Traffic Nightmare? Try Everyday Commute

By Eric Richardson
Published: Friday, October 03, 2008, at 06:59PM

Eric Richardson [Flickr]

Traffic approaches Downtown on the 110 in a file photo from November, 2006.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I’m sure you’ve heard it: driving around Downtown is going to be a disaster tomorrow, with a Dodgers playoff game, Detour Festival, an Obama fundraiser at the Edison, USC at the Coliseum, a concert at Staples and UCLA at the Rose Bowl. But did anyone do the numbers?

Downtown’s daytime office population is roughly 400,000. That’s 400,000 people who have to make their way to Downtown in the morning and head out at night. Somehow they all manage to make it work every weekday.

Saturday will bring less people, on a day when other freeway traffic is lighter, and somehow it’s supposed to become a traffic nightmare?

Don’t worry about Downtown, please. We’ve got quite the roadway infrastructure ringing our neighborhood. If there’s one thing L.A. has done quite successfully, it’s figure out how to move cars around.

That’s not to say you should drive…

Detour’s got transit directions on the festival website.
The Dodger Trolley is still in action, operating on a day-to-day contract extension throughout the Dodgers’ playoff run.

Comments

EL CHAVO! writes:

I drive thru El Centro to and from work (or at least the outskirts of the Hollywood and Pasadena fwys) and downtown always clogs up the works. But i like your optimism.

Downtown: Where The News Is Always Good!

# on Oct.03.2008 AT 07:39 PM

Eric Richardson writes:

I said it would be an everyday commute. You can turn that into what you’d like. I just laugh at these “perfect storm” sort of traffic predictions on a Saturday.

# on Oct.03.2008 AT 09:10 PM

bromike666 writes:

Eric, you forgot to consider all the street closures and the traffic cops hijacking all the lights to move traffic in the direction they want it to go.

# on Oct.04.2008 AT 07:21 AM

Karen writes:

The usual downtown commuters already know where they need to get off the freeway, which lane they need to be in, and where they park. Today there will be a lot of folks finding their way for the first time, not knowing where they’re going, and trying to find parking. I think it’s going to be ugly!

# on Oct.04.2008 AT 09:26 AM

EL CHAVO! writes:

Well it took me an additional 40 minutes to get home from work, very packed for a Saturday or a weekday and not an “everyday” commute. And that with me knowing where to get off to try shortcuts! Yes, I think it was/is a nightmare.

# on Oct.04.2008 AT 07:50 PM

skidrowdude writes:

I honestly was blown away how smooth everything went yesterday, considering the events. I had a friend come to visit for Detour Festival, and I live at “Ground Zero”- Higgins- where Secret Service and Bomb Squad, etc were in full force. No problems for my friend to arrive at 3pm and park (The valet parking in front of building on 2nd St. screwed up some traffic flow, but even the valets were busing-ass to get cars out of the way).

The efficiency and coordination of the downtown players amazed me. Great Job!

# on Oct.05.2008 AT 09:49 AM

LAofAnaheim writes:

It’s times like this I wish there was even a minute mention of Metro availability to nearly all of these events. Would it hurt the media outlet to make any mention of this?

# on Oct.06.2008 AT 08:59 PM