Expected Hill Street Blues Missing in 1-Way Traffic

There were hardly any blues Monday on Hill Street.

With minor exceptions, traffic moved smoothly on the first weekday that the busy downtown thoroughfare was a one-way street for southbound motorists. The change from two-way to one-way was prompted by the construction of the first four-mile section of the Metro Rail subway.

“It’s really been pretty quiet,” said traffic Officer Albert Armijo, who directed traffic at 12th and Hill streets during the morning traffic rush. “A few drivers automatically drove north on Hill, but that’s been about it.”

Few incidents were reported as traffic officers and a gaggle of newly installed one-way signs greeted morning-hour motorists who drove on Hill and other north-south streets in the downtown area.

Confusion for Bus Riders

At times in the morning, traffic on Hill--which is now one-way between Temple and 12th streets--seemed almost non-existent, prompting some Police Department officials to speculate that many motorists decided to avoid the anticipated traffic tie-ups. But few materialized.

In the afternoon, homeward traffic occasionally snarled on Broadway and Olive streets, generally between 6th and 12th streets. But the traffic eased as it neared 1st Street.

There was, however, some confusion all day long for bus riders who were accustomed to boarding northbound Rapid Transit District buses on Hill.

Bus stops for those routes were shifted to Broadway, Main, Flower and Figueroa streets and the RTD, after posting notices at the bus stops about the changes, assigned public assistance personnel at major transfer points to help riders.

At 7th and Hill, assistance officer Jeff Spivey shepherded numerous passengers to the new stops while handing out pamphlets announcing the changes. Many of the riders who approached Spivey seemed grateful for the helping hand.

“None of them really were upset about it,” he said. “They’ve been more confused than anything.”

Some riders, nevertheless, refused help and patiently waited for a bus that never came.

Near Pershing Square, Elena Fuentes and her 6-year-old daughter, Maria, waited for a Route 1 bus to go to Westwood. She waited for nearly 15 minutes before asking a passer-by--in Spanish--if the RTD had gone on strike.

44 Bus Stops Changed

Told that the Route 1 bus stop had been moved from Hill to Broadway, a popular commercial and shopping strip for Latino consumers, Fuentes replied: “That’s worse than a strike. There are too many shops on Broadway to shop in. . . . I’ll have to be careful when I catch the bus there.”

Overall, 44 bus stops affecting an estimated 43,000 riders were shifted because of Hill’s transformation into a one-way street.

Other thoroughfares are expected to be made one-way during the first phase of the Metro Rail construction, which is expected to last about three years.