One Block of One Way
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — If you've ever driven down around the AT&T Center (formerly the Transamerica Center) you've probably encountered this odd stretch of Hill street. At 12th street the roadway closes to two-way traffic, becoming a one-way heading south but still allowing bus traffic to go north. One block later, at 11th, traffic patterns return to normal.
Why is that?
We brought up that question at DLANC's last Transportation & Public Works committee meeting. The representative from LADOT who was present answered that the intent was to prevent Hill street from becoming overly congested. By making it harder for cars coming from the south of Downtown to use Hill, the thought was that the street would have more capacity for traffic generated above that point.
That makes sense, I guess, but still this little stretch of signage just feels like a solution in search of a problem.
R. on November 22, 2006, at 09:35AM – #1
This stretch is responsible for increasing my commute by a good five to seven minutes everyday. You're right: it does very little to alleviate congestion on the northern parts of Hill. By contrast, since 12th is a one-way street, it significantly increases traffic on Broadway and, further up, Olympic, where most Hill Street drivers turn left to return to their route.
Overall, it's inefficient. Hopefully, your committee can persuade the city to correct this problem.
David Kennedy on November 22, 2006, at 09:37AM – #2
It certainly makes finding the Mayan a little more confusing for first-time visitors. It has actually happened to me a couple of times in the late evening that I've been asked for directions at that very intersection. People get off the 10, drive over to Hill and then they hit this intersection. No big deal. But, I'm equally skeptical about the rationale. Seems fiddly and fiddly is a bad design principle.
Penelope on November 24, 2006, at 11:50AM – #3
I work in the AT&T Center and actually got ticketed coming home from work going through this street light shown in your picture. I was pulling out of the parking structure shown on the right. It was my first week at work, and the signs weren't apparent until after I made my way through the intersection. When I cross the street during the day, I always see a half dozen cars making the same mistake.