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 We'll have a new MTA board chair on Sunday. The new boss wants to get things moving:
Santa Monica City Councilwoman Pam O’Connor will take over as chair of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors Sunday. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will act as first vice chair, and county Supervisor Don Knabe will be second vice chair. "In the coming year, Los Angeles County faces many challenges as we strive to improve mobility for the region through implementation of various transportation improvement programs," O’Connor said. "I look forward to leading Metro on a course that encourages people to ride-share with car pools and van pools or take public transit whenever possible." The MTA will also continue its pursuit of transit-oriented developments, said O’Connor, who has been on the board since 2001. (CNS) (Photo: MTA)
Not a good start to the holiday getaway weekend: A load of animal carcasses that spilled from a big rig on the westbound Pomona (60) Freeway at Crossroads Parkway in Industry is causing a traffic nightmare for motorists. Three lanes are blocked, according to the California Highway Patrol. (CNS)
A couple of questions and answers about congestion pricing:
What are the different types of congestion programs? Many congestion-pricing projects involve charging motorists to drive on certain roads or lanes, with the toll varying depending on the level of traffic. London employs a "cordon charge," in which motorists pay a toll (about $20) for entering a congested district. "Areawide charges" involve charging motorists for using all roads in a certain area.
Where is congestion pricing already being used? In San Diego County, there are express lanes on the 15 Freeway, where motorists pay anywhere from $1.50 during off-peak hours to $4 during rush hour. Orange County has the 91 express lanes, a 10-mile stretch where tolls range from $1.15 to $9.50, depending on the hour.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II
 The MTA's study of congestion pricing is getting strong reaction. The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II reports that AAA is lined up against allowing toll-paying motorists into carpool lanes:
Still, the idea of allowing solo motorists who pay a toll to use carpool lanes is already generating strong opposition from some commuters as well as auto advocacy groups. "We feel it will be a form of double taxation to charge people for the roads they have already paid for by gas taxes," said Hamid Bahadori, principal transportation engineer for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "Rather than trying to restrict access, they had better start delivering on the projects."
The story includes a reader poll on the issue.
 Paris Hilton says she will be a better person after her time behind bars -- and also a better driver. The AP uses this as a jumping-off point to review Hollywood celebrities with driving troubles. Here's a sample (full story below):
-- Mel Gibson tools down Pacific Coast Highway at 87 mph with a bottle of tequila in his Lexus last year before he’s pulled over. After an angry, anti-Semitic rant in which he blames Jews for all the world’s wars, he’s taken to jail for drunken driving.
-- Lindsay Lohan, six weeks shy of the legal drinking age, winds up in the hospital, then under arrest on suspicion of DUI and finally in rehab after crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a curb on the Sunset Strip over Memorial Day weekend.
-- Nicole Richie, 25, is charged with DUI in December after the California Highway Patrol finds her SUV parked in a freeway car pool lane with her in it. She’s entered a not guilty plea.
-- Rapper-actress Eve pleads no contest to DUI after smashing her Maserati into a concrete median on Hollywood Boulevard and is sentenced to wearing a booze-detecting ankle bracelet for 45 days.
Continue reading "Bad celebrity drivers" »
 The Subway to the Sea took a very small step forward today with money for a study. But some members of the MTA want to be clear that the action doesn't mean they support the $4-billion-plus Wilshire Boulevard project:
The MTA board agreed today to spend $3.6 million to study the feasibility of extending the Purple Line to Santa Monica. A federal ban, in place since 1985, prevents the Metro Purple Line from extending west on Wilshire Boulevard past Western Avenue, but the transit agency is moving forward with plans to study alternate routes and preliminary engineering and environmental issues. Board members said commissioning the study, which should take 12 to 18 months to complete, does not mean the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is endorsing the project or will necessarily move forward with plans to extend the Purple Line, which was previously called the Red Line between Union Station and Wilshire/Western. "When we speak in terms of competing for federal funds, there’s also other projects we’re looking at for federal funds as well. I want to be clear that this action, although a first step, is not in any way, shape or form approving a 'subway to the sea,' " said county Supervisor Don Knabe. (CNS)
 Busy day at the MTA, which also approved its budget for the next year, with a few last-minute changes that affect bus service:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board today unanimously approved a $3.1-billion budget for the coming fiscal year. Before the spending plan was approved, board members were granted some last-minute requests, including $4.5 million for 22 bus mechanics and 11 electricians. At the request of Supervisor Gloria Molina and Duarte City Councilman John Fasana, the agency will also spend $975,000 to install video cameras on all buses to monitor accidents and near-misses. The most debated motion was one put forth by Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, who asked that the agency continue bus line 442, between Hawthorne and downtown Los Angeles, for one more year at a cost of $332,000. The line was scheduled for cancellation because of low ridership, but Burke asked that it be given a reprieve after complaints from riders. If the line does not reach 60% capacity in the next year, it will be canceled. Some board members voiced concerns that the motion would undermine the power given to local service sectors, which usually make the decision to discontinue a line. "This is the beginning of opening up the flood gates," Molina said. "There are many lines that we could talk about, and as we look, we don’t have enough budget to operate all of our lines. We committed ourselves to sector governance -- they have their responsibilities and duties." (CNS)
 In a major shift in philosophy, L.A. transit leaders today agreed to develop plans for toll roads in the county within three years.
The decision by the MTA board of directors comes amid criticism that Los Angeles remains one of the few metropolitan areas in the country not to experiment with so-called congestion pricing, in which motorists are charged to use certain roads based on the amount of traffic.
Last month, the county lost out on a major federal grant because it did not have any congestion pricing programs in the works. London and New York have both garnered headlines for efforts to charge motorists who drive into those cities during rush hour. Closer to home, both Orange County and San Diego County have toll roads and so-called HOT (high-occupancy toll) lanes in which motorists pay based on the amount of congestion.
Traditionally, L.A. officials have been cool to congestion pricing, with critics using the term "Lexus lanes," referring to the rich who they say take money away from rail and bus services. But the county’s worsening traffic -- and the need for more transit project revenue -- has changed some minds. "At some point, we have to reduce the number of single-passenger automobiles if we want to reduce gridlock in L.A. County," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. No specific projects have been identified.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II
 The MTA board is still debating its budget, according to The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II. An interesting highlight:
-- There is a push to add a detailed study on congestion pricing in L.A. County. Such pricing -- often in the form of toll lanes and HOT lanes -- are used in Orange County and San Diego County but not in L.A. And the county missed out on some federal funding because of it.
 The Reason Foundation's list of the most traffic-packed states finds California is one of the worst -- but far from the worst (North Dakota and South Carolina take those honors):
California roads are some of the nation’s most congested, the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation said in a survey released today. "Gridlock isn’t going away," said David T. Hartgen, the study’s lead author. "States are going to have to prioritize and direct their transportation money to projects specifically designed to reduce congestion if we are going to reverse this troubling trend." Drivers in California, Minnesota, New Jersey and North Carolina are stuck in the worst traffic, with over 70% of urban interstates in those states qualifying as congested, according to the think tank. (CNS)
Continue reading "We're #7!" »
The latest from The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II: A Los Angeles judge today refused to grant an injunction preventing the MTA from imposing hefty fare hikes for bus and rail service, making it likely the new prices will go into effect as scheduled this weekend.
 A judge this afternoon is deciding whether to issue an injunction that would block the MTA's big fare increases. The Bus Riders Union plans a demonstration after the court hearing at MTA headquarters. The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II will have an update on the court hearing soon.
 A new city audit says L.A. was overcharged in a Dial-a-Ride contract in South L.A. The L.A. Department of Transportation is now trying to recover the funds:
The city of Los Angeles was overcharged $700,000 over eight years under a Dial-a-Ride contract with the nonprofit Watts Labor Community Action Committee, according to a city audit released today. Though the contract is no longer in effect, City Controller Laura Chick said the issue "starkly illustrates things that the city still needs to change." Chick’s audit also found inaccuracies in contractor invoices and a lack of clarity in contract requirements with the nonprofit agency, which provided Dial-a-Ride services on the Westside, South Los Angeles and the Harbor area from September 1998 through last September. The city’s Transportation Department, which oversaw the contract, is working with the city attorney’s office to recover the lost funds, according to the agency’s spokesman, Bruce Gilman. (CNS)
It's been a terrible 12 hours of traffic headaches at the major 60/91/215 interchange in Riverside. Last night, it was that massive fire at the plastics factory that closed the entire interchange. This morning, it's a big rig crash:
A big rig crashed into a support column and spilled fuel on a freeway connector road early today, forcing its closure through the morning rush-hour period, authorities said. According to the California Highway Patrol, the ramp bridging the eastbound (91) Freeway to southbound Interstate 215 was reopened around 10 a.m., roughly six hours after the accident. Caltrans spokeswoman Terese Lagana said the big rig was transitioning from the 91 onto the southbound I-215 connector ramp when it collided with one of several "crash cushions" that shield support columns throughout the 60/91/215 interchange. (CNS)
The great truck protest perhaps ended with a whimper. But organizers were still proud of the turnout. They said some drivers could not take part because they got hauls they needed to move. They also said that they got their point across without hurting fellow commuters.
-Rong-Gong Lin II at the Port of Long Beach
Continue reading "Where were all the trucks?" »
The trucks have parked at the Port of Long Beach. But for some reason there are fewer here for the rally than when the convoy started. There are about 19 trucks now -- compared with about 30 at the start at Exposition Park. The remaining convoy made an extra run around the port to pass the line of cameras one more time.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, at the Port of Long Beach
The trucks just crossed into Long Beach on the Gerald Desmond Bridge -- but did anyone notice in a town so full of big rigs? Maybe not. The roads in and out of the Port of Long Beach are usually jammed with trucks.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, in Long Beach
The truckers are now in the port area, about five minutes from the end of their demonstration. So far, no major delays -- and inside the port, the caravan is increasingly blending in with the rest of the truck traffic.
-- Tiffany Hsu, on Terminal Island
The convoy is now on the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and things suddenly look dramatic. The narrow span offers a good backdrop for the line of trucks crawling over it, led by a white vehicle with a banner reading, in Spanish, "Supporting the Truckers." At the base of the bridge, one car pulled off the road and the driver took pictures (though maybe he's connected to the protest). Next stop: the Port of Long Beach.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, on the Vincent Thomas Bridge
Trucker German Merino says he doesn't want to cause traffic gridlock or do anything to make the commute worse. He does, however, want to make a statement during the protests. As the caravan approaches the port, traffic is going about 35 mph, and some puzzled motorists appear to be trying to figure out what's going on on the 110. Organizers say more trucks will join the caravan as it reaches the port and crosses the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
-- Tiffany Hsu, on the 110 at Pacific Coast Highway
Trucker German Merino, 53, was among the procession of trucks that headed single-file down the slow lane of the 110 Freeway this morning as part of the protest. He said he had worked in the trucking industry for 23 years and wanted to see better conditions. "I like what I'm doing. I like my job," said Merino, a father of four who lives in Bellflower and hauls port containers for Total Distribution Services. "That's why I've been in business for so long. But for 23 years I've been waiting for this trip to come true. To be able to give my family a more stable economy."
-- Tiffany Hsu, on the 110
Turns out it's hard to create a media sensation on the freeway. That's what the trucker/demonstrators are quickly learning. To many veteran freeway watchers, the 30-truck protest march down the 110 looks like just another morning commute. And the truckers are being very polite -- allowing motorists to cut in and other of their convoy. As a result, it appears that many 110 drivers don't even know they're in the midst of a protest.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, on the 110 at the 405
As the caravan approaches the 110-105 interchange, the protest designed to raise attention to port pollution is getting moderate interest. There are few people looking down from bridges over the 110 Freeway, and commuters seem to be taking the protest in stride. When the caravan began, traffic south on the 110 was jammed. Now traffic has opened up. The trucks are still traveling at 20 to 25 mph, but other motorists are speeding through, and many seem to be paying little attention to the protest.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, on the 110 at the 105
The protest got off to a slow start. Instead of 100 trucks, the organizers got only about 30. They hope to pick up more trucks en route to the Port of Long Beach.
All the trucks are in the second lane from the right, traveling about 20 to 25 mph -- well below normal speed. The CHP is out in force. Other lanes are moving fairly well.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, on the 110 at Century Boulevard
We've seen protests on streets, parks, even mountaintops. But today's trucker protest on the 110 may be the first mass protest on a freeway. Bottleneck will cover it, with Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II and Tiffany Hsu in the caravan and checking for traffic trouble spots.
Prepare for congestion — even more than usual — on the Harbor Freeway this morning.
Beginning at 8 a.m., a convoy of 100 diesel trucks plans to travel south in one lane of the freeway from South Los Angeles near Exposition Park, then cross the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the Port of Long Beach, a trip expected to take about two hours. The convoy will be led by a hearse, symbolizing the premature deaths caused by pollution emitted at the port.
"It could cause traffic headaches. It's not often you see 100 trucks going down the road nose to tail," said Officer Richard Langsdale of the California Highway Patrol.
Bottleneck will provide coverage of the freeway protest throughout the morning.
The convoy is being organized by the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, a group that includes truck drivers and environmental, health, labor and community groups in southern Los Angeles County. The group supports a draft plan by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to slash diesel pollution from trucks by 80% in five years.
Some truck drivers have said they support the measure, arguing that they breathe in the pollution too, but cannot afford to resolve the problem on their own. State air quality and health experts have linked 2,400 premature deaths a year to noxious emissions produced by the ports, which reported an average 10% increase in trade in 2006.
The plan would also increase drivers' income by requiring trucking companies to hire their truckers as employees, rather than pay them at a lower rate as independent contractors.
Representatives of trucking companies have opposed the plan, saying they would face additional costs, which could drive small companies out of business. They also have said that the ports' plan would illegally supersede interstate commerce laws.
Organizers said they chose the route because many truck drivers live in South Los Angeles. They will wind up at a closed-door meeting at the Port of Long Beach, where port officials will hear comments about its proposal. Port officials are expected to vote on the plan this summer.
"The intent is to get the voices of the drivers heard," said Patricia Castellanos, co-chairwoman of the coalition. "These drivers don't have the luxury of paying for high-priced consultants."
Langsdale of the CHP said it is illegal for drivers to purposely go slower than the flow of traffic. But it is not illegal to drive the speed limit for big rigs on the freeway — 55 mph.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II
 The city today will unveil another of its red-light cameras -- this one in Van Nuys. It comes with a $381 fine:
Red-light runners at one of the San Fernando Valley’s busiest intersections will be caught on camera beginning tomorrow. The city’s 20th Photo Red Light system, at the intersection of Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Oxnard Street, is scheduled to be switched on during a news conference tomorrow morning. Thirty-one traffic collisions have been logged at the intersection over the last two years, making it a prime target for a monitoring system, according to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, whose 2nd District includes the area. Scofflaws receive a $381 ticket in the mail, along with a photo of their vehicle running the red light. The city’s 2006-07 budget set aside more than $1 million to equip 32 intersections with cameras that will snap photos of scofflaw drivers, but the city has fallen behind on installing the equipment. (CNS)
Inland Empire commuters can expect this massive fire to cause major delays for the evening ride: A roaring fire in an industrial yard sent a huge column of black smoke blowing across Riverside County on Tuesday. The fire burned furiously in a large commercial yard filled with crates, lumber, barrels and trash. About 20 firefighters poured streams of water onto the site, near the junction of the 60 and 91 freeways and Interstate 215. "I’ve never seen anything like this in my life," said Lee Carmen, 39, who owns a nearby cabinet shop. "It’s just getting worse and worse." (AP)
 You might want to stay away from the Harbor Freeway through South L.A. this morning. That's when 100 truckers have vowed to stage a convoy/protest down the freeway to push for "green trucking" at the port. Here is the staging: 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. One hundred port drivers assemble with their trucks at the staging location at Exposition Parking Lot 5, 807 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (at Hoover Street), L.A.
8 to 10 a.m. The massive convoy of diesel-spewing trucks heads south, jamming the 110 Harbor Freeway during late-morning rush hour.
10 a.m. Trucks and drivers, along with environmental, community and public health activists, arrive for a rally at the Port of Long Beach headquarters.
 The PT reports that charges were filed against an alleged drunk driver who police claim hit more than 20 cars -- and two people -- during a spree in Belmont Shore earlier this year:
Drunk-driving and hit-and-run charges were filed Friday against a Long Beach man who, according to police, hit about two dozen cars and two people on a wild night in Belmont Heights earlier this year. No one was seriously hurt in the incident, but property damage ran high when David Wecksler -- allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance -- plowed into row after row of parked cars in Belmont Heights on Feb. 15, said Accident Investigations Detective Brian Watt.... Wecksler, 31, told police he had been playing poker with friends at 10th Street and Loma Avenue and had a few drinks, but insisted it was a blown tire that caused him to lose control.
