Introduction
This study is confined to the limits of Los Angeles and studies the traffic in this place. City boundaries of Los Angeles area suffer from an ever-growing traffic. With the growing population and their expansion in different areas, the problem has grown in intensity. The traffic is not limited to the city boundaries. It has also spread into contagious territory where street congestion, delays in traffic and life and property hazard is as great as in the central traffic area of Los Angeles. This paper studies about the traffic problems of Los Angeles and the need for it.
The city of Los Angeles exists on the north on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It lies on the east of the Los Angeles county line. It has an area of more than twelve hundred square miles. It also possesses a coastal plain that plays a strategic role in the transportation network in Los Angeles. The coastal plain lies in between the Pacific Ocean towards its south and the San Gabriel Mountains in the north. The narrowest point has a width of only twenty miles. (Tomtom Research, 2012) This area forms a bottleneck using, which all traffic from north to south and vise versa must pass. This area thus is not just a local problem but the whole state must suffer for it. The traffic in Los Angeles is, therefore, a huge problem for the whole nation. (Brown, Baldwin, Shwup, 2001)
There are forty-three cities that make up the Los Angeles area. The combined area of these cities is seven hundred and sixty square miles. This area is forty-two percent of Los Angeles. The remaining fifty-eight percent largely consists of disconnects roads and parcels and are under the county jurisdiction. The land of Los Angeles divides itself into small parcels consisting of eleven thousand miles of highways and streets. (Brown, 2001) The development of Los Angeles does not have a proper plan. Due to lack of initial planning during construction of streets and highways, the roadway network has become a pattern of a frenzy quilt.
Present Facilities
Los Angeles grew in population and through years has resulted into numerous subdivisions. Use of land is governed by individual ownership so as to result into the most profitable use of his holdings. Too much individual transportation also causes a chaotic interaction of various land regions throughout this region. Land on main streets and roads are dedicated to commercial uses. This encroachment directly or indirectly delays and hinders the movement of vehicles. The state also lacks stability in business and residential areas. This instability causes an out of proportion congestion in the roadways network. Residential and commercial districts are many in and around the area forming a vicious cycle. (Lord, 2011)
The transportation facilities in Los Angeles has multiple ways namely, streets, interurban rails, buses, cabs, taxis and passenger automobiles. These facilities are linked with each other. People hence, come to the belief that automobiles and traffic are synonymous with the city of Los Angeles. But, years of policymaking and implementation is playing a significant role in molding the place to fit its dynamic needs of transportation. The guide to City’s transportation system came to existence as early as in 1873. (California Department of Finance, 2007) In this year, separate single horse track lines came into transport management. Significant change came in 1920's when the policy to mitigate traffic congestion is into practice. This era was called the "era of grand designs." Passing of a Proposition A in 1980 gave the first lift to the rail line the "Blue Line". It also allocated funds for traffic system development in every city. Recent transportation policy is taking a bold direction by implementing a policy of transit and achieves rational results. There have been installations of bike lanes in all of Los Angeles. This system is continuing to grow and evolve and to embrace a multi-model future. (Supernak, 2002)
Los Angeles Traffic Problem
The traffic plans for roads and railways embedded in physical features are a large measure, which is responsible for Los Angeles problems. The intensity of traffic stems both directly and indirectly from heavily populated regions. It complicated further by polycentric patterns of land development. These problems contribute in the development of congestion related policies in Los Angeles. The level of congestion is most extreme in this country. The following are the observations about the traffic congestion in Los Angeles;
- Los Angeles holds the first position in traffic congestion.
- Congestion has risen in recent years as per statistics.
- Congestion is widespread throughout the county.
- Heavy truck traffic is present around the ports and in many freeways of the county.
