Wednesday, November 23, 2016

America's worst traffic jam?

Some startling footage emerged yesterday from a news helicopter covering traffic in Los Angeles: what might possibly be the worst traffic jam in America.

According to the article, "If these motorists thought setting off early would help them beat the Thanksgiving getaway rush, it appears a few others had the same idea. ... The news channel’s helicopter captured the 'complete gridlock' on the 405 motorway, one of the busiest and most congested routes in the United States."

The short video embedded in the article starts out bad enough:


Then it pans back and gets even worse:


And even worse:


"It's like the red and white blood cells flowing through the major arteries of the city," wrote on person. "Pretty, [but] wouldn't want to be in it."

This is a level of gridlock unfathomable in this area. To all my dear readers in Southern California, please be safe this holiday.

15 comments:

  1. I don't get it. I mean I get going to see your family but why is it so bad there? looks like some engineer has failed royally. Not where I would like to spend the holiday.

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    1. There is no viable mass transit in California. Why? Too many people are making WAY too much money by imprisoning people in their cars!

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  2. Looks like normal LA traffic to me. I'm sure tonight will be the real gridlock. Grandfather lived in that area. Me? I married my way out of California at 21. Never looked back, and even convinced some family to move to Idaho with me. :)

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    1. I left that cess pit in 1986 for AZ then made my way to Idaho, too, 5 years ago. Couldn't pay me any amount of money to move back to CA.

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  3. And we get impatient when someone drives really slow on our country road.

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  4. The reason that there is no viable mass transition California - is California. NYC has one of very few viable systems and that is du to population density.
    If you wish to have mass transit, give up ANY land.
    Mass Transit requires MASS. Otherwise it is Public Transit and it is paid for by the Public (You and I, not the riders).
    Piling people into high density housing is called Agenda 21 and I want NOTHING to do with it.

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    1. You're right on the population density part of it, but believe me; the public is paying for those freeways as well. What's more, California has gone one step further; using taxpayer money to build toll roads, handing those roads over to private entities to run, who in turn charge the taxpayers to use them. As illustrated by the traffic jam in the pictures, the "mass" is most definitely there...

      Fact is, southern California had high-speed light rail serving almost the entire region; even the inland regions, until the 1940's. "Someone" bought up all of the trolley lines, dismantled them, and replaced them with diesel buses...

      I'm not into "high-density" housing either. As for "giving up all land though, Agenda 21 isn't necessary; CA is quite liberal with its use of imminent domain...

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  5. Another example why it's good to live in the country and not travel around holidays.

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  6. I used to live a couple of hours away from that mess known as Los Angeles. I would only go down there to take friends to LAX or if required for work meetings. It was getting really bad where I was if you had to drive from the desert down to the area known as the "inland empire" through the Cajon Pass (which is ALWAYS under construction)and it could sometimes take 2 or 3 hours to go 50 miles. The 15 freeway (Cajon Pass)is also the only major highway that leads from southern California to Las Vegas, Every Friday going north, and every Sunday going south, our area's only freeway looked like that.

    So what do I do? I ended up in a suburb of Denver. Husband landed a job and we moved in with our son while we hunted for a home. Because of legalized pot, housing is hard to find. We had to settle for what we could get for now. We are saving to move out to a more rural area in a couple of years.

    As for the whole Los Angeles area, I don't miss it a bit. Some of the people yes, but everything else, nope.

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  7. I'm praying they are Hillary supporters fleeing the country before Inauguration Day.
    Montana Guy

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  8. "Now let's watch as we add some New Yorkers with recently installed amplified car horns and watch what happens ..."

    :-)

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  9. To some people the important thing is location, location, location. Sometimes, though, it needs to be alternate route, alternate route, alternate route.
    "Woe to those who build house upon house...until there is no place to be alone in the earth."
    Happy Thanksgiving to all. DJ

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  10. Wow...and that's for a holiday! I hate to see what happens when there's some reason to force mass evacuation. I couldn't imagine. --Maria

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  11. I am one of the unfortunate that lives close to the 405 (by the famous South Bay Curve) and use it occasionally. Traffic is ALWAYS bad. Population keeps increasing, and you can't add land. You can't build on the ocean, either. We measure distance by time, not miles ("I'm an hour away.") I daydream of escaping to a country farm, but right now economics keep me here. Count your blessings, country-residing preppers! P.S. - There is a 405 east of Seattle, and the traffic is just as bad!

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  12. Some 30yrs. ago, I was headed to SAN Diego and saw to sign San Diego freeway. (405)Thinking this must be the best way. What a mistake, only took one time to figure that was not the way to go. When I go south in the winter, I now use the 210 to go around L.A.
    A very Happy Thanksgiving to you folks.

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