Comments on: Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000 http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/ Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sean Wise http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6245 Sean Wise Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:51:05 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6245 Wow, great ideas above. But if you don't get them in, then they can't win! Sean Wow, great ideas above.
But if you don’t get them in,
then they can’t win!

Sean

]]> By: walker_0 http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6065 walker_0 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:51 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6065 Subsidize bike ownership and make people pay 10% of their wealth or 15% of their income each year, whichever is more, for the privilege of owning a car. Increase the rate 5% a year until everyone sells their cars and rides bikes or walks. Once people see that cars are totally unnecessary and know the true value of exercise they will be happy. Mobile phones can be cut next. People don't realize how much C02 is released because of our cumulative use of mobile phones. These are luxury items. How did we ever survive before cars and mobile phones? Subsidize bike ownership and make people pay 10% of their wealth or 15% of their income each year, whichever is more, for the privilege of owning a car. Increase the rate 5% a year until everyone sells their cars and rides bikes or walks. Once people see that cars are totally unnecessary and know the true value of exercise they will be happy. Mobile phones can be cut next. People don’t realize how much C02 is released because of our cumulative use of mobile phones. These are luxury items. How did we ever survive before cars and mobile phones?

]]> By: Stats Dude http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6047 Stats Dude Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:29:33 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6047 A brief background on ITS. It stands for Intelligent Transportation Systems. An example is the coordination of L.A. street signals from a central location from the movie "The Italian Job" (yes, it really exists). It also includes GPS on buses for better tracking, the use of tritter by MetroLink to notify passengers if there are any problems, and the preemption of traffic signals for the Metro Rapid buses. Having traffic signals recognize bicycles would be considered ITS. If there ever is a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax (beyond the gas tax, such as for electric cars), then ITS will likely be used to send odometer information out to who knows where. Anyway, I digress. The purpose of ITS is to use new and innovative technologies to make the existing transportation work more efficiently without having to resort to expensive capital improvements like adding lanes or more freeways. A brief background on ITS. It stands for Intelligent Transportation Systems. An example is the coordination of L.A. street signals from a central location from the movie “The Italian Job” (yes, it really exists).

It also includes GPS on buses for better tracking, the use of tritter by MetroLink to notify passengers if there are any problems, and the preemption of traffic signals for the Metro Rapid buses.

Having traffic signals recognize bicycles would be considered ITS.

If there ever is a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax (beyond the gas tax, such as for electric cars), then ITS will likely be used to send odometer information out to who knows where.

Anyway, I digress. The purpose of ITS is to use new and innovative technologies to make the existing transportation work more efficiently without having to resort to expensive capital improvements like adding lanes or more freeways.

]]> By: DJB http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6046 DJB Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:30:24 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6046 How to reduce traffic? I don't think that should be our first priority and I don't agree that the methods are obvious to the general public. But anyway, you could . . . 1) Make driving more expensive (through fuel, road and parking charges) 2) Invest more in alternatives to driving (transit, "complete" streets that accommodate all modes of transportation) 3) Support alternative transportation with dense and mixed land uses (more people per unit of area and housing closer to the stuff people do) 4) Give out subsidies for living close to work (instead of subsidizing home ownership in general) People tend to want less traffic so that they can drive their car unobstructed. They get angry at other people on the road, but fail to consider their own impact. The bigger problem is the environmental degradation that comes from automobile use, not to mention the death toll (on the order of 40,000 per year, or about 13 9/11s) . . . Good luck getting people to see that. How to reduce traffic? I don’t think that should be our first priority and I don’t agree that the methods are obvious to the general public.

But anyway, you could . . .

1) Make driving more expensive (through fuel, road and parking charges)
2) Invest more in alternatives to driving (transit, “complete” streets that accommodate all modes of transportation)
3) Support alternative transportation with dense and mixed land uses (more people per unit of area and housing closer to the stuff people do)
4) Give out subsidies for living close to work (instead of subsidizing home ownership in general)

People tend to want less traffic so that they can drive their car unobstructed. They get angry at other people on the road, but fail to consider their own impact.

The bigger problem is the environmental degradation that comes from automobile use, not to mention the death toll (on the order of 40,000 per year, or about 13 9/11s) . . .

Good luck getting people to see that.

]]> By: Erik G. http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6045 Erik G. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:06:56 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6045 It always amazes me how much less traffic there is on the Toll Roads in OC than there is on the parallel "Free"ways. Look at SR73 versus I-405 Look at SR133 plus SR241 versus SR55 or SR57. So what would happen if we made everyone pay a buck or two at the on-ramp? It always amazes me how much less traffic there is on the Toll Roads in OC than there is on the parallel “Free”ways.

Look at SR73 versus I-405

Look at SR133 plus SR241 versus SR55 or SR57.

So what would happen if we made everyone pay a buck or two at the on-ramp?

]]> By: Katie http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/01/solve-the-congestion-crisis-and-win-50000/comment-page-1/#comment-6042 Katie Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:30:40 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2209#comment-6042 I can't understand why we're looking for innovative solutions to traffic congestion when we don't have the political will to implement the obvious and mundane ones... I can’t understand why we’re looking for innovative solutions to traffic congestion when we don’t have the political will to implement the obvious and mundane ones…

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