The findings suggest that Los Angeles is a home to the most stern traffic situations that has been intensifying in the past few decades in the country. It. Developments in the fundamental reasons, progress in populace, economy and less investing in transport management shows that this situation might worsen in coming years. Implementations of plans have been poor in spite of well-formulated plans. The average travel speed is expected to decrease by four percent in the coming decade (2008- 2018). With the growing population and their expansion in different areas, the problem has grown in intensity. The traffic is not limited to the city boundaries. It has also spread into contagious territory where street congestion, delays in traffic and life and property hazard is as great as in the central traffic area of Los Angeles. Even after implementation of a master plan immediately in Los Angeles, the traffic mismanagement is probable to upsurge drastically during the near-term time. (Wang, 2012)
Identifying and Monitoring Policies For Traffic Related Problems and NIMBY
Congestion is a long-standing urban challenge. Investigations of strategies that are in the implementation stage also suggest that there are multiple possibilities to manage this scenario. The selection criteria of strategies as a Commissioner has basis on the following criteria:
- Identifying the Short-term execution and its noticeable effects. The time for short-term analysis will be not more than five years.
- The local and public scope, which will directly influence the actions of local governments.
- The policy must be suitable for dense urban areas that suffer from serious congestion. This policy must also be suitable for urban and suburban areas.
- Apart from the mandatory strategic requirements as above, the policy must be applicable for both passenger and freight traffic.
The application of these criteria will help to define reasonable and logical scope of the policy before implementing on a congested area such as Los Angeles. Major capability expansions such as throughway or subway lanes will be beneficial. Off-street parking facilities will also be a consideration. The traffic monitoring will also need to be focusing on the enhancement of the road network. This development will help in dissipating the peak hour traffic and vehicle loads on primary roads. Traffic issues can are be resolved with good stemming of road networks. Other policy requirements also must propose more use of public transport and biking and walking for smaller distances.(Sorensen, 2010)
NIMBY
NIMBY or “not in my backyard” is a group that is true in existence for any parts of Los Angeles. They delay the projects by government, sometimes by years with lobbying and political contributions. This delay increases the cost of government fees. The group has managed to delay costs of housing development and thus holds a threat to the development of transport. Noise, traffic, and congestion are the major primary points of this group. The inability of government to upgrade LAX by connecting the 710 freeways to existing 210 freeways are because of NIMBYism. The group blames greedy and needy landlords and developers for such distortions in the traffic system management. NIMBY activities include delaying loans, blaming, pushing to pass rules on control of the rent etcetera. (Orlov, 2013)
Transport System Management Policy
Multiple Intelligent Transport system or ITS projects are present in Los Angeles to help the ongoing processes of improving mobility in the Los Angeles state highways; Some of these areas are below:
KITS – The Kimley Horn Transport system is a commercial traffic management system. It accounts for continuous monitoring of traffic synchronization. The system gives traffic signals monitoring once per second. It helps to identify signal malfunctions and enable faster and efficient responses. In the future, this system will interface with the information system of the county and allow the data and information flow beyond jurisdictional boundaries also. It will benefit both motorists and transit users.
IEN – The information Exchange network or IEN has a technical responsibility of designing developing and implementing response and management activities. It also helps in establishing a common interface, which allows data from traffic controls to reach the EN network. Smaller agencies also share control with the IEN so that after hours the coordination is also completed. In summer 2012, the latest version of IEN, IEN3.0 came into implementation.
ITS Corridor Projects – Five corridor projects are in the initiation in Los Angeles. These projects are Gateway Cities I-5, Gateway cities I-710, Gateway Cities I-105, San Gabriel valley Traffic Signal Forum and Pomona Valley and Route 60 corridor. This system lays down a new vision where vehicle traffic will become less with expansion and connecting individual stations with transit corridors
Traveler Information System – this system enables to have real time information to the traffic management system data. The format of this data is according to interface definition language or IDL. Incident details, construction activity, lane status are some of the details as provided by this system.
