County Finds Getting Out of Jam Too Costly

Dear Traffic Talk:

I am calling about the horrible traffic jam every night when the Hollywood Bowl is open.

It is just impossible to get from Burbank or anywhere in the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood without an extremely long delay exiting the Hollywood Freeway.

The situation is especially horrible at Highland Avenue.

Why can’t the city build an onramp specifically for the Hollywood Bowl that would bypass Highland altogether?

Universal Studios was able to do that when they opened their CityWalk. Shouldn’t the city--which has more money than Universal Studios, I hope--do the same?

John Everest

Burbank

Dear John:

The idea of building a route straight into the Hollywood Bowl has been kicked around by Los Angeles County, which oversees the facility, according to authorities.

But unlike MCA Inc.--which had only one project to finance--the county presently does not have the money for such a project, said Ed Tom, the Bowl’s superintendent of operations.

Highland Avenue around the Bowl is one of the most heavily congested streets in Los Angeles--partly because of the Bowl, but also because of normal traffic, Tom said.

At this time, the only suggestion seems to be for drivers to try to avoid the area during evenings when performances are held at the Bowl or to use alternative routes into Hollywood, such as Cahuenga Boulevard or Vine Street, Tom said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

I am having trouble accepting the signals at the onramps of freeways.

I drive a large truck and in the process of merging with traffic, I tend to slow the flow of traffic trying to gain speed after I have stopped at the signal.

I understand the signals can be overridden by a highway patrol officer.

I further understand the environmental impact study states that: If the traffic is traveling faster than 26 mph, a ticket cannot be written to a driver who fails to obey the stoplight.

Besides, why can’t I drive on the carpool lanes when traffic is not congested?

Rick Moran

Burbank

Dear Rick:

Individual motorists tend to focus on how a meter inconveniences their commute, but Caltrans’ responsibility is to make the freeways as efficient as possible for everyone, according to the agency.

Turning off one meter might not have a huge impact on the overall operation of a freeway, but turning all of them off would cause severe congestion, said Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The law says that no one is allowed to use the carpool lanes unless accompanied by a passenger, Reid said, adding that the designation of preferential carpool lanes has been challenged in court and found to be constitutional.

The agency is unaware of an environmental report that allows a California Highway Patrol officer to override the meter if traffic is moving faster than 26 mph.

Finally, when traffic is flowing freely, single motorists don’t need the carpool lanes, Reid said. Therefore, Caltrans supports a 24-hour metering system that allows only car-poolers to use those lanes.

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