Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In

...and it turns out he's a jovial traffic engineer named Bill Shao.

During his trip to Los Angeles a couple of months ago, StreetFilms' Clarence Eckerson Jr. took a tour of Los Angeles' Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control and was surprised to find it wasn't nearly as boring as he thought and actually had some lessons for traffic controllers around the country.  In his own words,

First off, one of the things that makes ATSAC so unique is that its oneof the only traffic systems in the entire country that is publiclyowned.  ATSAC was started in 1984 to help move traffic around theColiseum during the Olympics; since then it has grown to over 3,000 ofL.A.'s 4,100 signalized intersections, some of them incredibly complex.The technology is so advanced that even on its busiest days the controlroom only requires a few people present to run it.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

What’s Next for Measure HLA, in the Face of Metro Opposition?

This is probably something a judge would need to decide at some point

March 21, 2025

Metro Lawyers Up Against Measure HLA, Tells L.A. City that Metro Projects Don’t Require Planned Bus/Bike/Walk Improvements

Metro: "any attempt to enforce [Measure HLA] against Metro is beyond the City's legal authority, and Metro will challenge any such attempt."

March 19, 2025

Metro Tests Foothill A Line Extension, Authority Prepares to Construct Next Segment

Emergency drills are being practiced and vital systems double checked while a final price tag and start date are being worked out for Pomona to Montclair.

March 19, 2025
See all posts