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For anyone who wants to know why nothing ever gets done about traffic congestion, especially on the Westside, check out this morning's Larry Mantle show on KPCC. The topic was a unilateral decision by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to eventually make Pico mostly one-way eastbound, and Olympic mostly one-way westbound. It's a terrific idea and certain to shave several minutes of commute time, which would be a big deal day-in and day-out. But as usual, the execution has left something to be desired. The mayor seems to have sidestepped opposition from Pico area businesses and residents and essentially ordered the change, although not before shortening the one-way routes so that they stop just before Councilman Herb Wesson's district. Now that’s a perfect way to get folks on your side – just force it down their throats and throw in a dash of political favoritism.
Councilman Jack Weiss supports the plan, but Councilman Bill Rosendahl was practically apoplectic in describing how "my businesses" would be impacted. My businesses? Rosendahl is hearing from his outraged constituents who live and work in and around the Pico area and, truth be told, don’t much care about anyone else’s commuting woes. All of which perfectly illustrates why this city is so stymied when it comes to community-wide public policy. It's why we don't have a subway to the Westside, why LAX remains disheveled and even dangerous, why developers have taken over planning decisions - well, it explains a lot. Clearly, the Pico/Olympic plan presents some challenges for local businesses, but their cataclysmic predictions are absurd (not to mention their threats of litigation). As Weiss points out, part of the one-way plan involves a ban on parking from 7 to 9 in the morning. Now, how many businesses are even open between 7 and 9? Uh-oh, I feel my heart racing - I better stop.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.