Freeway Strangulation

This letter is hoped to inspire Mayor Tom Bradley, the City Council, our governor, city traffic manager, all Los Angeles citizens, including the press, radio and television media to “wage war” on our freeway strangulation.

In the last five years our “old rush hour” traffic has spread to the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In Los Angeles, with a collection of some of our nation’s greatest technical talent, it is inconceivable that we continue to allow a waste of our productive man and woman power, our vehicle fuel and subject our transportation to unnecessary wear and tear in bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go freeway traffic.

Any politician who states that we must await federal funds, etc., to temporarily solve this problem in the near term has the vision and the imagination of a myopic jackass.

The lack of freeway jams during the Olympics was a surprise to everyone. This may not be repeatable, but some sensible tests by traffic managers seems mandatory.

For example, we could designate Sepulveda (north-south), Olympic (east-west) and other such key streets as one-way alternates during certain hours. Stop lights could be timed accordingly.

If the negative thinkers say that cross-traffic expressways are mandatory, then we can take emergency measures to build an overpass or tunnel every few miles.

Some major industries have staggered their work hours, but I don’t believe we have a coordinated plan that may someday be mandatory.

This ever-increasing strangulation is absurd. An appropriate task force with a wide range of talent, brains and political support could solve this problem prior to the 1990s, or whenever the billions of dollars are due, and free us on our freeways.

If we can’t average 30 to 50 m.p.h. to get to work we should get our City Council moved to Camarillo State Hospital.

MAX M. FEIBELMAN

Woodland Hills