what a joke this piece is, and some of the comments are insipid. really, Stockholm? a trolley to no where. the trolley system, or lack there of, is a result of decisions and trends coming of age 60 years ago. business hours are 9-5, not 6:30am to whenever you think you should go home. charging people to drive their car into a town? there would and should be a revolution, and maybe then, some of you socialist nationals might actually come to understand a market economy. that would be the only economy that works and builds wealth and lives, and… Read more »
luca d – I’ll just add the point that socialism is generally defined as the government providing services to all citizens for free, which is exactly what we have right now with the roads. A system in which people have to pay for what they use (which is what I was proposing) is often referred to as capitalism or neo-liberalism.
Cathy
10 years ago
Yes, to SaveWeho and Brian….how creative to use the medians for either a trolley or monorail or some other PRT (personal rapid transit)….remember Nick Garzilli who ran for City Council, that was his platform. Sounds too futuristic? well, don’t look now but the future is NOW! Why our city chose to remove the reamining trolley tracks when they “beautified” SMB is beyond me….serious lack of planning if you ask me.
Patrick
10 years ago
Two of the main problems concerning the major traffic jam that hits Santa Monica Blvd is the area between La Cienega and Doheny. Traffic signals that treat minor side streets like major intersections, way more pedestrian traffic crossing the Blvd. (24 Hour Fitness & Starbucks for example) and unnecessary street blockages (between Ramada and Trader Joes) that force traffic onto Santa Monica Blvd. If that blockade was removed most people would use that street to get up to Holloway to get home (me). I avoid the Blvd as much as possible now…its ridiculously SLOW!
The problem is that everyone who drives thinks only about how long it takes them, and not about all the hundreds (or even thousands) of other people that they’re inconveniencing by putting their car on the road. If you get in a car at any time when the road isn’t totally empty, you’re causing 2 seconds of delay to every single person behind you. And yet none of us thinks twice about it. And that’s because we give away the road space for free! (At least, we do to anyone who’s rich enough to own a car.) We charge people… Read more »
Riley
10 years ago
Are you sure this story wasn’t meant for April 1st?????
SaveWeho
10 years ago
Agree with Brian above. Just 16 years ago city council elected to take out the trolley tracks in favor of a huge grass median that serves no purpose other than to be pretty. The problem with the busses? It’s not only the low numbers riding them…but they significantly cause back up with their stop-and-go and you get a line of cars behind it. The solution? Get the mass transit OFF the roads. If you don’t want a trolley…ever heard of a monorail? You have the grass median that is city-owned. Put a nice Disneyland Monorail down the center and you’ll… Read more »
Brian Hamilton
10 years ago
We used to have something running down that pretty center median called a trolley. The Pacific Electric cars took millions of people up and down SMB for decades. Now we have MTA buses using the same lanes as many more automobiles. Twice as many red lights and pedestrian walkways also slow the flow. So much for progress.
Jonathan
10 years ago
You have hit the nail on the head its about Balance of traffic and travel times. If the bulk of our own residents are gone by 10-11 am where do the rest all come from and go? Do these stats suggest that all cars on SMB are residents and all travel the same direction? Now if we could add all the area, medical, beauty, design, professional, school, retail, entertainment, restaurant, bar, special event,and shopping trips we might have something. Census alone dose not really cover whats happening. I happen to work from home but still care about the area quality… Read more »
You might be correct about it being overbuilt, but what makes this data a crock? My ex used to leave for work at 10 AM each day, and got there twice as fast as anyone else.
Buzzcut
10 years ago
What a crock. Maybe if Weho wasn’t so ridiculously overbuilt, under planned and driven by greed it would be possible to actually drive through it.
what a joke this piece is, and some of the comments are insipid. really, Stockholm? a trolley to no where. the trolley system, or lack there of, is a result of decisions and trends coming of age 60 years ago. business hours are 9-5, not 6:30am to whenever you think you should go home. charging people to drive their car into a town? there would and should be a revolution, and maybe then, some of you socialist nationals might actually come to understand a market economy. that would be the only economy that works and builds wealth and lives, and… Read more »
luca d – I’ll just add the point that socialism is generally defined as the government providing services to all citizens for free, which is exactly what we have right now with the roads. A system in which people have to pay for what they use (which is what I was proposing) is often referred to as capitalism or neo-liberalism.
Yes, to SaveWeho and Brian….how creative to use the medians for either a trolley or monorail or some other PRT (personal rapid transit)….remember Nick Garzilli who ran for City Council, that was his platform. Sounds too futuristic? well, don’t look now but the future is NOW! Why our city chose to remove the reamining trolley tracks when they “beautified” SMB is beyond me….serious lack of planning if you ask me.
Two of the main problems concerning the major traffic jam that hits Santa Monica Blvd is the area between La Cienega and Doheny. Traffic signals that treat minor side streets like major intersections, way more pedestrian traffic crossing the Blvd. (24 Hour Fitness & Starbucks for example) and unnecessary street blockages (between Ramada and Trader Joes) that force traffic onto Santa Monica Blvd. If that blockade was removed most people would use that street to get up to Holloway to get home (me). I avoid the Blvd as much as possible now…its ridiculously SLOW!
The problem is that everyone who drives thinks only about how long it takes them, and not about all the hundreds (or even thousands) of other people that they’re inconveniencing by putting their car on the road. If you get in a car at any time when the road isn’t totally empty, you’re causing 2 seconds of delay to every single person behind you. And yet none of us thinks twice about it. And that’s because we give away the road space for free! (At least, we do to anyone who’s rich enough to own a car.) We charge people… Read more »
Are you sure this story wasn’t meant for April 1st?????
Agree with Brian above. Just 16 years ago city council elected to take out the trolley tracks in favor of a huge grass median that serves no purpose other than to be pretty. The problem with the busses? It’s not only the low numbers riding them…but they significantly cause back up with their stop-and-go and you get a line of cars behind it. The solution? Get the mass transit OFF the roads. If you don’t want a trolley…ever heard of a monorail? You have the grass median that is city-owned. Put a nice Disneyland Monorail down the center and you’ll… Read more »
We used to have something running down that pretty center median called a trolley. The Pacific Electric cars took millions of people up and down SMB for decades. Now we have MTA buses using the same lanes as many more automobiles. Twice as many red lights and pedestrian walkways also slow the flow. So much for progress.
You have hit the nail on the head its about Balance of traffic and travel times. If the bulk of our own residents are gone by 10-11 am where do the rest all come from and go? Do these stats suggest that all cars on SMB are residents and all travel the same direction? Now if we could add all the area, medical, beauty, design, professional, school, retail, entertainment, restaurant, bar, special event,and shopping trips we might have something. Census alone dose not really cover whats happening. I happen to work from home but still care about the area quality… Read more »
You might be correct about it being overbuilt, but what makes this data a crock? My ex used to leave for work at 10 AM each day, and got there twice as fast as anyone else.
What a crock. Maybe if Weho wasn’t so ridiculously overbuilt, under planned and driven by greed it would be possible to actually drive through it.