get worse because of carpool lane construction, Caltrans says:
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will close all lanes of the southbound San Diego Freeway (I-405) from the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) connector to Venice Boulevard nightly on Monday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 27 from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. On Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29, northbound I-405 will be closed from Venice Boulevard to the I-10 connector from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Additionally, Braddock Drive will be closed in both directions between Sawtelle Boulevard and the Braddock Drive on-ramp to southbound I-405 daily (Monday through Friday) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Monday, March 26 and ending Friday, April 13.
 Some Bottleneck Blog readers remember when Irvine was pretty much vacant land and Lion Country Safari. Well, it now has nearly 200,000 residents -- and officials expect to add another 70,000 by 2025 thanks to massive new development around the old El Toro base and other areas. Of course, traffic is now a huge -- and much debated issue:
The city can manage to add at least 70,000 people – in part by focusing on mass transit, he said. Creating a system of pedestrian and bicycle trails, bus routes, light rail and heavy rail, [Irvine Mayor Larry] Agran said, will help residents depend less on vehicles. Councilwoman Christina Shea disagrees.Shea supports mass transit, but said it should add to, not substitute for, regular traffic planning. The city is adding too many residences without properly planning for quality of life areas such as traffic and city services, she said. "I believe our development is leading the city on a downhill spiral," she said.
The Register reports that the population numbers might end up higher than those estimate.
What do you think? Is development ruining Irvine? Or can it be successfully planned? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
 The Times' Jean Guccione reports that the MTA meeting, in which officials approved the study of the 710 tunnel, was was heavily stacked with proponents. Cities around the route -- Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Marino, El Monte etc. -- have taken a united front to push the tunnel, arguing they now get the traffic and pollution when the 710 suddenly ends at Valley Boulevard (ever tried getting Dim Sum on the weekend and you'll see the gridlock). This seems to have South Pasadena forces feeling a little outnumbered:
"It's like South Pasadena advocating putting a toxic waste dump in all these other cities," said resident Joanne Nuckols, a longtime anti-710 activist.
 For years, Santa Monica has resisted the urge to add red light cameras, which some in the city liken to Big Brother watching you. But the the Lookout reports that could be about to change:
Revisiting an issue rebuffed years ago because of concerns for civil liberties, the City Council voted Tuesday to explore installing cameras at Santa Monica intersections to catch red-light runners red-handed. The council decided to move ahead after advances in picture taking and the State's legal system zoomed in on an answer to privacy issues, including concerns that shots could include those other than the driver. "What has changed since this was before us years ago, is state law and technology," said Council member Bob Holbrook, who placed the item back on the agenda.
Do red-light cameras violate our rights? Or a good safety tool. Hit the COMMENT button and speak your mind
 A massive proposed development in Chula Vista could make the run to the border more of a crawl. It would also bring heavy development to one of the last places on the local coast without it:
Gaylord Entertainment has unveiled a plan to transform this city's vacant bayfront with a massive hotel and convention center.... The complex would include a 300-foot tower and a resort hotel of up to 2,000 rooms, making it among the largest in San Diego County. The plans also include 400,000 square feet of meeting space, shops and other amenities. In all, the development would comprise 2 million square feet. (From AP) Image of development from Port of San Diego.
 Santa Monica officials are considering radical changes to Ocean Park Boulevard -- making it less Wilshire Boulevard and more Montana Avenue. At a recent community meeting, residents talked about more landscaping, narrowing the roadway from four to two lanes and adding bike routes, according to the Lookout News:
Reducing the number of lanes to two would slow traffic on the boulevard, which is estimated to carry 17,000 and 19,000 cars a day, experts said. "Narrowing lanes down by two feet on both sides reduces speed by two to three miles-per-hour total," said traffic consultant Eric Shimizu, who helped design a similar plan in Seattle.
They are slowly drilling a half-mile into the Santa Monica Santa Ana Mountains, carefully collecting rock sample for closer examination. The geologists want to see if they can ship water through the mountain. But the project, which the UT examined in depth, is also a first test at whether tra nsportation officials could build eventually build a freeway under the mountain: The drilling is also of interest to the Riverside County Transportation Commission, which – along with transportation officials from Orange County – is investigating the feasibility of tunneling under the mountains to link the counties. The freeway that provides the shortest access between the counties, state Route 91, is one of California's most congested. The counties are predicted to reach a total of 6.7 million people by 2030, an increase of 31 percent from today.
