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In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

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Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#21

Post by djcapelis »

superuser2 wrote: post #16
thaumasiotes wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's called a gated community and you don't get to fund them with taxpayer money. Sure you do. All you need is to make up a majority of the local voters. Won't work in LA; might work in, say, Long Beach. Residents pass traffic ordinances screwing over drivers for practically no gain to themselves all the time. You're only allowed to vote on policies for where you live , not where you drive.

The city is the functional unit for making that distinction, though, not the neighborhood. LA could vote to exclude non-LA residents, but a specific neighborhood or block could not vote to exclude other city residents.

But isn't that exactly how neighborhood parking permits work?

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#22

Post by jonchang »

scurvy wrote: post #9

I've noticed some of the "Waze shortcuts' making their way into Google maps. Some of these are pretty hairy. For anyone familiar with SF, here's an example: To get from 8th & Bryant to 3rd & Bryant, Google Maps/Waze wants you to get on I-80 at 8th and exit at 4th. That would be OK but you enter 80 from the left side of the interstate and must exit within a quarter mile to the right side of the interstate. This means…

One of my favorite Waze "shortcuts" in Los Angeles has me crossing all 8 lanes of Wilshire Boulevard at an uncontrolled intersection. I always avoid this route in the hope that Google will figure out this is a dangerous intersection but so far it keeps popping up.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#23

Post by superuser2 »

djcapelis wrote: post #21
superuser2 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The city is the functional unit for making that distinction, though, not the neighborhood. LA could vote to exclude non-LA residents, but a specific neighborhood or block could not vote to exclude other city residents.

But isn't that exactly how neighborhood parking permits work?

Neighborhoods (and universities) that reserve space for permit-holding affiliates usually have some paid street or garage parking for visitors. Or street parking is allowed to visitors for a few hours, or for a fee, etc.

Entirely denying passage to outsiders (or charging a toll) is much more extreme. A better analogy might be the Seventeen Mile Drive in Monterey.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#24

Post by Tokala »

WildUtah wrote: post #8

This problem is solved in Berzerkeley and for cheap. [0] [0] https://www.google.com/maps/@37.8633369,-122.2652156,3a,75y,...

This seems to be really common in the Bay Area and was one of the reasons I absolutely hated the city of Berkeley when I was there. You just can't direct traffic like this if your infrastructure can't handle the load to begin with; it's selfish beyond belief.

In Los Angeles, people were using Fullerton Road like this for years. The county finally got funding and actually realigned it to a proper road for people to use to commute on and the original Fullerton Road is back to what it was -- a small residential street.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#25

Post by Tokala »

azernik wrote: post #18

Apps that change their users' behavior can have massive public policy effects. Whether you think this change in traffic patterns is okay or not, it was not made with the public's interests in mind, nor with the input of democratically-elected representatives.

When's the 710 getting finished?

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#26

Post by WildUtah »

Tokala wrote: post #24
WildUtah wrote: post #8

This problem is solved in Berzerkeley and for cheap. [0] [0] https://www.google.com/maps/@37.8633369,-122.2652156,3a,75y,...

This seems to be really common in the Bay Area and was one of the reasons I absolutely hated the city of Berkeley when I was there. You just can't direct traffic like this if your infrastructure can't handle the load to begin with; it's selfish beyond belief. In Los Angeles, people were using Fullerton Road like this for years. The county finally got funding and actually realigned it to a proper road for people to us…

"just can't direct traffic like this if your infrastructure can't handle the load to begin with; it's selfish beyond belief."

This is the same thing the pedestrian, transit, and bicycle fans that make up the majority in Berkeley think about your choice to drive a car at all in their city. And they're right.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#27

Post by WildUtah »

refurb wrote: post #11
tristanj wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mountain View has done the same thing. https://www.google.com/maps/@37.3814583,-122.0585511,3a,75y,...

Wow, if you look at the map where that is, they did it just slightly south of that road as well. Basically you can't get from the east side of that neighborhood to the west side without leaving it.

"you can't get from the east side of that neighborhood to the west"

Of course you can, just use your feet.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#28

Post by WildUtah »

azernik wrote: post #18

Apps that change their users' behavior can have massive public policy effects. Whether you think this change in traffic patterns is okay or not, it was not made with the public's interests in mind, nor with the input of democratically-elected representatives.

"nor with the input of democratic..."

Really? The public and elected officials never decided to build and open public streets that everyone has a right to travel on?

A republic isn't a place where every new decision and idea requires government approval -- that's a totalitarian dictatorship. A republic is where we elect people to set and enforce the rules for us and then we work within the rules absolutely any way we please to fulfill our own individual visions without asking permission from anyone.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#29

Post by urda »

wobbleblob wrote: post #14
mc32 wrote: post #2

Bollards. Give residents proximity sensors which allow them and only them access thru the bollards. Piggy backing will happen but they'll be waiting a log time. Not saying place them everywhere just make it so the open streets are more mazelike so when friends need to visit there is a way in, it just happens to be byzantine, frustrating interlopers who want to cut through.

That's not a solution but a workaround. White people should get over their fear of using public transport. As long as they don't, the necessary investments won't be made to make public transport better.

> White people should get over their fear of using public transport.

Can we drop the racism and focus on making constructive comments? This is HN not some generic forum.

Re: In L.A., One Way to Beat Traffic Runs into Backlash

#30

Post by brianclements »

wyclif wrote: post #19

LA has always seemed like a terrible quality-of-life city to live in because of the traffic. The amount of time spent commuting makes me wonder why tech people, at least, don't want to move out of there.

I wouldn't call it terrible, life is nice in your car compared to say walking around in an east coast city during the winter if you have no car. Especially when it comes to grocery shopping. So I'd call it a trade off. Maybe SF is exempt from this a bit, but city living in a city that has some real weather (my experience was on the east coast) always struck me as very hard on it's human inhabitants compared to the car centric LA lifestyle.
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