This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Hollywood Freeway Ranked #1 for Worst Commute
Photo by staceyviera via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
Photo by staceyviera via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
Everyone bitches about the 405, but seriously, the 101 is the city's hidden monster. See, the 405 you can at least expect to suck. The 101, on the other hand, plays tricks on you, being all perfect at times and then a total suck face other times. The Daily Beast released today a list of America's 75 worst commutes, and lo and behold, the Hollywood Freeway is ranked as the country's worst commute.
Research has found that the freeway has 686 hours of weekly bottleneck congestion with the worst bottleneck found at Vermont Avenue in southbound lanes (we agree!). That bottleneck tends to be .64 miles with the speed of 14 mph. "I recall they would say things like it's a 20-minute trip downtown on the Hollywood Freeway," Metro chief executive Art Leahy told the blog about traffic when he was growing up in Los Angeles. "No one anticipated the congestion that would emerge."
There are four reasons why we have a congestion problem, according to Anthony Downs, author of Stuck in Traffic, finds The Daily Beast:
- The core of the city goes to and from work at the same time.
- Good jobs means multiple cars in households.
- When roads were conceived, they weren't conceived for the current population.
- More cars = more accidents = more traffic.
The list of worst commutes wasn't compiled subjectively. The blog partnered with the traffic-tracking firm INRIX, "which culls information nationwide from more than 1.5 million GPS units, mostly in freight trucks." First they identified the worst cities, then found the worst commute within.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
