Rush-Hour Roadwork Slows L.A.’s Drive Time

After five years in Los Angeles, I’ve discovered the main reason for the smog and air pollution in our city. It’s not the automobiles, it’s the (I’ll use the term loosely) “traffic engineers.” I routinely spend 30 minutes in the car (at near idle) to go the three miles between my home in West Los Angeles and office in Century City.

Now that Santa Monica Boulevard (both big and little) is being “redesigned,” and the merge debacle keeps Pico Boulevard at a standstill between the convenient hours of 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., it’s no surprise that I can’t see neighboring buildings in Century City on what should be a clear day. I thought California had a grasp on the concept of “night construction.” Why did it switch to “rush-hour construction”? Pay the guys working on the street overtime for nights and ease the morning traffic burden. It would prove better for the environment as well.

Jason Schwinger

Los Angeles