L.A. Traffic Strangulation
Most anyone will agree with Chief Gates’ charge that inefficiency on the part of Caltrans scheduling of freeway repair is “screwing it up terribly. They never assess the traffic flow.”
This certainly has a ring of familiarity to it, but one need only look to our Los Angeles surface streets to see that the LAPD itself is not above blocking a lane of traffic for no other reason than there may not be any “convenient” place to park the squad car, most noticeably in obvious non-emergency situations.
The problem with Gates’ vision is that he doesn’t see the contribution of non-enforcement of routine traffic laws as a factor. The LAPD sets an example by: (1) not observing traffic laws when on routine patrol, and (2) not maintaining a presence within the “traffic flood” so that enforcement can occur.
Instead of pointing fingers, the LAPD should work to create a force of officers whose main duty is that of traffic law enforcement AND traffic flow control. Perhaps then the police would not have an “undisciplined group of drivers and pedestrians” to contend with.
JAMES M. HILL
Los Angeles
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