Getting Answers : The Saga of Street Repair: Commuter-Aggravation Central
An imaginary address to the troops of the street-repair brigades, from their leader:
Allow me to congratulate you on being selected for the elite top-secret street-maintenance commuter-aggravation task force. Today’s coup, if we can carry it off, will be the envy of street maintenance workers nationwide, who sometimes feel they are mere servants of the people.
On the surface, it sounds like a routine job: We’ll be repaving La Brea Avenue, just north of where it passes through Baldwin Hills. But in the process--the thought of it sends chills up my spine--we have the opportunity to paralyze traffic on one of the major north-south arteries on the Westside.
Here’s the plan: The key is strategic scheduling. We’re gonna do this job right smack in the middle of the morning rush hour! By merging three lanes into one as the cars come down the north side of the hill, we’ll bring the morning commute to a virtual halt. There must be absolutely no leaks since the success of our mission depends on the element of surprise. The hapless commuters driving uphill from the south must have no clue that their usual five-minute trek through the pass is about to stretch out to an agonizing 45-minute crawl.
Sure, we’ll put up the obligatory road construction sign. But where we put it is up to our professional judgment so --Are you ready for this?--we’re gonna position the sign to the north of Stocker, the last main escape route before the poor suckers head down the hill. Thanks to the curve in the road, they won’t see the sign until they’re right on top of it, after they’ve passed through the intersection.
At that point, some speed-readers may catch a glimpse of the words “Long delay,” etc., which we’ll tack onto the sign at ground level. But it’ll be too late for them to bail out.
What’s that, Jonesy? Oh, yeah, some of the locals may make a getaway on Don Lorenzo Drive, just past Stocker. But most folks think that’s just a cul-de-sac, so we’re not likely to lose too many there. Besides, the poor souls won’t really know what they’re in for till they round that last curve.
Now here’s the icing on the cake. A lot of these commuters that get stuck in the morning are going to play it safe and switch to La Cienega on their way home. But we’ll be ready for them. You guessed it! We’ll pave the La Cienega southbound lanes during the evening rush hour.
Now go get ‘em, crew. And savor the experience.
PATRICIA MOONEY
INGLEWOOD
City’s Reply: ‘Impact on Residents Is Top Priority’
The Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Street Maintenance follows a very thorough procedure in its street paving operations, and places the impact on city residents as a top priority.
The scenario presented in Patricia Mooney’s letter paints a rather different picture than what actually occurred late last year.
As on all street paving operations, bureau staff contacted Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas’ staff to inform them of the work schedules and community impact. Flyers were distributed to local businesses, and advance press releases were disseminated to facilitate public awareness.
Signs were posted previous to planing and paving operations.
The cold planing and paving that occurred on LaBrea, from Coliseum Street to the city limits, involved one of the busiest and most difficult streets for Street Maintenance crews to work on, with heavy traffic and a higher speed limit affecting operations.
In addition, rain delays affected completion schedules.
To compensate, street maintenance crews completed 80% of their operations on Saturdays and Sundays. This meant paying all crews overtime compensation work to minimize inconvenience. Streets are scheduled for paving on a cycle. The work that occurred on LaBrea will not occur for another 20 years.
TOM THOMAS
Street Maintenance Superintendent II
City of Los Angeles
