If the government wants to be the big daddy of traffic control then it should also build sufficient lanes to keep the roads moving.
Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
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Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#12When these articles show up now and again, it’s not clear to me why the various impacted cities don’t choose to ban through traffic. Some articles have implied that this is not possible. Los Altos did this a while back[1]. Is there a legal issue the communities surrounding Los Angeles want to avoid, that Los Altos simply took the risk on? [1] https://slate.com/business/2017/06/suburbs-finally-figured-o...
It turns out than bans on through traffic aren't legally enforceable. The signs are merely advisory.
A "no thru traffic" sign may not be legally enforceable, and it's certainly difficult to enforce just from a practical perspective.
But physically making the street not be a through street is possible. Just plop down a couple of Jersey walls and you're done.
Check out how Vancouver made semlin, grant, and gravely forcibly "no thru traffic" here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DFVJNDF2DftbFzpv9
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#13When these articles show up now and again, it’s not clear to me why the various impacted cities don’t choose to ban through traffic. Some articles have implied that this is not possible. Los Altos did this a while back[1]. Is there a legal issue the communities surrounding Los Angeles want to avoid, that Los Altos simply took the risk on? [1] https://slate.com/business/2017/06/suburbs-finally-figured-o...
Menlo Park has a few streets labeled local traffic only as well.
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#14The comedian Pete Holmes has a bit about Waze that is extremely relevant to this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuDCxQdsbmc
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#15In LA are these shortcuts worth it? I was surprised to find with Google maps more often than not it suggests to just take that busy highway that is crawling alone because ... it really is faster. I've tried to defy google maps ... rarely do I win. Granted google maps is wrong at times. During snowstorms it loves to send me down off streets that haven't yet been plowed or ... worse random county roads you do not want…
they can be minimally quicker once Waze catches on. One of my current shortcuts that I've taken for over 10 years dropped off the Waze radar during the summer when traffic is less. With school back in session, I am now saving 15 minutes on my commute. However, once Waze catches on and starts sending folks down my shortcut, I'll be lucky to save just a few minutes. It is for this reason I don't let any apps track my c…
When i'm on a detour of sorts I often look around and wonder... "Are we all just following google?"
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
It turns out than bans on through traffic aren't legally enforceable. The signs are merely advisory.
A "no thru traffic" sign may not be legally enforceable, and it's certainly difficult to enforce just from a practical perspective. But physically making the street not be a through street is possible. Just plop down a couple of Jersey walls and you're done. Check out how Vancouver made semlin, grant, and gravely forcibly "no thru traffic" here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DFVJNDF2DftbFzpv9
Aren't you then trapping the residents who live on that street in?
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
> it’s not clear to me why the various impacted cities don’t choose to ban through traffic Can you physically turn the streets into cul-de-sacs? Where I live a lot of domestic streets are cul-de-sacs presumably to prevent too many people driving past.
Speed bumps go a long way too by dropping the effective speed.
Speed is a huge problem. I make sure I don't go more than 25 through one of the shortcuts I take through a residential area and when Waze starts sending people down these roads they are extremely aggressive behind me. I'm guessing they'd be driving 40 to 50 if I wasn't in their way which is pointless because the route ends in a long line of car's trying to make a turn. When I was young I used to ride my bike through these neighborhoods - I'd be surprised if parents felt comfortable letting there kids do the same today.
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#18If the government wants to be the big daddy of traffic control then it should also build sufficient lanes to keep the roads moving.
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#19If the government wants to be the big daddy of traffic control then it should also build sufficient lanes to keep the roads moving.
Traffic doesn’t work like that. You seem to have a mental model where traffic is modeled like a liquid (traffic has a definite volume and does not expand to fill its container) while many studies show traffic behaves more like a gas (traffic expands to fill its container). Basically, more lanes doesn’t mean less traffic, it generally means the same amount of traffic.
Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”
#20If the government wants to be the big daddy of traffic control then it should also build sufficient lanes to keep the roads moving.
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