Small Term And Long-term Strategies - Integration
This research paper aims on policies for lessening traffic overcrowding and improvement of transportation amenities that LA county Commissioner should implement. Interaction of short-term strategies with longer term plans in traffic control will help in understanding their functioning and efficiency. Land use strategies with relation to zoning, parking supply, density will help in the facilitation of public transport. (Brasuell, 2011) The potential benefits on long-term strategies will include a reduction in congestion and improving transportation. It is also useful to consider benefits of these long-term strategies in the form of significant and lasting revenues and support long-term transportation investment plans for futures. These plans must be useful even if the fuel price rise and reduce the demand for automobile travel. The key themes that rise from the plan is the need of imposing an alternative method to transport in the peak hours. This monitoring can be with the help of increasing toll tax or prices during peak hours. The commissioner must consider that integration of these short and long term strategies result into cost effectiveness. Traveller’s benefits like congestion relief and easy mobility. (Atkins, 1988)
Outcomes like economic efficiency and how well the strategies are present execution in Los Angeles. It will be in reducing overcrowding, long-term results in reducing overcrowding, traveller's choice, mobility and accessibility. The commissioner must also consider individual strategy assessment criteria as implications in revenue, net costs, short terms results. It also includes safety, efficiency in the economy, effects on the environment, concerns of the stakeholders, political obstacles, jurisdictional obstacles and current status of the transport in Los Angeles. (Atkins, 1998)
Discussion Over Congestion Lessening strategies
Political discussions and arguments over reducing overcrowding have very often orbited around how efficient is the implementation of traffic monitoring systems has been. These investments are beneficial. Land use strategies prove to be inefficient in this regard. Some people bend towards restricting growth in density in urban population altogether by proposing to become inhabitants in newer places. Such efforts are too expensive and hence prove to be futile. Public officials tend to constrain the discussion to a limited set of strategies. And a strategy like changing the mindset of commuters is a long-term outcome and will take more efforts. Such a strategy will help meet the aims in the longer run only. A more realistic approach by the commissioner in appraising urban infill will lead to an understanding that density maximizes the congestion locally. Pricing strategies will give only one option for reducing traffic congestion and monitoring. With strong and determined leadership by the commissioner, it will be possible to adapt an aggressive and innovative policy and put it into action.
Recommendations
The research suggests that a successful collective initiation is possible and if the willingness is present, all concerns considers into account. However, there are some general recommendations to the Los Angeles County, which will be helpful for the commissioner, his team and other officials in charge to take care of the congestion monitoring. These recommendations are as below:
- Development of the agreements that will identify the need for aggressive action that needs to be taken to curb the growth in congestion. Traffic in LA has reached unacceptable levels and needs monitoring. May it will worsen up in the future. Hence, monitoring is necessary.
- Defining approximately the difficulties linked with traffic monitoring and crowding to help fostering consensus on the need of immediate action. No one relishes stuck in traffic and addition of congestion fees and higher money for parking is even less desirable.
- Give a comparative description of the result of implementing the monitoring action. This step will be motivating to continue the execution of these programs.
- Encouraging further provision for widespread programs rather than just distinct projects.
For the design of specific strategies for monitoring, detailed recommendations are necessary. To reduce the traffic issues as some crowds are being asked to give-up and adjust for the sake of others. It is highly required that the strategies are into execution systematically throughout Los Angeles. Certain strategies associated with monitoring so that curb parking will benefits chauffeurs and transportation users who will travel in particular traffic corridor during peak hours. It will even the costs and help spreading the benefits of monitoring traffic through the county. It will help in familiarizing residents with the advantages of adaptation of innovative strategies. (Gerdes, 2014)
Strong enforcing for strategies that will involve the pricing and driving restrictions is necessary even in the future. The areas that will require strong enforcement of rules in Los Angeles are Cordon Tolls, Hot Ways, Limit Parking, and Curb parking restraints, bus-only ways, biker's lanes and Corridors management. Strong enforcement will prevent the residents cheating the system. Reforms in land use like in zoning, compactness, parking supply and mixing of such uses will indicate to the expansion of designs less relying on the motor for example. It will also help to offset the costs of enforcing. The results will be prominent in a short span of time. With the growth in technology, it is feasible to give vehicles equipment with GPS or global positioning system. Another recommendation the commissioner can give is about the escalating fuel prices and encouraging the residents to use a smaller and fuel-efficient means of commute. The short-term endorsement given in this paper will accompaniment the longer-duration strategies discussed in this paper. The prospects of increase in congestion in the longer term are considerably on the rise. (California Dept. of Finance, 2002)
Conclusion
The goal of this research is to recognize, develop and implement plans such as short-term and long-term for monitoring traffic crowding. It also includes promoting extra commute choices in Los Angeles. The county needs to rely on pricing for management of peak- hour demand of meeting roadways and raising transportation revenue. The county also needs improvement in transit and other alternative modes. Many of the policy recommendations are custom made for densely populated areas in the city and others assure to be similarly efficient in urban and suburban locations. Out of the other strategies in this paper, pricing options are given resistance by the people in the county. The recommendations complement each other and depend on each other. It will not be feasible to put all the strategies at once, but they can put into practice step by step and in this way they will prove themselves to be useful and also effective. (Tomtom, 2014)
Despite the promised benefits, implementing the recommendations as given in outlines will not be easy. Political involvement and NIMBY’s negative involvement might affect it. The application of these criteria will help to define reasonable and logical scope of the policy before implementing on a congested area such as Los Angeles. The traffic is not limited to the city boundaries. It has also spread into contagious territory where street congestion, delays in traffic and life and property hazard is as great as in the central traffic area of Los Angeles. Major volume developments such as throughway or underpass lines will be beneficial. (Brune, 2012) This paper studies about the traffic problems of Los Angeles and the need for it. Many strategies are selected made in order to meet the immediate requirements of transportation. Many will not agree that traffic monitoring is a huge problem but the research reveals a different scenario.
References
Brown, Jeffrey, Daniel Baldwin Hess, and Donald Shoup, (August 2001),Unlimited Access, Transportation, Vol. 28, No. 3, , pp. 233–267. As of April 23, 2008: http://www.uctc.net/papers/525.pdf
California Department of Finance, (July 2007), Race/Ethnic Population Projections with Age and Sex Detail, 2000–2050, Sacramento, Calif.,. As of May 11, 2008: http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/DEMOGRAP/Data/RaceEthnic/Population-00-50/RaceData_2000-2050.ph
Supernak, Janusz, Jaqueline Golob, Thomas F. Golob, Christine Kaschade, Camilla Kazimi, Eric Schreffler, and Duane Steffey, (2002), San Diego’s Interstate 15 Congestion Pricing Project: Attitudinal, Behavioral, and Institutional Issues, Transportation Research Record, Vol. 1812, pp. 78–86.
W. S. Atkins Planning Consultants, (1998), The Travel Effects of Park and Ride, Epsom, Surrey: UK Department for Environment, Transport, and the Regions
Tomtom research finds los angeles most congested city in north america. (2012, January 8). Retrieved from http://corporate.tomtom.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=732208
Sorensen, P. (2010, January 8). Reducing traffic congestion and improving travel options in los angeles. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/commentary/2010/01/08/NG.html
Brasuell, J. (2012, January 26). Inside la's super cool traffic light control system. Retrieved from http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/01/ inside_las_super_cool_traffic_light_control_system.php
Automated traffic surveillance and control. (2013). Retrieved from http:// www.innovations.harvard.edu/awards.html?id=3529
Brasuell, J. (2011). Inside LA's super cool traffic light control system. Retrieved from http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/01/inside_las_super_cool_traffic_light_control_system.php
Bruner, J. (2012). Stoplights In Los Angeles And The Intricate Network That Keeps Traffic Moving. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbruner/2012/01/25/how-
los-angeles-keeps-traffic-moving-through-4114-stoplights/
Gerdes, J. (2014). Beyond Feeways: Commerce, Community And Contention Along
Los Angels710 Corridor. Retrieved From: http://s474091609.onlinehome.us/gridweb/
beyond-freeways-commerce-community-and-contention-along-los-angeless-710-corridor/
Lord, R. (2001). Los Angeles: Then And Now. Retrieved from http://rachaelstephens. blogdetik.com/2014/04/07/los-angeles-then-and-now-then-now-ebook-by-
rosemary-lord/
Orlov, R. O. (2013, February 18). L.A.'S Traffic Signal Synchronization Completed. Retrieved from http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20130219/las-traffic-signal-synchronization-completed
Sensor system activated to help speed traffic flow. (1995, September 25). Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1995-09-27/local/me-50388_1_traffic-signals
Sorensen, P. (2010). Reducing Traffic Congestion And Improving Travel Options In Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/commentary/2010/01/08/NG.html
Traffic issues. (2011). Retrieved from http://environmentla.org/programs/trafficissues.html
Wang, J. L. (2012, February 23). Master of lights: The man who controls over 4,000 signal lights in los angeles. Retrieved from http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/02/master-lights- man-who-controls-over-4000-signal-lights-los-angeles)
