Tag Archives: Los Angeles traffic

Carpool Lane Traffic Increases Congestion

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On July 1, 2011 the state of California decided to revoked carpool privileges for hybrid and electric vehicles. They were hoping to decrease traffic congestion in these High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes as the amount of hybrid and electric vehicles on the roads increased. According to a study done by researchers at UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation, the additional vehicles in the regular traffic lanes has slowed all traffic substantially.

Using traffic flow theories and six months of data from roadway sensors measuring speed and congestion along all freeway carpool lanes in the San Francisco Bay Area, researchers found that the slower traffic in the regular lanes made it more difficult for the carpool drivers to migrate in and out of the HOV lanes. The result was an increase of traffic congestion in all lanes. The study suggests that the state should reconsider their decision, and allow the hybrid and electric vehicles back in the carpool lanes.

Carmageddon Urgeds LA Residents To Stay Home

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The 405 freeway will be closed this weekend for about 53 hours as highway crews demolish the Mulholland Drive bridge. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villarigosa, urges residents to “stay home” as the work threatens to impede traffic near the Interstate, making some roads almost impassible. Motorists intent on commuting will see 61 buses added to the city’s transit system, and the subway systems will be prepared for higher ridership traffic. Other services offered include nonstop flights, offered by JetBlue, from Long Beach Airport to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, promoted as the “Fly Over the 405 promotion”, and Briles Wing and Helicopter Inc, will have charter flight services offering trips from Van Nuys Airport to either Los Angeles International or Santa Monica airports. For people or groups planning unauthorized runs of the closed freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department will be on hand to intercept this traffic. The closure, labeled as ‘Carmageddon’, hopes to lessen Los Angeles traffic in a $1.03 billion freeway widening project that will accommodate new carpool lanes by building a bigger bridge 200 feet to the south of the Mullholland bridge.

Los Angeles Gridlock About To Get Worse

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In Los Angeles, the intersection of Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard is well known for its traffic delays and has just gotten worse with the recent $1.3 billion highway reconstruction project. The project, which is expected to take about three years, will bombard local residents with closed exit ramps, shut and narrow lanes, noisy night time construction and detours that will send traffic through residential neighborhoods.

People in Los Angeles often complain about traffic, but this construction project has an unusually broad reach. Not only does it make it almost impossible for commuters to get where they are going, it will also hurt any local businesses in the area as well as make it dangerous in residential neighborhoods due to the increased traffic.

This project is intended to complete a nonstop car-pool lane on the 405 from the 10 on the south side of Santa Monica to the 101 in the Valley. “If we didn’t do this, it would continue to be a nightmare,” said Michael Barbour, who is directing the project for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “I think that message has gotten across to the locals. They understand it. They are sucking it up over the next three years.” But the car pool lane is seen by some as taking a lane of traffic away from all commuters, since it is rare to find people in Los Angeles who are on the same schedules.