roughbeast

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:48:41 -0800

Subways are nice, but that is in the whenever future and this is now. Going west on Colorado in Eagle Rock trying to get from the Eagle Rock Plaza to the 2 takes no less than four red lights, and it's four blocks. This is just ridiculous. LA traffic is so much go-stop-go that it makes me think the Bush administration has put Liberty University grads in charge of LA traffic - a particularly diabolical payback, no? Look - one-way streets work everywhere they've been tried, from New York City on down to San Luis Obispo. Every major American city uses them. I don't get the no-left-turn stuff - what is the problem when you're turning in either direction from a one-way street? Where do people come up with these ideas? This left-turn thing is not an issue. The miracle of one-way streets is to enable easy timing of traffic signals, though two-way streets can also be timed - you simply start the timing at either end of the street or wherever you want the timing to start. Sunset could be one-way with no problem, and Santa Monica or Melrose or Beverly could be the same. Still, even these streets can have timed signals. For westbound traffic the timing starts at the east end, and vice-versa for eastbound. I've seen this work in many big cities, and it's such a stress-reliever. Left-turn lanes and signals at major intersections should be mandatory - why are so many left-turn signals not working? Another no-brainer - pedestrians should all cross at the same time, and that includes diagonally, while all traffic sits at a red light. Pedestrians here are a major impediment to traffic flow - often only one car can make it through a left-turn because of pedestrians, who take their time and cross against the warning hand. I've seen only one intersection in the area using this, and I was agog, since it's done so many other places. Y'know, LA is the place where cars first ruled. Well, we're stuck with it for the time being. But you'd think LA would also be in the forefront of traffic management using such simple tactics as one-way streets and others I've mentioned above. Instead, LA traffic seems to be managed by people who are either the dumbest of government bureaucrats or the least imaginative (well, maybe it's the same thing). The situations drivers face on city streets are otherwise just inexplicable. I live in Silver Lake, and the idiocies abound here as they do everywhere else in LA.

ulia

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:31:28 -0800

I live in Rancho Park (next to Cheviot Hills) and there are PLENTY of us here who want the Expo line coming through. Makes perfect sense to put a light rail on a right-of-way that already exists. I'm very fortunate to work at home so my commute involves cats in the hallway, but on the days that I have to be in Santa Monica in the afternoon (after 3) I know it will take FOREVER to get home no matter what route I take. Why not build the subway and the light rail all at the same time and why not NOW?

lahipster

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:45:36 -0800

bring that train through the westside i was down in austin texas in march they have 1 way street in their downtown east, west north, south it works

Suze

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:40:41 -0800

Why can't we just have commuter trains like every other major city in the US/world? You could even just put them back where they used to be - DUH! DOT are idiots

LAist: Love is not a one way street

roughbeast

ulia

lahipster

Suze