What do you think of this IE-OC tunnel? Hit the comment button and speak out!
 Here are the proposed fare hikes from the MTA. CNS is saying the agency is proposing a fare increase effective July 1, and a second increase Jan. 1, 2009:
--The regular cash fare for bus and rail lines would remain $1.25 until 2009, when it would increase to $2 -- a 60 percent increase.
--Day passes would increase from $3 to $5 in July, and up to $8 by 2009.
--The semi-monthly pass would be eliminated, and monthly passes, currently $52, would increase to $75 in July and $120 by January 2009.
--The EZ Pass, which is a monthly pass that allows commuters to ride all Metro and municipal bus and rail lines, from $58 to $95 in July and $140 by 2009.
What do you think of the fare hike? Hit COMMENT below and join the discussion.
 For more than a decade, Los Angeles bus riders have paid $1.25 to get from one place to another - much less if they buy a monthly pass.
But that might soon change as members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority consider raising fares.
The idea has been met with fierce opposition from members of the Bus Riders Union, which offered a counterproposal: Reduce the transit agency’s operational deficit by luring more riders on board with lower 50-cent fares.
A public hearing will occur soon.
-Jean Guccione
 Wonder why passions are so high on the 710 Freeway expansion plan (which the MTA agreed to study today?) Well, consider this:
A preliminary study last year found that building twin 4.5-mile tunnels was feasible. The project would cost about $3 billion and take nine to 11 years to complete but it also would end a standoff that dates back to 1973. For decades, state highway officials have wanted to close the 4.5-mile gap between the Long Beach (Interstate 710) Freeway, which ends in the eastern Los Angeles County suburb of Alhambra, and the Foothill (Interstate 210) Freeway in Pasadena. Currently, an estimated 100,000 cars a day empty onto Alhambra streets. (From AP)
 The debate about the future of L.A. traffic continues today between the Transit Coalition's Bart Reed and the Reason Foundation's Ted Balaker. Reed says L.A. can improve matters with better planning, creating residential development next to shops and mass transit lines. But Balaker continues to insist that more roads are the answer and make this counterintuitive point:
Los Angeles proves the futility of road building. It's home to seemingly endless freeways and the nation's worst traffic congestion. But look closer: L.A. has lots of roads, but it also has lots of people. In fact, among the top 50 urbanized areas, LA is second to last in pavement per person and dead last in freeway miles per capita.
Do we have a shortage of freeways in Southern California? Hit the comment button and join the debate.
 Flooded with support from neighboring communities, transportation officials Thursday gave the go-ahead to further study the feasibility of building tunnels under South Pasadena to connect the 710 and 210 freeways.
Members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board members voted 11-0 to contribute to $13 million preliminary engineering and technical studies. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke were not present.
"I believe that a small minority of this county for way too long has stopped the rest of the county from getting relief in both congestion and air quality," said Richard Katz, an MTA board member appointed by Villaraigosa. "It’s time to move this project along."
-Jean Guccione
Photo above of empty freeway where the gap begins. More cool shots of the "gap" here.
What do you think of the MTA decision. Hit COMMENT below and speak out!
 "Age 3 through 8, it's great. Beyond there, you're a captive." So says one urban planner about the celebrated, vilified cul-de-sac. The Times' Home section examines the dead-end residential streets -- an icon of suburbia -- and find that despite the New Urbanism attack on them, the streets are still popular around here:
Leave it to Southern California to defy the new convention. While cities across the country return to streets laid out on a traditional grid system, cul-de-sacs are springing up from Calabasas to Chula Vista. Yes, homeowners often fall in love with the quiet courts and initial sense of built-in neighborliness.
So much debate about cul-de-sacs (do they cause crime?).
What do you think about the iconic streets? Love em? Hate em? Hit the COMMENT button below and have your say!