 As promised, opponents of the MTA's fare hikes are going to court in an attempt to block the higher charges. The challenge raises the specter of more litigation for the MTA just as it exits a federal consent decree. From the press release:
According to a lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Bus Riders Union (BRU) and the Labor/Community Strategy Center (LCSC), MTA violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by approving massive bus fare increases without considering the environmental impacts of its decision. By turning riders into drivers, groups say the fare increases -- as high as 140% -- will result in even more air pollution, global warming emissions and traffic congestion. Indeed, MTA's own projections and analyses confirm that the increases will cause more pollution. "The MTA is forcing many thousands of riders off the system and back into cars," says David Pettit, director of the NRDC's Southern California Air Program. "This will bring into our streets, roads and highways an enormous number of cars, trucks and other vehicles, increasing pollution and exacerbating traffic congestion."
 Looks like the LAPD has a new way to combat the paparazzi. Officials announced that beginning today, many blocks around Paris Hilton's Hollywood Hills home will become temporary "No Stopping" zones -- just as the hotel heiress is about to be released. Residents have complained loudly to The Times about the media circus that occurred the morning Hilton was hauled back to jail earlier this month. We wonder if this new tactic will be used elsewhere if it works on the most closely watched jail release in some time. Here are the streets in question:
-- Kings Road from Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood Boulevard
-- Harold Way between Queens Road and Kings Road
-- Carlton Way between Queens Road and Kings Road
-- Queens Road from Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood Boulevard
(Photo: AP; LAPD parking bulletin below)
Continue reading "No Parking in Parisland" »
Here's a new way for the Vals to get to the beach -- a shuttle service that officials hope will make the canyon roads a bit safer:
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Council members Dennis P. Zine and Wendy Greuel will hold a news conference to promote the new Topanga Canyon Summer Beach Bus connection with the Orange Line at Warner Center Transit Station. The service to Topanga, Will Rogers State and Santa Monica beaches will begin Monday and run through Labor Day. (CNS)
Another freeway shooting, this one on the 405 in Huntington Beach. Thankfully, no one killed this time: A suspect remained at large today in connection with a road rage exchange of gunfire with another motorist in Huntington Beach that sent a bullet into a third vehicle, injuring the driver, police said. The suspect, driving a light blue Chevrolet El Camino, exchanged gunfire about 4 p.m. Friday with Michael Layton, 35, of Long Beach as the two entered the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway from Beach Boulevard, said Huntington Beach police Sgt. Michael Spencer. A bullet from the exchange left Mark Chang of Redondo Beach with facial lacerations, either from broken glass or bullet fragments, Spencer said. (CNS)
 Wow! When you put it that way, it is impressive. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin offers some historic context to the upcoming opening of the 210 Freeway through San Bernardino County. It's been an epic project that began 40 years ago:
It'll be almost 40 years between the opening of the first part of the 210 Freeway and completion of its last piece later this year. That's more years than it took America to complete the transcontinental railroad, dig the Erie Canal, build Hoover Dam and finish the Panama Canal -- combined. The final eight miles from Fontana to San Bernardino will end the last major Southern California freeway project south of the San Gabriel Mountains, according to Ty Schuiling of San Bernardino Associated Governments, the county's transportation authority. With the exception of an endlessly delayed chunk of the 710 Freeway in South Pasadena, the 210 link is all that's left of the ambitious Southern California freeway-building plan begun more than a half-century ago.
 How bad? Here's how bad. The Times' Rong-Gong Lin II reports that the vast majority of Southern California's carpool lanes don't comply with federal standards. This map tells the story. Apparently, some are much worse than others:
A Caltrans study found that during the evening rush hour, nearly one-third of carpool-lane miles do not meet federal minimum standards, which require that the lanes flow at speeds of 45 mph or faster at rush hour. The speeds are far lower on some major Southern California routes, including portions of the 405 Freeway from the South Bay through Orange County as well as the 5 and 210 freeways. Local officials say the 91 Freeway carpool lanes connecting Orange County and the Inland Empire can slow to 10 mph during rush hour, with portions of the 55 and 57 freeways doing even worse.
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We'll have a new MTA board chair on Sunday. The new boss wants to get things moving:
