Carmageddon II is coming! Will you take on the challenge of staying out of your car for a weekend? Photo by Juan Ocampo
Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription orRSS feed.
The Best Days to Commute in Metro Areas (Governing)
Research firm Inrix reports that the best day for Angelenos to drive to work is Monday. The average commute time on Monday is shortened by three minutes each way, and though that doesn’t seem like much, every minute not spent sitting in traffic is a good minute, right? The worst day for Los Angeles commuters? Thursday. So for those who want to get around the worst of rush hour traffic, perhaps try carpooling or taking public transit on Thursdays.
Learning to Love Congestion (Planetizen)
While on the topic of traffic, Planetizen has an interesting piece on why congestion may actually be a good thing, at least in urban areas. The right kind of congestion can bring prosperity and happiness to downtown centers. The article cites Boston’s Newbury Street as an example of a heavily trafficked and successful area. Which streets in Los Angeles also fit the bill? Downtown’s Spring Street is looking pretty good.
Carmageddon sequel gets a positive spin (Los Angeles Times)
Though apocalyptic traffic might not happen this September, officials gathered yesterday to ask Los Angeles County residents not to get complacent about Carmageddon II. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky led the charge in challenging Angelenos to stay local and stay car-free during the I-405 closure taking place Sept. 29-30.
DASH Downtown Route D to be Extended (LADOT)
Come Monday, DASH Route D riders will be able to easily transfer to the Metro Expo Line. Two new stops have been added at 23rd Street and Flower Street in each direction, right by the Expo Line 23rd Street Station. This brings even more connectivity and transit options for those who live and work in downtown Los Angeles.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
Newbury Street is not a very good comparison to the traffic problems within Boston, let alone Los Angeles. It’s a one-way street parallel to faster roads. No Bostonian drives Newbury to get around: if you drive it at all, it’s because you’re showing off your subwoofer and popped collar. It’s been busy with high-end shopping since the days of the Brahmins.
It’s also paralleled by the Green Line, the oldest subway in North America, and a portion of the Mass Pike (which runs underneath it at Mass Ave, its western end). It has traffic alternatives. It’s a destination, not a connector.
Meanwhile the west side of Los Angeles has connector issues. The Expo Line to Culver City is already proving that Angelinos are eager to take another approach. If Beverly Hills isn’t interested in the Purple Line, then I’m sure Pico/Robertson would make an excellent replacement station. However there isn’t much alternative to surface roads, where buses and cars get stuck with each other and traffic lights are timed too closely to crosswalks and slow down anyone turning right. The traffic isn’t trying to go to Rodeo Drive: it’s going from Palms to Koreatown, from Westwood Village to downtown, from LAX to West Hollywood.
That article took an extreme anomaly — a street that moves slowly enough to be a pedestrian mall in its last couple blocks — and gave it as an example of high traffic as proof of GDP. I’m not getting the point.