 That fatal pedestrian accident on Pacific Coast Highway this morning has apparently had widespread ramification on the L.A.'s freeways. Commuters who use PCH to get east have moved onto the 10 and 101, causing longer-than-usual backups. Here's what happened:
A man believed to be a young transient was killed in a hit-and-run accident today while walking on Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, causing authorities to temporarily close a section of the highway, police said. The victim died at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly before 6 a.m. in the 15800 block of PCH. (From CNS)
 Here is how the two sides are shaping up with today's showdown on the 710 tunnel, which would finally close the missing link of the freeway through South Pasadena:
South Pasadena (STOP): Mayor Philip Putman called the preliminary feasibility study completed last year inadequate. He wants the MTA to define the project's scope, including proposed routes, so it can be properly assessed.
La Canada Flintridge (STOP): Officials oppose further study of the tunnel idea, questioning why the MTA would put any money toward a project that, they say, would "worsen traffic for communities in adjacent areas" along the 210.
MTA board member Richard Katz (GO): "For 30 years, the tail has wagged the dog on this thing," said Katz, a board appointee of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "It is time to bring relief to the rest of the county."
Monterey Park (GO): This community, along with every other community in the San Gabriel Valley, is negatively impacted by air pollution, traffic congestion on local streets and lost family time spent idling on freeways every day of the week," council writes in statement.
Now it's your turn! Where do you standing on the 710 tunnel? Hit the COMMENT button and join the debate! (The Times' Jean Guccione will update you when the vote occurs today at the MTA).
 The Times' Jean Guccione is hearing rumbling in the L.A. transportation community about Zev Yaroslavsky's plan for turning Olympic Boulevard and Pico Boulevard into one-way street as way of easing Westside traffic congestion. Sources tell Jean that there are many many unanswered questions. One problem is the layout: Pico and Olympic at times are a mile away from each other, raising concerns over cross traffic on residentials streets. Then there is the question of who pays for the signs, signals and other costs. Another issue raised: Would one-way boulevards cause motorists to drive too fast (you wish, right?). Part of Olympic is residential (including the part though famously picky Beverly Hills). Stay tuned!
What you do think? Hit the comment button and have your say!
 Cities neighboring South Pasadena have long made it clear they think the town is being selfish by steadfastly refusing to extend the 710 Freeway (the other cities get the spillover traffic when the highway now ends in Alhambra). Now, they have enthusiastically signed onto the new effort to complete the "missing linking" by tunneling.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is poised to go forward Thursday with $13-million preliminary engineering and technical studies of a proposal to build four-mile tunnels to connect the 710 and 210 freeways. Depending upon the results of those studies - and the political will of the MTA board, the next step would be a full-blown environmental study.
Who is opposed? Many of the same South Pasadena residents opposed to the freeway project for decades. Elected officials in South Pasadena, however, have agreed to stay neutral for the time being. But they and La Canada Flintridge officials worry that the MTA is prematurely committing itself to build tunnels. Elected officials from the San Gabriel Valley cities of Alhambra, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino and South El Monte meanwhile, want the freeway gap closed - any way possible.
-Jean Guccione
What do you think about the politics of the 710 extension? Hit COMMENT below and speak out!
Is there something funny going on at Caltrans? The AP breaks this story involving secret contracts:  The California Transportation Department shielded from public view details of at least 290 contracts worth more than $13 million, though there is no record the agency was given authority to strike the information from state records, an Associated Press investigation has found. The contracts - labeled "confidential" and in many cases awarded without competitive bidding - went out between 2002 and 2006 and ranged from $10,000 to more than $1 million. In some cases, they authorized payments of up to $7,000 per day to experts in various fields for their testimony or legal opinions. The General Services Department, which has authority over a huge tracking system of state contracts, requires agencies to seek permission before labeling records. confidential.
 A new and "improved" red-light camera system debuts tomorrow at the corner of Balboa and Van Owen in Van Nuys. According to a city press release, this is one of those fixes required after the city's disasterous first attempt at red-light camera operations:
The City is upgrading all of its existing Photo Red Light signals with more accurate and efficient technology, and installing new systems to intersections in an effort to improve traffic safety and curb the epidemic of drivers running red lights. This will be the 12th photo red light signal activated so far out of 32 in total. Previously, about half of tickets issued through photo-enforcement were invalidated because they could not clearly show the driver.
