Where Your Taxes Are Going #27631

The 405 (aka, the San Diego Freeway) is one of the busiest highways on earth, especially through the Sepulveda Pass, connecting regular LA with the Valley. I usually avoid this area, especially during rush hour.

According to recent reports, the state is ready to build a new lane. The Guv's on board and soon it'll be a reality. Bully.

But the article, which concentrates on how the project will be designed and built, misses the point. They're building a CARPOOL LANE. In other words, they're doing just about nothing to improve congestion. 99.9% of all drivers will not only still be stuck (after suffering through years of construction), but they'll get to watch a privileged few whiz past while they're steaming.

Why not just save all the money and build a big hand that gives everyone the finger as they pass by?

ColumbusGuy adds: What do you care? You avoid the area anyway, and it's not like they'll give you a refund. They ought to just impose a toll. Start it at $5 and raise it toward $50 until the congestion clears.

And if you think it's bad now, just wait until we impeach this judge and name the woman director of transportation. That'll create some HOVoc.

LAGuy Ripostes: ColumbusGuy, out in the Midwest, clearly has no idea what life is like in LA. Traffic is the #1 issue out here. And you can't get away from it. It's bad everywhere, but if it gets worse ten miles away, you feel it as people seek out new trails.

For business reasons, I have to visit the Valley regularly. There are only so many choices. If one path is effected, all are.

Columbus Guy says: You can make more money streetwalking the Valley than LA proper?

Please, quit the whining. It's most unseemly and most un-LAGuy-like. The only reason Columbus exists is the Interstate highway system. Take away our roads and we're a series of pretty farms, not the cultural Mecca of the United States that we all take for granted; take away your roads and you'd still have that nice city transit system you had in the 1950's. Trust me, we know all about roads. It's only that we consider a 15 minute delay to be intolerable. But who knows? Give us an ocean the chance of seeing Julia Roberts at McDonalds and maybe we'd be willing to boost it to an hour.