It’s a human conundrum; when we attempt to solve a problem working in the wrong direction, we often succeed in making that problem much worse.
The MOVE project in downtown Culver City is about to become a prime example. The people who are unhappy that it takes longer to drive down Culver Boulevard than it used to are about to be subject to about four months of construction, making the drive exponentially harder.
Difficult is about to upgrade to impossible.
The city put out a press release this morning (posted above, here) announcing that construction will begin next week- September- with an expectation of finishing in December. This despite the fact that the recent court ruling that the city could make changes is facing an appeal from a public interest group. If the appeal is successful, all these changes will have to be forfeited – meaning that anything moved now may have to be moved back. All this could be very expensive, and very needlessly expensive.
The issue of downtown traffic, which is a political hot potato in the upcoming election, is a lose-lose situation for the electeds trying to roll it back. The city wanted to attract business, and succeeded. But what was planned for ‘busy’ has become ‘mobbed’ and while the parking garages that were the first ingredient in the recipe are still there, people don’t seem inclined to use them.
Attributing this problem to the MOVE project is a mistake. There was crunchy, crawling traffic though downtown long before we created the bus lane or the bike path. Ever since we got restaurants and theaters, we have traffic.
I could tell you about a trip I took in an ambulance from Trader Joe’s to what was then Brotman Hospital in 2004 that took more than 40 minutes. That’s a long time when you think you might be dying.
I could tell you about heading to the Farmer’s Market on any Tuesday from 2017 – 2019 and that after 3 pm, traffic stopped at Culver and Madison and crawled forward from there.
I could tell you about many afternoons this past year, sitting in front of the Village Well, there are drivers crowding the intersection (illegally) honking (pointlessly) while pedestrians and cyclists make their way cautiously around the (why are they so angry?) cars.
So, while the people who don’t like MOVE are about to see CHANGE, it’s going to take time and concrete and machines and lots of folks in orange vests, and a few dumpsters full of money. Get used to seeing “ROAD WORK AHEAD.”
The problem that you’ll be seeing next year is that none of this will improve traffic, at all. Every study ever done shows that adding a lane decreases traffic for a brief period of time, and then it is as bad as it ever was. Maybe worse.
Probably worse.
I’ve heard people who were in the courtroom say that the reason the city won the lawsuit was that the judge simply refused to look at the evidence. You know – that data that the city paid for, which was chucked over the shoulders of the council majority in favor of a ‘don’t call us we’ll call you” survey that asked selected homeowners over the age of fifty if they were bus riders.
Why look at evidence if you don’t like it?
What will happen with the appeal is anyone’s guess.
The core of it is – you are traffic. It isn’t everyone else’s car that is a problem. Your car is in someone else’s way too.
Downtown businesses that have complained that MOVE is costing them are about to see things get far worse in the next few months – just in time for people to be voting.
A solution going in a better direction will be here with the Olympics in 28 – or you can implement it now, by using any one of the many other modes of transportation that isn’t your own car. The circulator is a delight – the bus is a breeze – you can park a bike almost anywhere downtown.
The human conundrum; we want to make things better, but we often decide to make things worse.
Judith Martin-Straw
