Malibu? You want to go to Malibu? You can’t get there from here. At work in El Segundo the choices of a route home are rapidly diminishing, forcing me to think of renting a motel and only coming home on the weekends. The tunnel under the runway is down to two lanes. If you try to go around the airport by using Pershing drive, you will find Lincoln Avenue closed to left turns from Culver Boulevard. due to the construction of Playa Vista condominiums. Go through Venice on Nielson Way and it’s down to one lane because of sewer construction and the building of those idiotic traffic-calming islands in the middle. Take the always congested 405 to the 10 west and before you get to the McClure tunnel, traffic is backing up because they just closed one lane on PCH until Memorial Day to build yet another sewer. That must be the world’s best sewer as it’s going on three years building. Try to get around that mess by getting off at 4th Street and you will find it also is down to one lane for construction of God knows what. Get off the 405 west at 26th Street so you can take Sunset to PCH and you will find a big backup at San Vicente because of–you guessed it! Construction. No matter where you travel, Caltrans is making your trip a nightmare. And it changes so rapidly that any route you pick is liable for instant closure.
Road construction and repair is, of course, essential. The roads are generally in very good shape and everyone would complain if they weren’t maintained, but one wonders, is all that really necessary? Are they taking into account that by doing this they are inconveniencing thousands and costing millions? Probably some thought is given but not nearly enough. Alternate routes should be planned and closures announced in advance. Do they have the optimum configuration at the construction site or do they just close off anything they happen to want to because it’s easier? Does anyone force them to look hard at these issues? I don’t think so. Consideration should even be given to building new bypass routes or reconfiguring alternate routes for easier access. The reduction of PCH in Santa Monica to two lanes each way was done slyly and with almost no notification. The first I knew of anything planned was two days before when a sign was put up with those obnoxious, ubiquitous words: “Expect delays Sept. 27,” as if that ended their responsibility. And was it just for Sept. 27 or forever? The first published account was in The Malibu Times and Surfside News on the evening of the 27th after the closure. It almost seems as if they were doing that on purpose to avoid any controversy.
I suppose this is wishful thinking but what we need is for someone to organize a commuter’s organization to lobby for commuter’s rights. I envision a group similar to ARRP organized by some ambitious but angry commuter that would ensure road repairs are undertaken with full consideration of all factors. Minimum agony to the commuting public. We do pay the bills, you know.
Lawrence I. Ivey