What do you think of red-light cameras? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
 The state, city of L.A., Orange County and several other municipalities were sued today, with plantiffs saying parking impound rules unfairly hurt the working-class and illegal immigrants:
A lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles seeks to overturn part of the state vehicle code that enables police to impound cars if the driver does not have a valid driver’s license. The federal suit, which seeks class-action status, alleges the impound law violates the constitutional protection on unreasonable seizure. The plaintiffs’ lawyers say they hope to provide relief for people who are ticketed for driving with no license, and who then also face both the seizure of their car and fees charged by impound lots -- which the lawyers say can run up to $1,500. (from CNS)
The TImes' Hector Becerra has written about the controversy over parking in Maywood, one of the cities being sued.
 Does the Palms area look different? Major streets in the Westside district are being lined with green street banners celebrating the area's history (the Bottleneck Blog didn't know Palms' had a business district named after the old Pacific Electric rail line). (Photo from Council District 11.) If you recall, L.A. has installed banners around town celebrating the 2016 Olympics -- even though the city isn't yet set to host them!
What do you think of these street banners? Are they art, or just more advertising? Hit COMMENT and have your say!
 Remember those green fences that used to divide freeways? A reader asks Honk! columnist Ryan Hammill whatever happen to them:
Caltrans over the past 10 years has slowly phased in a new style of median divider, with a design meant to replace both the former guardrails and screens. The modern dividers, known as models Type-60 or Type-50, were designed for higher durability and safety. Unlike the metal fencing, the new dividers are banked to help prevent colliding vehicles from launching into opposing lanes. Also, the new barriers are approximately the same height as the older fencing, supposedly blocking out the glare of headlights and rubbernecking motorists.
By the way, the Bottleneck Blog noticed that Caltrans is finally getting around to adding those new concrete barriers on a stretch of the 710 Freeway south of the 5. So long, green fence!
Do you miss the green fence (it didn't seem so safe). Hit the comment button and have your say!
 Ted Balaker and Bart Reed continue their debate on the Times opinion page about the future of L.A. traffic. Today, it's the subway. Balaker, of the Reason Foundation, not surprisingly is not impressed by rail: "Let's keep in mind that Los Angeles rail riders pay only about 3% of the overall cost of their trips." He argues rail is too expensive (he cites the success of the Orange Line bus service as a contrast). Reed, however, disagrees:
Also, the cost of moving passengers by rail is historically less than doing the same on buses on a mile-per-mile basis, largely due to constantly increasing labor costs. Worse yet, buses must be replaced after 500,000 miles, which is only 5 years of service for Orange Line buses, versus 30-50 years for rail cars.
Does rail just cost too much? Hit the COMMENT button below and speak your mind! Join the debate!
 Carpooling and using mass transit are fine. But what else can you do to reduce the stress of commuting? Forbes found some unexpected ideas: Bringing along a snack, buying a fancier car (that absorbs traffic noise better), "car exercises" and deep breathing techniques. Also: bring some peppermint or other herb you like to smell along for the ride:
Find the one thing that makes you look forward to getting in the car or staying in your seat a few extra minutes, even after you've parked. It may help you accept what you can't control and move on.
Do you have any ideas for reducing commute stress? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
 Frank McCourt made a fortune in the parking business. And it sounds like he's about to make more. The Times' Steve Henson reports the new "controlled zone parking" plan for Dodger Stadium unveiled today -- more attendants, supposedly less congestion and easier in and out -- comes at a price ($5 to be exact):
Parking at Dodger Stadium has usually involved a warm breeze, a tight squeeze and a $10 pinch to the pocketbook. The gentle wind blowing across the parking lot on balmy summer nights won’t change, but this season the free-for-all to get in and out of the stadium should give way to a more orderly system. As for the pinch, ouch. Parking has gone up from $10 to $15.
What do you think? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
 Wonder why that morning commute west into L.A. and south into Orange County is so miserable? The Daily Press in Victor Valley answer the question with a fascinating piece about how the region's booming housing market is making them just one more "off ramp economy." Sure, the area boasts of a growing job market -- but it's mostly jobs like retail sales clerks, janitors, cashiers, laborers and office clerks. That means thousands must hit the road west and south for better paying jobs:
In San Bernardino County, nearly 190,000 commuters travel to work in neighboring counties every day, while only 110,000 commuters from those areas come to jobs here, yielding a net outflow of 80,000 workers every weekday, according to research by Deepak Bahl, associate director of the Center for Economic Development at the University of Southern California. Although recent data show a dramatic shift in the traditional pattern of job development in the urban core and housing on the periphery, most of the new jobs in San Bernardino are in low-wage, low-skill positions.
