Commuting: Traffic Flow Interference

With regard to the detours around the 10 Freeway, I am upset by seemingly pointless and often dangerous interference with traffic by police traffic officers. The worst is the intersection of National at Venice.

I commute from Palms, along Palms Boulevard to National, National to La Brea, to the freeway east to work, and back the same way. On the return trip, with no officers messing up the flow, it takes five minutes to proceed from La Cienega to Washington, another five minutes to get up to Robertson and proceed west to Overland. When the officers are on duty, there is gridlock from Hayden to Venice.

The light changes at Washington over and over and nothing moves--because the officers take our green light at Venice and use it to allow cars coming south to left-turn east on Venice. Going eastbound, sometimes the officers turn off the traffic light at La Cienega and Jefferson, allowing La Cienega traffic to flow for many minutes while we back up almost to the left-bending curve at Washington.

I wouldn’t get so upset if it made any sense, but it doesn’t. Also, I am handicapped by severe arthritis, and driving is very uncomfortable for me. Those 15 extra minutes wasted by these idiocies really hurt.

Of course I’ve tried to ride-share, but no one who lives near me either in the 1-800-746-RIDE or my company either works the same hours or will give up smoking while commuting, or is closer to my residence then three miles. For a 30-minute commute it is crazy to waste another 15 minutes driving out of the way to pick up a passenger.

If only those officers would stop interfering! When they aren’t there everything moves--all directions. The lunatics are running the asylum.

RITA M. LAIRD Los Angeles