WHY L.A. TRAFFIC SUCKS #1: SERVING TOO MANY MASTERS ON YOUR DAILY COMMUTE
Before proposing solutions, we might want to figure out WHY L.A. traffic sucks so bad. "WHY" there is a problem might yield some answers on "HOW" to solve it.
L.A. is made up of several major "cities" (L.A. proper, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica...).When it comes to traffic, all of these cities seem to have their own rules and regulations, quirks and idiosyncrasies (if anybody knows any different, feel free to correct me). As you drive East or West on any of the major boulevards, you'll be driving through at least 5 different "traffic zones", 5 different ways of doing things, 4 or 5 different police departments. That is a FACT, and I challenge anyone to dispute it.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX IT? SOLUTION#1: INTER-CITY COORDINATION
I don't know all the traffic ordinances of the five major "cities" (L.A. proper, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica...) that make up the West Side and all the differences among them. But you don't have to be a scientist to know that things feel a bit different in all five major cities. Parking regulations are not the same in Santa Monica as they are in Hollywood (in parts of Santa Monica, off Nielssen Way, they enforce parking meters, or so the sign says, 24/7, and in some parts off of Main Street they enforce them 'till 10:00pm at night. I myself got a ticket a few minutes before 10:00pm, sitting on a sidewalk caffe in front of my car!!).
Calling for uniform, standard and comprehensive traffic rules for the whole L.A. area (L.A. County) might be a good way to speed up traffic. Part of the traffic "artereosclerosis" of the place comes from its "patchwork design," from all these different cities having developed and doing things in ways that keep traffic from flowing smoothly as cars pass from one to the other. This is one instant in which local interests should be secondary to the interests of the whole L.A. area. It may not be popular with mayors and councilmen and their inflated egos and political power games, but it NEEDS TO BE DONE. Getting all these cities to cooperate on this one might be easier said than done, but there's no question that ALL these cities need to act and behave as ONE to keep traffic flowing in the L.A. area.
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Photo collage of L.A.'s cities by italianesco (how'd you like the "House of Blues" touch? :-) Couldn't find an image for the City of West Ho! So I thought the "House of Blues" sign could stand for it just as well... :-)
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Tuesday, April 25, 2006
"WHY" L.A. traffic sucks #1: Serving too many masters on your daily commute
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1 comment:
Just to clarify...
Major east/west streets that cross different jurisdictions are somewhat limited: Santa Monica, Wilshire, Sunset, & Beverly. And really, only the first two can carry you very far westbound. Also, the east/west jurisdictions are limited to four: Los Angeles (City). west Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and then, on the western-most side of the area: Santa Monica. Hollywood is part of Los Angles City (as is Westwood, Brentwood, & Century City). The true coordination should really be focused between Beverly Hills & L.A. on Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. A small portion of West Hollywood may also need to be examined as well. It really comes down to the smaller cities not meshing with Los Angeles's pace-setting transportation technology to move traffic: ATSAC.
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