What do you think? How can we deal with the issue of sprawl? Hit the COMMENT button and join the discussion.
 So that's how they do it. In an interesting column, Dan Weintraub explores how Caltrans comes up with all those traffic congestion numbers when they selected projects to fund. It's actual a complex program, Dan found, that allows engineers to change the assumptions to estimate what certain freeway widenings and expansions would do to traffic flow:
The program starts with the fact that a typical freeway lane can carry between 1,800 and 2,100 cars per hour. If that's how many cars are moving through it at a particular time, they should be traveling at full speed. But as you try to add more cars beyond the designed capacity, traffic slows down, at a predictable rate. The slowing begins subtly. Someone merging onto the freeway might force the motorist next to them to hit the brakes. The next driver sees the brake lights and also slows down. Another driver might then try to move into an already full lane to the left, forcing those drivers to also reduce their speed.
 There's been another bad accident on Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, where residents have been pushing for the installation of a traffic light. According to Franklin Avenue, "Silver Lake Trader Joe's crew member Adam Authier was hit on Hyperion Ave. last month while riding his bike home after working all night.... Authier wasn't killed, but sustained massive injuries and remains in the hospital."
We reported earlier that an actor trying to cross Hyperion in the same area was killed back in January. City officials are now vowing to add a light there in a few months.
 Are our leaders purposely causing traffic to get worse? That's an intriguing question raised in a new essay by Sam Staley and Ted Balaker posted on Reasononline. They look at why transportation planners have failed (in their view) and list some not-so-surprising solutions (privatization, market pricing for parking and commuting):
The public policies they design and try to enforce make it harder for us to get to work, pick up our kids from school, or go shopping. They are deliberately fostering congestion. In the words of David Solow, head of the Metrolink commuter rail in Southern California, congestion is "actually good" because "it drives people out of their cars."
What do you think of this thesis? Hit the COMMENT button and voice your view!
Anyone who drives the 210 Freeway knows relief is needed. There's a little good news here with the MTA board signing off on the final EIR for the Gold Line extension into San Bernardino County. First step: an 11-mile run through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and Azusa. But don't put the car on Craigslist (or try the The Times classified!) just yet. The Sierra Madre Weekly notes there's still a ways to go: The line is waiting for federal approval through the Federal Transportation Agency, once all questions about ridership and funding are answered.... Once both segments are completed, the Gold Line will extend 37 miles from Los Angeles to San Bernardino.
More on the foothill extension, including maps and numbers.
What do you think? Will Hit the comment button and have your say!
 Some commuters may soon be diverted onto the Exposition Boulevard right-of-way from Culver City to Santa Monica - even without light-rail trains.
It seems the city of Los Angeles is committed to building a first-class bike trail along the abandoned Southern Pacific right-of-way (see photo). Construction, including landscaping and lighting, is slated to begin in 2009.
If the Expo Line shares the same route, the design will be similar to the bike paths along the Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley.
Check out photos of the bike route.
-Jean Guccione
What do you think of bikes on the Expo Line? Hit the COMMENT button below and have your say!
 Here's a new idea for reducing traffic congestion: Getting trucks off the L.A.-area freeways by creating an "inland port" in the Antelope Valley. Officials tell the DN cargo would be taken by train from the seaports to this new facility, where it would be transferred to trucks:
The idea by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is aimed at shifting a significant chunk of the 22,000 daily truck trips to and from the seaports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the county's rural outskirts on the 5, 14 and 15 freeways. Goods would be hauled on existing train tracks from the seaports to an Antelope Valley "inland port" transfer station, where they would be loaded onto trucks bound for markets nationwide. "An `inland port' would reduce truck-related congestion and pollution throughout the county," Antonovich said.
Would an "inland port" help ease congestion in L.A.? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
 Remember when they said all those video games would create a generation of highly skilled drivers, pilots etc.... Well, now Reuters reports a study suggesting that people who play endless video racing games might end up being bad drivers:
People who play car racing video games may be more prone to drive recklessly and get into accidents, according to a study that adds to evidence that video games can influence the behavior of some players. The study by German researchers published on Sunday examined the effect these games, featuring realistic driving environments with players often racing through city and suburban traffic, affect people who play them.
