Public Space 2
- trobins9
- Sep 28, 2023
- 3 min read
LA Traffic
Los Angeles is an extremely appealing city. Nestled in between luscious mountains and the vast Pacific Ocean, the city sits in a unique bioclimate that receives nearly perfect weather and little variation in season. This endless sunshine and cool climate are tied closely to the social identity of Angelenos and largely created the Southern California dream that caused so many from around the world to flock in droves to the city. However, too much growth has caused a curse in LA, and this cure can be felt by locals, tourists, rich, poor, and casuals alike. This plague is traffic, and at the moment no one has a cure.
You may think, well every big city has traffic, and your right! As the American global population creeps slowly towards 332 million citizens and an upward trend in car ownership continues all American cities will continue to see increases in traffic on their roadways. However, this traffic is not nearly to the extent Angelenos face. A study from SCAG found that the average LA driver spends nearly 100 hours a year stuck in traffic, almost double the national average of 51 hours. Furthermore, the same study estimated that LA traffic costs locals nearly $2,400 in fuel and lost productivity, an unseen number that cannot be afforded by many living paycheck to paycheck. LA’s traffic problem also furthers air pollution within the city receiving an 'F' grade for air quality in 2023 and lowering the quality of life for Angelenos, living in one of arguably the most beautiful regions of the US. Studies from the Rand Corporation indicate the problems traffic brings to the city will continue to rise unless policymakers take action, but in an evergrowing city how can we turn the tide on traffic and take back our city?
Los Angeles traffic problem has many root causes and must be approached multi-faced. The city is inherently flawed to traffic, as it was developed as a commuter city built around the modernization of the car. However, demand has outpaced supply and original developers of the city could have never imagined the amount of current traffic on the road today. To make any change, government officials must develop an expansive new city transportation plan, that collaborates both with infrastructure improvements, and urban planning. Current projects are in the works by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation, like a 2 billion dollar railway that would connect LAX with the rest of LA’s metro rail line. But more projects need to occur to make LA’s railways as efficient and accessible if locals are to ditch cars for public transport. Another solution to LA’s traffic is congestion pricing, which charges drivers to use certain roads or highways. In theory, this would free up space on large roadways and high-trafficked roads. But this solution doesn't solve the problem of road congestion as it would move congestion from one roadway to another. An increase in the development of High-Density, Mixed-Use Development projects would help promote a more walkable city layout, however, this alone won't solve the thousands of extra cars on the road. With all three of these solutions in play, maybe Los Angeles locals could see an easier commute around their city, but if any major city planning and funding is complete, we will continue to be stuck waiting.
Source
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2023/01/10/these-are-the-us-cities-where-motorists-lose-the-most-time-and-money-sitting-in-traffic/?sh=328ea4fa4f1d
https://scag.ca.gov/node/4781
It's crazy to think LA had one of the best transportations systems in the 1800s - 1950s as in the present I would say that it is the absolute worst I have ever seen. As of 5 PM the roads are impossible to navigate through, there is no intricate subway system, and bike paths are not developed well enough. I think this is mainly because as LA was getting built the architects and urban planners solely focused above-land as weather is really good year round. So there was no critical need to build transportation below ground for the "winter".
The traffic situation in LA really is a huge problem. Spending hours stuck in traffic is incredibly frustrating, and it's a shame considering the city's beauty and appeal. I think the proposed solutions, like the new railway projects, are steps in the right direction, but there's still a long way to go. Congestion pricing might help a bit, but it's not going to solve everything. The idea of making LA more walkable is great, but the city's size and layout make it a challenging task. It's going to take a lot of effort and smart planning to see real improvements in LA's traffic situation. It's something I'm hoping to see in the future because, honestly, nobody enjoys being stuck in…
As someone born and raised in LA, I never realized how frustrating traffic was for people from other cities. Of course, I was sometimes bothered by an increasing ETA... but I accepted the insufferable traffic for it what it is because I didn't think there was any solution. However, after coming to USC and meeting people from all over the country (and the world) and learning that traffic isn't this bad everywhere, I now resonate with your confusion and frustration. Our city council has attempted to solve this problem for years and I'm starting to stay optimistic with the expansion of the Metro line. I'm hopeful that one of your proposed solutions works out for the benefit of the city.