folder fanatic

The long anticipated super gridlock of traffic is seemingly about to arrive next month here in the Los Angeles area. Our great local leaders are desperately resorting to anything from bleating pleas, long winded empty threats, to the real capper:

".....Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky put a doomsday-type spin on his message: "This doesn't need to be a car-mageddon.

"....The best alternative route is to totally avoid the 405 area, completely avoid it, don't come anywhere near it, don't even think about coming to it," he said. "Stay the heck out of here....."-https://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18216312

That does not mean our car loving population is forgotten in the race to build another shrine in the shape of a new bridge to the ever desired auto. Here are some proposed ideas and programs suggested for the trapped populace to use (mainly buses & bikes):

Metro: Free subway rides during 405 closure
https://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18216274

Or just unlucky and locked in:
https://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18212978

And the Official Website:
https://www.metro.net/projects/I-405

Whatever actually happens and takes place will provide urban/traffic planners, sociologists, the media, politicians of all government levels, hapless residents, and doomsayers all a chance at observing (and even participating in) a huge experiment of epic proportions (at no cost-at least it appears to me-to the people who are behind the construction). Not to forget the Eastside residents (most of us who are not rich or movie stars) trying to escape the July heatwave to the beaches (located mostly all on the Westside where the 405 is like a asphalt barrier for most of the Los Angeles county).

Whatever happens I do know of one sure thing of the people living here. These people are not sheep that like to be shepherd about to the whim of others. They want to drive whenever and wherever they want to go right now. I see alot of tension that might not be so good for the great leaders of the community-especially when they are up for reelection.

dynodonn 

Oh, just to have one tenth of one percent of the money spent to rebuild this freeway to be invested into bicycling infrastructure.

Ekdog

Yes! But those Angelenos "are not sheep that like to be shepherd[ed] about to the whim of others". No one is going to tell them to build anything but more freeways, by God.

sharrn

Agreed.

wahoonc

or mass transit. I read a recent article that pointed out the more is spent (federally) on highways in a single year that has been spent on Amtrak in 40 years ...and they grouse about subsidies!

Aaron

travelmama

The closure of the 405 freeway for 53 hours will be very interesting because so many depend on it to get to/from Los Angeles to the Valley. There is a bus line that runs alongside the freeway but I bet there will be nearly empty buses during these hours. The Red Line may be a bit crowded because it is free but not with passengers who can't take the 405 freeway.

PolishGuy

Yes, this should be interesting. The money spent on this construction project along with the now in progress HOV expansion lane project for the 5 freeway (?) through Burbank and the east San Fernando Valley is just staggering. Meanwhile folks in the valley, my part of the world, are still moaning and groaning about the cost and lane reduction, aka traffic calming, on Wilbur Ave. The motorist mindset is absolutely amazing as to it's narrow focus. Or, as my dad would mockingly say, "don't confuse me with facts, I know what I know and that's all I need to know 'cause it's right". PG.

Roody

Maybe it will be a tipping point?

Roody

As we discussed in another thread, the only way a project like HOV expansion will work to decrease congestion is if you simultaneously reduce capacity of the highway. By building a new HOV lane, you just make more room on the highway for even more cars and even more congestion. This is stupid. They should have converted an existing lane to HOV rather than building a new HOV lane.

Booger1

OMG!!!! The freeway will be closed for 2 days.......How will I survive!!!!!! The whole SFV is going to starve to death!!!!! How will they get water and food for all that time!!!!!! I hope the killer bees don't attack at the same time!!!!!

wahoonc

WD-40 or carb cleaner will work on the killer bees

Aaron

AdamDZ

No kidding. They've added lanes to 495 (Long Island Expressway) in Long Island, NY (next to NYC) in the last decade ago to make room for HOV lanes and traffic is just as bad or even worse. Many people started taking the railway, but that is at capacity too, I heard. Although, to be honest, we're talking distances in excess of 20 miles one way, not realistic to bike for 99% of the population.

Robert Foster

It will slow things down but they know they can cut over to the 101 till it turnes into the 170 then take the 5 north or do the reverse to go south But I am surprised they are making to 405 wider. I thought it was already 8 lanes wide, 4 each way? It will now be 10 lanes wide?

Spudd

I don't know about LA, but we have 12 lane highways here in Toronto and they still get jammed up.

gerv 

Carmageddon... I think it's a very catchy concept. Make a great movie. Where is Bruce Willis these days?

gerv 

Look at it this way. The freeway has 12 lanes of capacity for cars and leaves the city streets empty enough for you to ride a bicycle.

Dahon.Steve

All this concern because they are going to build HOV lanes from what I understood are hardly used! All that money spent when almost everyone is driving by themselves! A billion dollars could have built lightrail for 20 miles if they did it right!

folder fanatic

Not a likely scenario as there is never a dull moment here as far as the private motor vehicle is concerned. Most of the streets that go through to another one are usually clogged with idiot drivers around the clock attempting to get anywhere they could by pointing a car to and along them in a have-to-get-to-someplace right now desperation.

We had one of the best trolley systems in this country 50 or 60 years ago. People voted with their car keys to their transport-of-choice and never looked back except for nostalgia that the oldest among us could only lay actual claim to by knowing what mass transit is really like.

velocycling

I will bet it will be a pay HOV. Meaning single drivers just pay to used it with Fasttrack. The state thinks it can regain money by charging. Unfortuantely, it will never even come close to breaking even.

crazybikerchick

But those 12 lanes of cars on the freeway have to enter and exit the freeway and drive on city streets at some point. Building more highways is not going to make city streets less congested. Particularly if a new highway is attractive enough to make people choose to live further away from their jobs, or switch from public transit to driving to work.

gerv 

Having been stuck in Toronto traffic, particularly the QEW, I guess I would agree... particularly when you get close to the downtown exits. Almost every car has a single occupant. Everyone is driving madly, unless they are otherwise preoccupied.

My son used to commute from Hamilton to various spots in the Toronto area. Usually on the QEW or 401. He was so happy to finally get a gig in the downtown area where he could ride the train. Extra hour of napping or reading. Very low stress... unless he sleeps through his stop and ends up in Ajax

I'm not sure why all those motorists don't know about this.

Dahon.Steve

OH my! I ride an express bus each morning and usually nap through most of it since I'm tired in morning. Well today, I had alot of energy and was wide awake! It was the most stressful journey I had in a loooong time watching our bus driver fight the cars as we tried to enter the turnpike! The cars around us were acting like crazies cutting our bus off, honking at each other. I shut my eyes and forced myself to take that nap and ignore what was going on outside.

Reesh

It's too bad our cities weren't more suited for something like London's congestion charge system. Studies have shown that it's incredibly effective at reducing congestion (even if it enfuriates cabbies). Boston and Manhattan might be good candidates due to some of their natural geographic boundaries and layout.

Hippiebrian

The answer is simple, really. Move to the beach, man! There is no life east of the 405!

folder fanatic

Ah yes, the celebrities, rich people, and real estate agents want you to believe that. But I noticed that the further east you go, the more affordable housing becomes available (low taxes, cheaper purchase price, larger house for price). The trade-off is the hotter it becomes the farther away you get from the sea breezes. 9 months out of the year is fine. It is the 3 or so months that is the temperature killer here. Then living in the Westside's natural air conditioning sea breeze influence is upheld by these movers and shakers of our society-and envied by the rest of us.