What do you think? Are gamers also road ragers. Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
Continue reading "Gamers: Road rage waiting to happen? " »
 Times Staff Writer Jean Guccione covers transportation in L.A. Jean will try to answer a few of the many questions about commuting and traffic we hear at the Bottleneck Blog.
Q: Why are the westbound lanes of the Santa Monica Freeway so white? The bright color - and faded stripes - makes it difficult to stay within traffic lanes. A: Well, let’s just say the freeway is getting a manicure, of sorts. The pavement is being grinded and smoothed in both directions from the Harbor Freeway to Pacific Coast Highway. The roadwork, slated for completion in August, should even out ruts and make for a better commute. Caltrans officials say the construction also will extend the life of the road. Once the smoothing is complete, the lanes will be restriped.
Have a question? Pass it to Jean by hitting the COMMENT button below.
 The Times has an interesting debate going over the future of transportation in L.A., pitting a leader of the Transit Coalition with someone from the Reason Foundation. On Monday, they fought over whether more light rail around Southern California would help our traffic nightmare (coming up: subways). Reason's Ted Balaker warns about making too much out of rail expansion:
There will always be plenty of car-vs.-transit squawking. But since bus trips account for about 85 percent of transit ridership, we should remember that transit users and motorists share a common enemy in traffic congestion.
What do you think? More rail the answer? More roads? More telecommuting? Hit the COMMENT button and become a part of the important debate.
Continue reading "Debating rail in L.A." »
 Score an assist to Amtrak in the capture of these alleged robbers down in San Diego:
Two men suspected in a string of armed robberies were arrested after a train struck their sport utility vehicle, authorities said. Chad Novella, 18, and Brian Szasz, 20, were taken into custody Sunday on two counts of armed robbery after an Amtrak train hit the vehicle, San Diego County sheriff’s Sgt. William Dreyer said.... No one on the train was hurt. (from AP)
 The deadly Santa Monica Farmer's Market crash in 2003 focused attention in L.A. and beyond about potential problems with elderly drivers. Now, there is a new report that shows elderly drivers have particular problems at intersections:
The report, out Monday from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), shows drivers do better staying on the road as they age but they increasingly fail to yield to other vehicles at intersections. Forty percent of fatal collisions involving drivers 70 and older, compared with 23% of crashes involving those 35 to 54, occur at intersections and involve other vehicles, according to the report.
Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS, tells USA Today: "There are a lot of cues at intersections, and as we age, processing these cues from multiple sources may become more difficult."
What do you think? Hit the comment button below and have your say!
 Pay attention South Pasadena and Brentwood as you fight Caltrans over freeway construction. Capitol Watchdog Brian Joseph says that when Caltrans comes to take land for freeway construction, it pay to fight. He found that in many cases, property owners who challenged Caltrans ended up doing pretty well financially:
The state constitution says government may not seize private property without paying "just compensation." But that wasn't William Hoyer's experience. The California Department of Transportation once tried to take part of his gas station without paying him a cent. Caltrans needed the land to widen a freeway, but offered Hoyer nothing for it, even though it was located near the Disneyland entrance. "There was only one thing I could think," Hoyer told me. "Get an attorney." Years later, Hoyer said Caltrans agreed to pay him more than $700,000.
Interesting reports on Caltrans and what it does with the property it buys.
 Big Brother and Little Brother could be watching you in the carpool lanes if this novel attempt to catch scaffolds scofflaws (thanks, Heath) becomes law:
A bill pending in the Legislature would set up a hotline to let motorists report solo drivers who illegally zoom into carpool lanes during rush hour. The bill would not allow the state to issue tickets based on the reports. But car owners would receive a warning letter from the state in the mail. Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-San Luis Obispo, said he hopes the letters would prompt drivers to follow the law. "We’re hoping once people receive a letter from a state agency and hear the ramifications, they’ll follow the law. What we’re doing now is not enough," he said. Maldonado said the hotline would be modeled after one operated in Washington state. (From AP)
What do you think of this idea? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
Continue reading "Big Brother in the carpool lane" »
 We know President Bush has embraced the idea of "congestion pricing" and paying for new roads by allowing private developers to build toll roads. But The Times' Dan Weikel has found many complaints about what some consider excessive fines on the toll road network here in Southern California (check out the penalties in the chart to the left). Blogger Ken Reich says: "Weikel's article points to an important question: Should California go down the sordid road of more toll highways?" Dan reports a class-action suit is here:
The OCTA assessed Bill and Jennifer Sempertegui of Riverside County $93,000 in potential penalties for failing to pay $300 in tolls on the 91 Express Lanes.
What do you think about this? Hit the comment button below and speak out!
 San Gabriel Valley officials talked to the Tribune about the struggles they've had getting attention for their dangerous, aging interchange, the 10-605 in Baldwin Park -- especially when the Westside is getting all the attention:
"It was vital because other areas, such as West L.A. had more than their fair share of folks lobbying for them, so we had to show we had an equal amount of strength," said Roxane Marquez (Supervisor Gloria Molina's press deputy).... "Our big goal was to show how the 10/605 interchange is to the San Gabriel Valley what the 405/101 interchange is to the San Fernando Valley...If you don't get out of downtown and the Westside, it is hard to see how true that statement is." An average of 438,000 vehicles use the 605/10 interchange daily, making it the 19th busiest in the state, according to Caltrans statistics. The 405/101 interchange handles about 632,000 vehicles daily.
 Many Bottleneck Blog readers have asked what caused the demise of the infamous  Beverly Hills Freeway. Turns out the freeway was one of the first to generate widespread community opposition and its death marked the beginning of the end of Southern California's freeway building boom. There were two routes. The north route placed the freeway roughly between Melrose and Santa Monica through Hollywood then went into Beverly Hills and points west along Sunset. The southern route went into Hancock Park and the Fairfax district (roughly between Melrose and Beverly) and then connected with Santa Monica.
The opposition, of course, began in Beverly Hills. The state tried many things to win the city's support. At one point, officials proposed running the entire freeway through Beverly Hills in a tunnel below Santa Monica Boulevard with a shopping district and parks on top of it. The tunnel idea (and rising property values) made costs rise. By the late 1960s, opposition spread to Hancock Park, West Hollywood and the Fairfax District. By the early 1970s, there was talk of double-decking Santa Monica Boulevard as an alternative to a freeway, but that died too. (compiled from Times clips)
Good maps of L.A. aborted freeways here and here, along with descriptions from cahighways.org.
First came the red-light cameras. Now, the next big thing in camera traffic enforcement is here. In Arizona, officials are among the first to use speed-enforcement cameras (hidden in vans!) to nab highway speeders. The Republic reports the cameras have been controversial but seemingly effective: Scottsdale uses four photo speed-enforcement vans to catch drivers at 11 mph or faster than the posted street speed limit, similar to Loop 101. Police traffic enforcement officials move the vans around Scottsdale several times each day based on complaints from residents and trends in collisions and speeding data. Mobile van cameras nabbed 22,795 speeders in 2006, nearly 1,900 each month, though not all were processed in Scottsdale City Court.
Can you trick those cameras? San Jose might be considering a similar system -- but only giving speeders a warning, not a citation. For now.
What do you think about these cameras? It the COMMENT button and have your say!
 Steve Hymon enters the bowels of the L.A. parking enforcement department and comes out with another horror story (which has a happy ending thanks to a certain reporter's intervention). Meanwhile, turns out parking officials think L.A. charges too little at the meter:
As it happens, one of the world's foremost experts on parking is working in Los Angeles — UCLA economics professor Donald Shoup. His 2004 book, "The High Cost of Free Parking," is the bible of parking theory, and it's fair to say that, in less freedom-loving nations, Shoup probably would be sharing a cell with our friend, Mr. Pawlowski. Shoup believes that too many motorists spend way too much time driving around looking for cheap curb parking. For example, one of his studies estimated that motorists drive 945,000 miles each year while looking for curbside parking in Westwood Village. That's a lot of extra traffic and pollution.
Do you think L.A. should charge more for parking? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!
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Malibu officials are fuming at the slow pace in installing traffic safety signs on Pacific Coast Highway, which has been the site of numerous serious crashes. According to the Malibu Times, the money is there, but the effort seems caught in red tape:
