If owners of gas-guzzling motor homes think they can cut down on their gas bills by simply leaving their RVs parked on the street, they better think again. At least in Redondo Beach. The city is considering new restrictions on over-sized vehicles parked on public streets and lots, reports the Daily Breeze. One proposal would require that RVs be moved every four hours.
Other cities, such as Los Angeles, have toughened laws on RV parking as growing ranks of homeless take up permanent residence in the vehicles. In Redondo Beach, however, most of the complaints revolve around safety and aesthetics. RV owners, of course, argue that the new restrictions are not needed and costly, forcing many to pay for private storage.
"This motor home's been sitting here since 1991," said Anita Mack, referring to her brown RV parked on Flagler Lane, across from the city's Dominguez Park. If the rules change, "I don't know what we'll do with it," she said, explaining it would be costly to pay for storage. "It never bothered anybody up until now."
The city's police department will hold a workshop tonight to go over the RV parking proposals.
No hands on the cell phone come July 1? No problem. Plenty of crazy and dangerous behavior is still legal behind the wheel, as our own car guru, Dan Neil, demonstrates. Admit it -- you've seen most of this stuff (and done some of it) on our local freeways.
Will it finally happen -- will insane fuel prices get us to actually ditch our cars? That's the hope behind Thursday's third annual Dump the Pump Day. It's the brainchild of the American Public Transportation Assn., and, with benefits like less congestion and air pollution, you'd better believe local transportation officials are hoping our car-addicted city will give it a shot. There's an online tool kit.
You'll get a free one-day bus pass in the O.C., where they've gone one better and declared it Dump the Pump Week. San Bernardino area residents get a similar offer from Omnitrans. You'll get a free one-day pass from Foothill Transit, says the Long Beach P-T, but you have to take a survey on the agency's website. You can bike, take Metro, work from home or, for the slackers among you, call in sick.
Our own Peter Viles has been tracking the price of a gallon of gas at his local Mobil station. How much time transpired between the photo on the left and the one on the right?
A disheartening answer (and a few more pix) at his fine blog, LA Land.
George Calvarescu bought a kayak, saw the L.A. River, had an epiphany and, 52 miles later — dressed in his business suit — the San Fernando Valley resident had paddled the L.A. River downstream to work in Long Beach. Full story in the LaLa Times.
We always thought the perfect symbol of Orange County was a black Mercedes SUV wedged into a compact parking space at South Coast Plaza. But the folks at the Orange County Transit Authority have a different idea. They are planning to spend $250,000 on a monument sign to make certain that motorists on the 5 Freeway know for sure that they are leaving Los Angeles behind and crossing the county line (as if the newly widened freeway on the O.C. side is not enough of a reminder).
But, as The Times' David Reyes points out, the transit authority board members had mixed opinions about the proposed 18-foot-high sign, which features "ORANGE COUNTY" spelled out in 3- and 4-foot-high letters set on stone towers. "Kind of stodgy," said one. "Maybe it needs to be peppier," said another.
OK. So maybe the monument sign does look like the entrance to just another South County gated community. Help them out. How would you let motorist know you have entered the O.C.?
So spiking gas prices have done what no amount of begging, pleading or green-guilting could achieve -- growth in ridership on local rail lines, the Star-News reports. The Gold Line takes top honors with a 19 percent increase, while the Red Line boasts a more modest 5 percent rise.
"When we begin to approach the $5 mark, we anticipate more people will start to park their SUVs and start using public transit for their commute," [Metro spokesman Rick] Jaeger said.
The hike in Gold Line ridership has been evident for a while to longtime users at the Sierra Madre Villa Station in East Pasadena, which had already filled to its nearly 1,000-vehicle capacity by 9 a.m. Tuesday.
"I can't find any parking at all anymore when I come at 11 a.m.," said Linette Dai, who uses the Gold Line occasionally to get to her job in Chinatown. "Before, you could find some really great parking spots in the morning."
You'll shell out $1.25 for a one-way ticket on the Metro Rail, no matter where it goes. Ride all day for just five bucks, which many expect will soon be the price of a gallon of gas.
Driving your car? Then get that dog live animal out of your lap! Yep, that's just one of a host of proposed laws working their way through the state legislature and right into your car. Patrick McGreevy has the details of how your elected officials want you to behave when you're in the driver's seat:
One lawmaker wants to restrict driving by truants and high school dropouts. Another would regulate where global positioning system devices can be installed. Another wants a new state committee to study the danger that silent-running electric cars pose to blind pedestrians.
(Skip)
Another bill introduced this year would allow those convicted of drunk driving to obtain restricted licenses by installing a device that requires the driver to pass a Breathalyzer test before the ignition can be started. Still another would empower local agencies to seize cars when they are used for street racing or for the solicitation of prostitutes.
Other proposals: You need a high school diploma to get a California driver's license, and (OK, this one wasn't completely serious) you can use the car pool lane if you buy carbon credits. Read the rest in Patrick's full story.
Apparently it's going to take more than just expensive gas for Southern Californians to give up their cars and ride mass transit for work or pleasure. The most recent figures from the MTA showed that average weekday bus and subway boardings actually fell 4.5% during the first four months of this year compared with the same period in 2007. That translates into 280,000 fewer boardings on an average weekday. What's going on?
MTA spokesman Rick Jager blames last year's fare increase, which raised the prices of many day and weekly passes.
Of course, low bus fares are no guarantee that Southern Californians will hop on board even as gas approaches $4 a gallon. That's what the owners of the Megabus have discovered. The bus company began service out of Los Angeles last summer with fares as low as $1 to Las Vegas and San Francisco. But even with rock-bottom fares, Megabus said some of its vehicles traveled with only a dozen passengers on board. Today, the company told The Times' Andrea Chang it would drop the service.
In an earlier story this week, Megabus President Dale Moser said it's not clear why bus service was such a tough sell.
"Maybe, truth be told, we were unable to get them out of their cars," he said.
Fabian Nuñez, the speaker of the state Assembly, leaves the Legislature on Tuesday. What's the legacy this son of a gardener has left behind? He fulfilled his promise to make his chamber once again "the house of ideas," but what about his vow to restore the people's faith in government? Nancy Vogel looks at one chapter of Nuñez's political career.
An overturned big rig on the 60 Freeway is causing a major backup, Francisco Vara-Orta reports.
Actor Dennis Farina says he forgot all about that gun in his briefcase as he tried to get on a plane at LAX. Yeah, he's been booked on a weapons charge, Jean-Paul Renaud reports.
Why are these gifted kids being ignored in the public schools? Stressing test scores puts the spotlight on underachievers, educators say, and the smartest kids fall through the cracks. Details from Carla Rivera.
Catch-22: The weaker dollar increased demand for U.S. goods, but there aren't enough containers to ship them, so exports go down and the dollar weakens and ... well, you get the picture. Ronald D. White explains what's happening.
Cliff Moore gave up his two-hour commute on public transportation to drive the 25 minutes to work instead. He'd rather take the bus, but changes by the MTA made his bus ride even longer and more unpredictable, so he hit the road. Steve Hymon explains.
When a mechanic from Half Moon Bay fueled his cars and trucks with used fryer grease, he got slammed with so many rules, regulations and taxes, he had to give up on his environmentally friendly venture and go back to Big Oil. Evan Halper has the maddening details:
The government rang to notify [Dave] Eck that he was a tax cheat. He was scolded for failing to get a "diesel fuel supplier's license," reporting quarterly how many gallons of grease he burns, and paying a tax on each gallon.
(skip)
He can also get in trouble for carting kitchen grease away from eateries without a license from the state Meat and Poultry Inspection Branch.
Or for not having at least $1 million in liability insurance, in case he spills some of the stuff. Or for not getting permission from the state Air Resources Board to burn fat in the first place.
The regulations are so burdensome that even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, trying to set an example for Californians by driving a Hummer that burns cooking oil he buys at Costco, had not complied.
Grab your blood-pressure meds and read the rest of the story about why it's almost impossible to (legally) make your own biodiesel in California.
What -- you were expecting quick action? Our traffic guru, Steve Hymon, is here with how things work in the real world:
Superior Court Judge John Torribio issued a stinging ruling this morning that prevents the city of Los Angeles from going forward with a plan to make Olympic and Pico boulevards behave more like one-way streets. Torribio said that the project -- backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Jack Weiss -- needs to be extensively studied under the California Environmental Quality Act first before going forward. In other words, the city is going to have to do a lengthy impact study, which typically takes months to complete, circulate and get approved.
It's a bit of a victory for the homeowners and businesses who had sued the city to stop the plan. More info on what happens next in Steve's full story.
Along with sporting a new tattoo, many young Marines like to show off a new motorcycle upon returning home from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the combination of bravado and inexperience has led to an alarming increase in the number of motorcycle deaths and injuries among Marines and other members of the armed forces. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that motorcycle accidents last year killed 19 Marines, the largest number in several years:
Military commanders say the deaths are largely the result of boredom, bonus pay that can top $20,000 and $30,000, and adrenalin to burn off after troops return from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
All Marines and other troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now required to attend sessions on motorcycle and off-road vehicle safety. Some Marines call them "Don't Be Stupid" lectures.
In addition, the Marine Corps is sponsoring popular motorcycle stunt shows that stress safety. On Saturday in Twentynine Palms, more than 14,000 Marines and members of the public attended such a show, where professional motorcycle drivers like Tony Carbajal wowed the crowds with their skills while clad in helmets, spine protectors and other safety gear.
"Lots of them like to ride but they don't have a lot of experience and they don't know a lot about proper riding gear," Carbajal said of the Marines. "The next thing you know, they're getting hurt or killed."
So you've played by the rules, found a car pool (or bought a hybrid with a sticker) and you're happily zipping (well, sometimes) along in the carpool lane. Get ready: The rules could be changing. Our traffic guru, Steve Hymon, was at an MTA board meeting this morning where they approved that plan to make you pay to use the carpool lane.
The MTA board this morning voted unanimously to move forward on a plan to convert carpool lanes on parts of the 10 and 210 freeways in the San Gabriel Valley to congestion pricing lanes -- in other words, toll lanes.
Several board members said they would like to see vehicles with three or more passengers use the lanes for free. The plan is to use over $200 million in federal funds to ramp up express bus service on both not-quite-free-anymore-freeways.
Lots of bureaucratic hurdles before the plan sees the light of day, but we thought you'd want to know where things are headed.
A bunch of passengers duct-taped a man to his seat aboard a flight from Hong Kong to LAX this morning after he attacked one of the flight attendants, the AP is reporting. He was apparently drunk, and when he got to L.A., he was definitely under arrest.
A busy day for traffic guru Steve Hymon. Here he is again:
This just in from the Republic of Santa Monica: A group calling themselves the Residents' Initiative to Fight Traffic said today that they turned in 10,295 signatures to the city to qualify a November ballot measure that would limit commercial development in the city for the next 15 years.
"Out of control" is how one member of the group described development in the city-by-the-sea. Signatures still have to be counted -- and verified. The magic number: about 5,800.
Stay tuned. And in the meantime, check out the group (RIFT, get it?) at its website.
The effects of Earth Day keep trickling down. Our traffic guru, Steve Hymon, took time out from stop-and-go traffic to watch city officials squirt fizzy wine (Barefoot Bubbly, bought by Metrolink honcho Keith Millhouse) at a train. He explains why:
Metrolink, the Southland's commuter rail service, celebrated the first of its new 'green' locomotives at its Taylor Yard facilities. Although this $1.9-million, 3,600-horsepower bad boy (or girl) only gets one half-mile to the gallon, its emissions of various ingredients that contribute to smog are 40% to 70% less than current engines, Metrolink officials said. They who challenged freight haulers to clean up their notoriously dirty choo-choos.
This is the first of 15 new locomotives purchased by the railroad and, because they're more powerful than the current fleet, the hope is to use them to pull longer trains that can carry more passengers.
"We're not that gigantic in terms of how many people we now carry," said David Solow, the chief executive of Metrolink. "But if we can take 5 to 10% of the traffic off the freeway, that would really affect traffic flows."
If the trains are a success, maybe next time the opening ceremonies can graduate to actual Champagne.
Bicycles are no match for cars and trucks. But on L.A. streets, it seems like growing numbers of bike riders are taking on many of the most arrogant and annoying habits of their gas and diesel guzzling counterparts. The blogger known as El Chavo on the Eastside Blog describes an unpleasant encounter with L.A.'s new "Bike Kulture" while driving very slowly behind a rider on Monte Vista Street in Highland Park.
"She proceeded to reach into her backpack to look for something, slowing down to a crawl as she pretended to rummage through her stuff for that one thing she needed immediately. Even though she could have easily pulled over to the right (there weren’t even any cars parked on this stretch) she stayed in the middle of the traffic lane as if to prove some point, and never pulled anything out. Yeah, I get it, I’m the chump going 5 mph because you hate my transportation."
El Chavo, also a bike rider, is quick to point out that many bike advocates wouldn't condone this kind of behavior. But El Chavo fears inconsiderate bike "idealogues" will ruin it for everyone.
"If you’re trying to get people out of their cars, doesn’t it make sense to play nice and share the road with the rest of us?"
Now the files and photos on your laptop are fair game to customs agents at LAX and no, unlike the police, they don't need probable cause to search them. That's the latest ruling, handed down yesterday by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
The search-and-seizure case got started when a U.S. Customs inspector found child porn on a laptop belonging to O.C. resident Michael Arnold when he passed through LAX in 2005 after a trip to the Phillipines.
A search of a personal computer is more intrusive than an inspection of someone's car or luggage, she said, because people use computers as "an extension of ourselves. It really is like looking into someone's mind, rather than looking into a box or a folder or a purse."
The ruling would authorize airport searches of other electronic devices such as cellphones without evidence of wrongdoing, Bednarski said.
Arnold had been randomly chosen by customs agents for the search. They powered up his laptop, searched the desktop and folders and found the pornography. He now faces charges of possessing and transporting child porn. If convicted, he faces 30 years in federal prison.
More noise -- lots of it -- if you live near Van Nuys Airport and Burbank airport officials get their way. That's right, after years of study and millions of dollars, they've come up with a way to make the area near Bob Hope Airport a bit quieter: send some planes to Van Nuys. Jennifer Oldham reports:
It's taken eight years and $6 million for Burbank airport officials to come up with a proposed solution to ease sleep-depriving aircraft noise that has frustrated nearby residents for decades: Shift some overnight operations to Van Nuys Airport.
Needless to say, the plan to send 16 flights per night to Van Nuys has people there hopping mad. No matter what the Burbank panel decides, this isn't the last of the matter. Small airports everywhere are looking for ways to reduce noise (it can make you sick) and make the neighborhoods more livable.
If owners of gas-guzzling motor homes think they can cut down on their gas bills by simply leaving their RVs parked on the street, they better think again. At least in Redondo Beach. The city is considering new restrictions on over-sized vehicles parked on public streets and lots, reports the Daily Breeze. One proposal would require that RVs be moved every four hours. 
