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 Chicago beat out L.A. in the U.S. bid for the 2016 summer Olympics. Officials have not exactly said why L.A. was passed over (traffic was an earlier concern). Chicago was pushing a plan that located many events in a small urban area, with easy walking and plenty of mass transit:
Chicago planned to focus on the compact, athlete-friendly nature of its plans, which would center the Games in the heart of downtown and the city's parks, creating an Olympic celebration in a striking setting and making travel times for athletes minimal.
 As officials began work on the so-called Interstate 5 "gateway" project, OCR warns of some delays ahead at the 5-91 interchange over the next few months:
Crews will demolish and rebuild a concrete wall along the southbound direction of the I-5. The right lane will be closed. The closure will begin as early as 5 a.m. Saturday and could last for a few months. The work is part of a massive project that will widen a 2-mile stretch of the I-5 between the 91 and the Los Angeles-Orange County border.
 L.A. planning czar, Gail Goldberg, points to lovely Larchmont Village as an example of a neighborhood that works. She also believe larger-scale projects -- and smart growth -- can work if properly planned -- and without causing more gridlock. But in a fascinating profile by The Times Steve Hymon, the planning chief says L.A. need more than a bunch of mega-developments:
Goldberg believes there are ample development opportunities without having to rely on mega-projects. The key is to steer clear of neighborhoods that want to stay as they are and help communities that want her help — thereby creating examples the rest of the city can see. "All the data support that growth is happening in this state with or without development, and most of the growth — the kind that is controllable, if you will — is around" new jobs, Goldberg said. "Any city that is producing jobs is going to attract people to that city, and L.A. is doing both." If good planning means more density, it remains to be seen how that will play here. Most residents fight such projects, believing they will add more vehicles to the road. Goldberg says, however, that good development can lessen the number of car trips people take.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 A cautionary tale about monorails can be found in this AP piece about the continuing struggles of Las Vegas' system:
The Las Vegas Monorail averaged just under 18,600 riders a day for the first 90 days of 2007, and fare box revenues totaled just under $7.5 million, according to a report released Friday by the system operator. The figures for the first quarter of the year were lower than the disappointing figures reported in January, when the Las Vegas Monorail Co. said it averaged 19,219 riders a day for 2006, and farebox revenues totaled $31.4 million for the year. Monorail spokeswoman Angela Torres pointed Friday to a statement posted on the company Website that focused on topping the 20 million rider mark since the 3.9-mile system opened in July 2004. Before the monorail began operating, proponents had projected carrying up to 20 million passengers a year.
 The MTA is still hotly debating a major fare hike for bus and rail riders. But those who use Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus should get that extra change out. A fare hike there was approved, according to the Lookout, with Mayor Richard Bloom saying: "Most folks, who live in Santa Monica anyway, can afford to absorb the increase." More:
Santa Monica City Council members voted Tuesday night to raise ridership fees for grade-school students from 25 to 50 cents, and for college students from 10 cents to 50 cents. Also, those used to free transfers will now have to plunk down two quarters to hop another bus. Other changes include a much-touted first-ever day pass program. A regular day pass for local service will cost $2.50, while students will pay $1.25. Day-passes for seniors and the disabled will go for $1.25. The most expensive pass will be $3.25 for regular express bus riders.
What do you think of the fare increase? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Maybe we are consuming less. And maybe it's gas prices. Maybe its hyrbids. The Times' Liz Douglass reports that for the first time since 1992, California gas consumption dropped last year (a tiny bit):
There were more cars than ever in California in 2006, but for the first time in 14 years, the state's motorists bought less gasoline than the year before. The drop in sales was meager — less than 1% — but surprising given that nationwide, drivers are consuming more gas. The Golden State, it seems, is different. Prices that hovered above $3 a gallon prompted some Californians to cut back, others to park their cars altogether in favor of trains and buses, and still others to buy hybrids.... California's consumption in 2006 fell by 0.7%, to 15.8 billion gallons, figures from the state Board of Equalization show.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out on this surprising news.
 Two L.A. Councilman are joining Westside residents and business groups to fight a proposed development on the federal property in Westwood. The Times' Martha Groves says City Councilmen Jack Weiss and Bill Rosendahl say the 1 million square feet of building would cause more traffic nightmares:
"We are going to fight and we are going to stop this federal proposal," Weiss said at a news conference at Wilshire and Veteran Avenue, where stiff winds whipped the multiple American flags on tall poles at the property. Weiss added that he strongly supported the FBI but had serious concerns about the potential for additional traffic in the already congested area, which is sliced by the 405 Freeway. Rosendahl also addressed traffic fears, saying that "we cannot afford on the Westside any more gridlock." "We have had it. No more expansion," he said.
What do you think? Can Westwood handle the extra traffic? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Why the monorail? Maybe because it is cheaper and "newer" than a subway. Maybe it's Disneyland. But as we've told you, L.A. has long been fascinated with the idea of mass transit by monorail. Seven years ago, The Times caught up with one of the city's top monorail enthusiasts, author Ray Bradbury. He lamented the slow progress:
Forty years ago, Bradbury said, he testified in favor of building a monorail system in Los Angeles. He said he got thrown out of the meeting. Instead of monorail, which he still favors, Los Angeles got buses. They get bogged down in traffic, he said. "There was no rapid transit. There was no improvement," the author said. "In fact, there was a failure of imagination and a failure of transportation." Bradbury's comments were the highlight of a day during which speakers discussed everything from electronic ticketing to telecommuting.
What do you think? Could monorails still work today? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
Continue reading "Why L.A. loves monorails" »
 Justice in a bizarre Orange County road rage case:
A Costa Mesa man was convicted today of attempted murder and other charges stemming from the road rage shooting of a man who survived a through-and-through wound that entered the chest and exited his back. Robert Charles Berg, 62, faces up to two life terms plus 30 years when he is sentenced on June 29 by Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals, said Farrah Emami of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. ...The victim and others in that truck believed they had been cut off by Berg and pulled alongside him, making an obscene gesture, Emami said. (from CNS)
Hope those Metrolink riders brought a good book: A Metrolink train has hit a big-rig truck whose driver could not negotiate a 90-degree turn after crossing the tracks at Lincoln and Fairhaven avenues in Santa Ana, leaving the trailer in the path of the oncoming train. The driver was able to get out, but the trailer jack-knifed on the tracks, police said. (From CNS)
Who says it's too expensive to build a subway? Ground was broken today on an extension of the famously star-crossed Second Avenue tunnel in New York. The NYT says the project has been in the works for decades -- but work was abruptly halted in the early 1970s when money ran out. At $3.8 billion, it's not that much more expensive than the Subway to the Sea proposal, where estimates run about $5 billion. What's unclear is whether Second Avenue is a  Wilshire subway competitor for funds -- or a sign of what is possible: The first leg of the subway line has a budget of $3.8 billion. Officials are waiting for the federal government to formally commit to financing a third of that amount. The authority expects to borrow the majority of the money needed for construction through the sale of bonds. The first section of the new subway will have stations along Second Avenue at 96th Street, 86th Street and 72nd Street and at 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue. It will operate as an extension of the Q line and is scheduled to open in 2013. (Photo from MTA NY)
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
That fire in the Beverly Glen area has jammed traffic around Beverly Hills, with numerous canyon roads above Sunset Boulevard closed. The 101 Freeway is also extra-jammed.
 With the big decision on L.A.'s bid for the 2016 Olympics coming Saturday, city officials continue their campaign to ease concerns about traffic. The evidence: Construction of the Expo Line to the Westside and the Gold Line into the Eastside, plus the recently approved freeway improvements. AP describes it this way:
Light rail lines would be extended to connect several Olympic venues. More than $1 billion is to be spent widening several key freeways.
But if you recall, The Times' Charles Proctor recently reported that a new study found the Olympics would attract about 877,000 visitors. And it's certainly an open question whether all the improvements can really handle that load.
What do you think? Can L.A. handle the Olympics crush? Hit COMMENT and SPEAK OUT!
 There is no question the Orange Line busway is doing well in terms of riders (23,000 daily riders in March -- a level the MTA predicted it would not be reached until 2020). But there are some caveats to the boast that the line is shattering ridership projections. Back in 2005, The Times' Caitlin Liu noted that MTA decided to go with lower ridership projections with the Orange Line when compared to other mass transit systems like the Gold Line. Officials at the time said they were not trying to lowball the numbers but rather based the numbers on computer modeling. Clearly, the modeling was off. Caitlin noted at the time than the MTA had been stung when the Gold and Green lines turned out to have far fewer riders than the projections.
See all of Caitlin's ridership story by hitting the "continue reading" key.
What do you think about the MTA's projections? Does the Orange Line's numbers suggest good things from the Expo Line and Subway to the Sea? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
Continue reading "Reality Check: The Orange Line miracle" »
 As the backers of the long-delayed high-speed rail line for California try to rally the troops, you are hearing more about those amazing speeds. And while the line would go up and down the state, there is also a focus now on benefits for local commuters. The Register notes that the train could get from Union Station to Anaheim in 20 minutes:
A high-speed train ride between Orange and Los Angeles counties – at speeds of 100 mph or more – would take less than half the time Metrolink takes to drop its passengers off between the destinations. Trains could go up to 220 mph in certain segments of the high-speed route, particularly in more rural areas of the state. A Metrolink ride from Anaheim to Union Station takes 45-50 minutes, depending on the number of stops, speed limits and crossings. The trains can go up to 80 mph, said Denise Tyrrell, a Metrolink spokeswoman.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 That Prius is just the beginning. USA Today reports there is a whole new crop of hybrid and other low-emissions commercial vehicles -- school buses, construction equipment, trains and FedEx vans -- hitting the roads. The stop and go of city driving seems to be a plus:
Hybrid commercial vehicles are bigger versions of the same basic technology that's going into cars. In automobiles, most hybrids pay off when city traffic is at its worst. Otherwise wasted energy is captured during braking. It's stored in batteries, which discharge to assist the engine during acceleration. Hybrid technology shows the most promise in commercial vehicles that idle for long stretches or do a lot of starting and stopping.
What do you think of hybrid commercial vehicles. Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 As more people get on our freeways, the number of accidents is rising. CHP officials tell the Sun that, in turn, is causing more gridlock:
In San Bernardino County, the number of accidents involving property damage jumped from 17,193 in 2000 to 22,272 in 2005, according to the CHP. In Riverside County, the number jumped from 13,757 in 2000 to 17,787 in 2005. In Los Angeles County, the number climbed from 86,760 in 2000 to 92,640 in 2005. An accident, no matter how small, can turn a commute into a nightmare in an instant, said Hamid Bahadori, principal traffic engineer for the Auto Club. He said a third of freeway congestion is caused by accidents, and the longer it takes to clear an accident scene, the worse congestion becomes.
 New ridership numbers show that the Orange Line busway continues to draw passengers at an impressive clip. Of course, this will only encourage those who are argue that busways are much more effective than more expensive rail projects. It might also help the effort to extend Orange to Chatsworth:
Ridership on the Metro Orange Line reached a record high in March with more than 23,000 daily boardings, a goal the busway was not expected to reach until 2020, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced today. Last month, the Orange Line had an average of 23,243 daily weekday boardings, a 27 percent increase from March 2006. Saturday ridership also set a new record with 13,529 average boardings. Overall, the number of boardings on the Orange Line increased from 498,023 in March 2006 to 619,875 last month..... When the busway opened in October 2005, Metro officials projected an average weekday ridership of 17,000 by 2009 and 22,000 by 2020. (From CNS)
WHat do you think? Is the Orange Line the little mass transit system that could? Should be create more busways? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 What the BB thinks is L.A.'s only -- or at least biggest -- draw bridge was stuck today because of a power outage, according to the PT:
Power was knocked out to the Heim draw bridge early Wednesday, preventing ship traffic from passing underneath the Terminal Island Freeway and temporarily stalling train and truck traffic out of the port complex. A non-injury industrial accident cut the power sometime before 10 a.m.
 Caltrans is beginning work on a new onramp into the 134 Freeway near Alameda Avenue. The $47 million project, a decade in the making, is designed to address a rise in traffic around Burbank's fast-growing studio/media district:
The new ramp will give drivers access to the westbound 134 from Alameda Avenue, just east of Hollywood Way, she said. Burbank transportation officials realigned the Hollywood Way off-ramp from the westbound 134 in order to make room for the addition, she said. The need for an improved 134 onramp in the Media District is based, in part, on current traffic infrastructure configurations that do not facilitate easy freeway access, senior planner David Kriske said. (Photo from City of Burbank; News from The Leader).
What do you think about the new onramp? Will it help the bad studio traffic? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 With the state no longer issuing stickers allowing hybrid owners to drive solo in carpool lanes, we knew this was coming:
Thieves have been peeling off with the limited-edition car pool lane stickers the state awarded to drivers of hybrid fuel vehicles. The DMV estimated two to three dozen drivers a month have requested replacement stickers since the Department of Motor Vehicles stopped giving them out in January, driving up the value of the yellow stickers. "We knew it was only a matter of time," said California Highway Patrol officer Mike Wright. Drivers suspect sticker snatchers are selling the coveted tags, which are valid through January 2011. The state capped the number of hybrids with special Clean Air Vehicle driving privileges at 85,000. In February, someone who was sent a set of stickers by mistake put them up for sale on eBay for $10,000, although apparently the auction item was removed after there were no bidders. (from AP)
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 "I am a conservative who thinks that conservatives and liberals alike have blown it on one of the nation's most important issues: infrastructure spending." So writer Nicole Gelinas begins an interesting piece in Forbes about why she thinks the idea of having private companies built tollroads is a bad idea:
In Texas, where one private sector consortium has agreed to build two roads, a veto-proof majority in the state legislature has proposed a moratorium on such deals, citing concerns that Texas may be giving too much away, including the freedom to build competing roads should future traffic conditions warrant. Further, on one of the roads, the company agreed to take the risk because the state is signing over to it the right to collect tolls on an existing portion of road. In most cases of new construction, even in economically humming regions, the private sector won't take full risk; state governments must have the bonding capacity to issue some sort of minimum revenue guarantee to back up private sector investors.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 You think driving that hybrid is good enough? Not in Japan. Reuters writes about "mileage maniacs," folks who tweak their Priuses to get even better fuel economy, in one case 115 mph:
Toyota Motor Corp. says its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid car gets about 55 miles to the gallon, making it one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the road. That's not good enough for Takashi Toya. Toya, a 56-year-old manager for a tofu maker in central Japan, puts special tires on his Prius, tapes plastic and cardboard over the engine and blocks the grill with foam rubber. He drives without shoes and hacks into his car's computer -- all in the pursuit of maximum distance with minimum gasoline. Toya is one of about 100 nenpimania, Japanese for ``mileage maniacs,'' or hybrid owners who compete against each other to squeeze as much as 115 miles per gallon out of their cars. In a country where gasoline costs more than $4 a gallon, at least $1 more than the U.S. price, enthusiasts tweak their cars and hone driving techniques to cut fuel bills and gain bragging rights.
What do you think? Do we need more 'mileage maniacs in America? Hit COMMENT and join the discussion!
 First the drive-in theater, now this. The PE reminds us that the drive-thru dairy -- once a staple of Southern California car culture -- keeps fighting on. Times are tough (especially with the value of real estate) but there appears to still be a market there:
These are not the best of times for the drive-through dairies. A generation ago, there were 600 in Southern California, [dairy owner Kevin] Patel says. A third have closed or converted to other businesses. A once-popular drive-through dairy on Florida Avenue in Hemet closed 10 years ago, and a check-cashing business now occupies the property. The Beaumont Dairy on Sixth Street closed its drive-through lane to save the time and money it took clerks to run outside.
More on Altadena drive-thru diary. Doesn't it remind you of all those old L.A. drive-in eateries like Tiny Naylor's? Some good photos of those bygone car-culture meccas.
What do you think? So you lament to decline of drive-in movies, eateries like Tiny Naylor's and dairies? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Caltrans came under some blunt criticism by downtown L.A. boosters at a recent breakfast. The Downtown News says the agency was accused of not doing enough about vandalism marring the city center:
Ultimately, the lacking efforts of Caltrans to remove, prevent and fight graffiti on freeway signage inspired the sourest pucker, they said. "We have more than $17 billion in combined investment in Downtown and look at how we greet visitors," Bastian said while showing slide after slide of freeway and landmark signs sprawled with spray paint - what the Breakfast Club called "sleazy signage." In a telephone response, a spokeswoman for Caltrans said the charge was unfair. "Graffiti is everyone's responsibility. It's the city's and the county's responsibility," said Maria Raptis, who noted that Caltrans spent $3 million last year removing spray paint.
Continue reading "Caltrans slammed on graffiti" »
 Dodgers officials are sticking with their zoned parking plan -- saying the problems on Opening Day were due to big crowds, not the new, controversial system. They insist the program works under normal conditions.
Fans caught in the gridlock beg to differ. But Richard Willson, professor of urban and regional planning at Cal Poly Pomona, suggested giving the new Dodger Stadium parking system 30 day trial, giving time for fans to adjust to the new parking plan.
"Long-time Dodger fans have systems they've worked out," he said. "They're used to strategically choosing parking spaces in this first-come, first-serve method. You can't expect introducing a new system to work perfectly the first day."
A zoned parking plan, he said, is more in line with current thinking on how large parking lots should be managed. Most new parking lots are designed to direct drivers to specific, empty spaces, eliminating the need to shop around for the best spot. That extra driving within the parking lot often causes needless congestion, he said. (Photo from joshinthe818).
--Hector Becerra and Tony Barboza
What do you think about the Dodgers' parking? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 The U.S. Energy Department's summer forecast is out, and officials predict more short-term rises in fuel prices. But the report also says the California's pump prices (now the highest in the nation) will stablize somewhat by the summer: Prices in California are projected to be above $3 a gallon for the summer. Regular gas cost an average of $3.25 in the state last week. "However, we expect to see smaller retail price increases on the West Coast than in other regions of the country over the next 2 months," the report said. The price differential between California and the Gulf Coast states, which was 58 cents last week, is expected to narrow.
What do you think? Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Does all the talk today about expanded L.A. rail lines have a familar ring? Flashback 40 years. Then, as the last of the red and yellow cars were disappearing, the concept was monorails. At first, there were grand plans for a massive network around L.A. Then by the early 1960s, it had been scaled down to one so-called "Backbone Route" between Century City and El Monte. According to ERHA:
The MTA lowered its expectations and went back to basics. In 1961, it came out with a 23-mile, Century City-Downtown-El Monte "backbone route". For a while, there was a glimmer of hope, ridership estimates suggested that this line’s $218 million cost could be paid from fare receipts, and federally backed financing arrangements were sought. The federal government refused to participate, however, and the backbone route was discarded. The backbone plan was to have been the start of a regional rapid transit system. In 1963, Kaiser engineers expanded it over part of the four corridors; at a projected cost of $619 million. This 64-mile system was financially out of sight.
Both the "Backbone Route" map (in orange with station bulleted) and the renderings of a Sunset Boulevard monorail station are from the MTA's very cool library.
Would monorails have worked in L.A. in the 1960s. Would they work today? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Here's a story that promises to outrage out of Orange County from The Times' David Haldane. It bears mention as the Bottleneck Blog discusses DUIs:
A 26-year-old woman is scheduled to appear in court today following a 1:30 a.m. alleged drunk-driving accident in Costa Mesa with four children in her car. In addition to her arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment, authorities said, Misty Lorie Castro of Los Angeles was also arrested on suspicion of driving without insurance and without a car seat for her 4-year-old son. The woman who hit Castro's car near Newport Boulevard and Broadway was also driving drunk, police said.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and join the discussion
 How bad was the traffic at Dodger stadium. Well, according to The Times' Val Reitman, veteran traffic reporters said it jammed the afternoon commute, and veteran fans said they've never seen it so bad. Let them tell the story:
Martha Ustick of Long Beach, a 27-year season-ticket holder, called it "the worst parking fiasco I’ve ever seen." Ustick said the line before the game was so backed up that she had to park near an elementary school well outside the stadium grounds for fear she’d miss the first few innings.
Cindy Myers, 50, of Yorba Linda - who said she has attended more than a dozen opening days and "never ever" before missed a first pitch or opening day ceremony - breathed a sigh of relief when she got to the Stadium Way exit off the Interstate 5 at 11:30 a.m. But she still was bottled up in the parking lot two hours later when she heard the crowd roar as pitcher Jason Schmidt belted a homerun in his first at-bat as a Dodger. By the time Myers got to her seat, it was the middle-of-the fourth inning, and she was practically in tears.
Bottleneck Blog poster Eric: 90 minutes... HA! Took 2 hours to get out of the lot today (at a distance of about .75 miles). It took us 45 minutes to get from the ticket gate at the entry/exit to the lot to the freeway onramp!!!
What do you think? What can be done to improve Dodgers' traffic. Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Not sure this story would have the same Hollywood ending for us. But Hilary Swank talks about the day she was in an L.A. area bakery/market and decided to help a woman in hurry to purchase some groceries. Apparently, a police officer noticed her efforts, which came in handy:
The same cop pulled Swank over for speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway days later. She recalls, "He goes, 'Hey, Ms Swank... You know what, you were speeding... but I'm gonna let you off for being a Good Samaritan.' "I said, 'What? What did I do?' and he said, 'I was at that bakery a few days ago when you got behind the counter and helped that woman, that actually happened to be the judge of Malibu.'
 Meanwhile, Curbed LA says that actress/singer Hilary Duff found inspiration for a song from the plight of L.A. bus riders:
"There was this song I was thinking about writing once. It was raining and I was in my car and I saw these people waiting for the bus and it made me really sad. Public transportation is pretty cool anywhere else, but in Los Angeles it sucks."
 
Opening day turned into a SigAlert for Dodger fans trying to get in and out of Chavez Ravine. The Times' Val Reitman says the Dodgers' new parking policy did nothing to ease gridlock (did it make things worse?). The BB got reports that it took 90 minutes for some to get in and out: One man, sitting in his car in the line five vehicles wide, had his windows rolled down on the hot afternoon, as the sun struggled to burn off the haze. "Oh, it's long," he was saying into his cell phone. "We're not even in yet." Nearby, a brand-new BMW was pulled off to the side with the hood up, a man pouring oil into it. The $5 increase in parking fees, to $15 per car, was getting grumbles as well. One driver, Jeff Melton, arrived with only $10 in crumpled bills, unaware of the new parking price. "Please, I can't go back. It's opening game," Melton pleaded. He offered to leave his driver's license as collateral. Finally the attendant took pity on him and let him in. (Full story after the jump).
What do you think? Any reports from the front? What can be done to make things better? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
Continue reading "Bronx cheer for Dodgers parking" »
Orange County officials voted today to move forward with a plan to allow carpool lane users on the 22 Freeway to enter and exit the lanes at all times. By contrast, most carpool lanes allow merging only at designated spots along the freeway. But OC officials would like to eventually extend the in-and-out access to many more freeways: Today’s vote directs OCTA staffers to begin working with Caltrans to develop in-and-out access on portions of the San Diego (405), Riverside (91) and Orange (57) freeways, as well as developing plans for bringing in other "more challenging" freeway segments. Those segments include lanes on the 5 freeway -- between the 57 and 55 -- where concrete barriers separate the carpool lanes and include two HOV drop ramps and two major freeway-to-freeway interchanges with dedicated HOV connectors, according to a staff report. (From CNS) Compare:
 
Full-access carpool lane Limited-access carpool lane
What do you think? Should this program be extended? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 How does L.A. feel without a car? The TImes' Robin Rauzi found out when she decided to give up her Subaru for 40 days to mark Lent:
I worried about being homebound, but friends came over or picked us up. We took long walks and explored recent additions to our ever-evolving neighborhood. We got around to eating at the new Italian deli. I rode my bike to get a haircut, to the pharmacy, to the hardware store. I never felt constrained; L.A. never felt smaller just because I wasn't driving to Pasadena or the Westside.
What do you think? Could we all give up driving for a while? Hit COMMENT and share your views!
The Times' David Reyes has been telling us for weeks about a bold new plan for designing carpool lane entrances on the 22 Freeway. At today's OCTA meeting, transportation planners are poised to approve a program allowing carpools on freeways in OC to go in and out of carpool lanes when they want and not worry about those pesky double-striped lines. The action would request Caltrans and OCTA staff to work together to implement the program. Carpoolers can already do this on the newly renovated Garden Grove Freeway.
What do you think? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 Opening day -- and another test of the Dodgers' controversial new parking system. One new element is giving a break for carpoolers:
With Dodger Stadium’s parking lots expected to be filled for today’s home opener, the team is providing an incentive to fans who carpool and arrive early. All passengers in the first 600 vehicles with at least four fans arriving by 9:30 a.m. and parking in Lot 15 will receive a free ticket to a future game. Fans seeking to take advantage of the offer will need to enter via the Academy Gate off Academy Road. Lot 15 is located above the Think Blue sign. (from CNS)
What do you think of this idea? Hit COMMENT and speak out!
 So how is the one-way proposal on Olympic and Pico boulevards playing in the community? The Westside Chronicle reports that two cities along the proposed path are not that excited about the idea:
Beverly Hills: The mayor of Beverly Hills voiced doubts about the proposal, though he did add that the study was worth doing. “I don’t think a study will hurt anything, but I also worry about what impact it would have on our businesses,” Mayor Jimmy Delshad said. “I think we should try reversible lanes that change at certain times of the day, like they have in Chicago.”
Santa Monica: Mayor Richard Bloom noted that the city had experimented with one-way streets at Broadway and Colorado Avenue in busy downtown Santa Monica and that “it didn’t work well.” “I’ll be interesting in seeing what the study shows, but I think there would only be modest gains in traffic movements,” said Bloom, who also noted that one-way streets were not “pedestrian friendly.”
Do you agree? Are one-way streets pedestrian unfriendly and not that efficient? Hit COMMENT and join the debate!
 Is Wilshire Boulevard traffic in Westwood about to get worse? The Business Journal reports that the federal government is close to finalizing its plans for it Westwood property. It includes razing the federal building and replacing it with 1 million square feet of office space. That's less the previously proposed, but residents are still up in arms about congestion:
The local groups say that traffic congestion is the key concern over any possible future development at the GSA property. The adjacent Sepulveda and Wilshire boulevards intersection is one of the busiest corners in traffic-snarled Los Angeles and residents contend any additional development would make traffic unmanageable.Indeed, the project’s leading opposition group is preparing a lawsuit to halt the proposal if the GSA moves ahead with a plan to build the new local FBI headquarters there.
What do you think? It this a good plan for traffic? Hit COMMENT and speak out?
 Steve Lopez has been reading the scores of reader comments to the Bottleneck Blog (now topping 2,000) and believes it's a call to action. In his new column, Steve focuses on some very specific ways the Southland can reduce gridlock (truck tollways, clearing accidents faster, better road technology and even congestion pricing). But he wonders whether the pols have the will to act:
Memo to Gov. Schwarzenegger: We've got 2,000 Bottleneck Blog postings from readers crying out for help and a little leadership. Ditch the Hummer and get behind the wheel of this thing.
What do you think? Let's keep the discussion that Steve started in January going. Hit the COMMENT button and speak out! (see Steve's full column below)
Continue reading "Steve Lopez: Time to act" »
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Chicago beat out L.A. in the U.S. bid for the 2016 summer Olympics. Officials have not exactly said why L.A. was passed over (traffic was an earlier concern). Chicago was pushing a plan that located many events in a small urban area, with easy walking and plenty of mass transit:
