Rush-Hour Truck Use of Freeway Drops 33%

Rush-hour truck traffic on the Ventura Freeway has dropped by one-third since freeway widening began last month, according to a Caltrans study.

The review, which compared truck traffic for the months of August and March, shows a 33% reduction in the number of large tractor-trailer trucks on the freeway during peak commuting hours. It shows a 15% reduction in rush-hour traffic involving commercial trucks of all sizes.

The figures indicate that truckers are voluntarily avoiding the freeway during peak commuting hours, making a proposed rush-hour ban on truck traffic on the freeway unnecessary for the time being, said Nate Holden, chairman of the Los Angeles City Council’s Transportation Committee.

“It appears to be working,” Holden said of the voluntary program.

However, Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky said: “All I can think of is how much more traffic would be improved if we had 100% of the trucks off the road.”

The City Council, at the urging of Yaroslavsky and Councilman Mike Woo, has called for a rush-hour ban on truck traffic during the widening project. But the California Department of Transportation, which has final say on the matter, has said that it wants to give its traffic-management plan a chance to work before it considers a ban.

‘84 Olympics Plan

Caltrans’ plan includes asking truckers to alter their schedules voluntarily so pickups and deliveries are made before or after rush hour, as was done successfully during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Yaroslavsky said in an interview Thursday that he believes the voluntary reduction is “a step in the right direction.” But, he said: “I don’t think it will compensate for the disruption that is going to occur as a result of all the construction.”

The trucking industry has opposed a rush-hour ban on truck traffic, saying it would delay the arrival of goods and hurt the economy.

A four-year undertaking to add a lane to each side of U.S. 101 between the Hollywood Freeway and Valley Circle Boulevard began last month. Trucks account for 2% to 3% of the traffic on the Ventura Freeway in the West San Fernando Valley during rush hours, from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m.

According to Caltrans’ report, the number of five-axle trucks using the freeway in both directions during the morning and evening commuting hours dropped 33%, from 1,014 in August to 677 in March. For all types of trucks, the number using the freeway during peak commuting periods dropped 15%, from 2,568 last August to 2,181 in March.