Patterico's Pontifications

7/16/2011

Carmageddon? More Like Carma-Whatever

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:32 pm



I picked up my mom at LAX today. Here was the 405 this afternoon:

It was the best drive on the 405 I have ever had . . . at least that didn’t take place at 5 a.m.

41 Responses to “Carmageddon? More Like Carma-Whatever”

  1. Ah yes, the elusive Comedy of the Commons.

    Dustin (b7410e)

  2. Isn’t that supposed to normally look like level 45 bazillion of Frogger…or something? šŸ˜‰

    ppk_pixie (6f2250)

  3. this can’t be a super good thing for the los angeles economy really

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  4. Now, if I only had somewhere to go, this would be awesome. Silly me went down to Dana Point last week, fearing I would never make it this week.

    On the political front, it is quite humorous to watch the pols manage the expectation that the 405 will re-open far ahead of schedule. To their credit, I have yet to hear a single one rhapsodizing over the reduced carbon emissions this weekend.

    Rotsa ruck next June when this is repeated.

    Ed from SFV (7d7851)

  5. Ed said, “it is quite humorous to watch the pols manage the expectation that the 405 will re-open far ahead of schedule”

    The members of the culture of corruption will take the credit from the engineers and construction workers who did the work at every opportunity. The the bridge was supposed to be done in October. Instead, the politicians delayed the work until the busy summer travel season.

    tyree (84087f)

  6. Ah yes, the elusive Comedy of the Commons.

    Comment by Dustin ā€” 7/16/2011 @ 6:38 pm

    Well put and (uncharacteristically) succinct.

    Patterico (f724ca)

  7. Yeah, Daleyrocks must have hacked me.

    Dustin (b7410e)

  8. The only time I’ve seen the 405 that empty was when I watched the white Bronco go north past Wilshire (was just getting off work and watched it in person from the parking lot).

    CardioNP (e65e5d)

  9. Is using “the” along with the freeway number a California linguistic peculiarity, or is it more widespread?

    In the major cities of Texas, “the” is used with the freeway’s common name when the word “freeway” or “loop” is also used. So, for example, it’s “the North Freeway,” “Woodall Rogers,” “the West Loop South,” “the Katy Freeway,” but also simply “I-30,” “I-45,” and “121.” You generally don’t hear “the 45,” “the 30,” or “the 635.”

    Diffus (33ceef)

  10. Is using ā€œtheā€ along with the freeway number a California linguistic peculiarity, or is it more widespread?

    You will find this article amusing.

    Apparently it’s a socal thing.

    Dustin (b7410e)

  11. “I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
    It felt good to be out of the rain
    In the desert you can remember your name
    ‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain”

    Arizona Bob (aa856e)

  12. My Karma ran over Pelosi’s dogma.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  13. Perfect coda to this day with the epic car chase.

    non sequitor…..how did we not know that the indigent Casey Anthony would be whisked away to a private jet? The only question is which media organization is paying for it.

    Ed from SFV (7d7851)

  14. All this is going to do is give the lefties in LA some ideas on how to further screwup the economy in the name of reducing carbon emissions.

    scr_north (5b4c7c)

  15. Sitting in my car in the San Gabriel Valley I had to LMAO everytime I saw a Caltrans message board warning or a news report of Carmageddon. The chicken-little’s of the west-side centric media apparently think it will be the end of the world and affect everyone in SoCal. It’s forty miles from here…Most of us could not care less and avoid the crowds and crime of the west side as much as possible.

    Bart998 (5c65d1)

  16. OK, explain. I thought the 405 was closed today; how did you drive on it? Or was it a total lie about it closing.

    LYT (4fe551)

  17. This absolutely echoes an account I read of the 1984 Olympics in LA, the predictions of gridlock were so pervasive that people took vacations and made plans specifically so they wouldn’t have to use the freeways during those weeks, but all that contingency planning left the freeways less congested. They actually carried more total traffic, but because the peak traffic times weren’t as bad as usual, the congestion was less.

    It can be explained economically, because the people realize the upcoming inconvenience and plan around it, relieving the worst of the problem on their own, voluntarily and individually.

    Funny how well we can solve those problems “live” in the free market as opposed to the complications we always introduce when trying to impose solutions by central planning.

    Estragon (ec6a4b)

  18. Escape From L.A.
    Snake Pliskin pick up his Mom
    Four Oh Five a dream

    ColonelHaiku (cc5c75)

  19. If there’s going to be photography on the front page, I much prefer important journalistic photography such as up skirt pictures of Kate Middleton. Just sayin’.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  20. Think of all the pollution you big fat meanies

    /Charles Johnson

    DohBiden (d54602)

  21. Carmageddon is what happens when a blizzard hits I-495 (the Capitol Beltway) at rush hour

    Jones (4de0a0)

  22. Caramgeddon is what happens when Karma comes back to bite you.

    DohBiden (d54602)

  23. It looks a lot like the freeways during the 1984 Olympics. What a nightmare that was šŸ™‚

    Chuck Bartowski (e84e27)

  24. It was the best drive on the 405 I have ever had . . . at least that didnā€™t take place at 5 a.m.

    I’m not a morning person so I have only done this once, but I had a delightful time one Sunday morning at about 6:30 am, shortly after sunrise, cruising around the various L.A. freeways for about 90 minutes. I went up the 110 to downtown, then cut over to the 101 through Hollywood and into the Valley, then headed back down the 405 to the 91 to the 710 and so on. I don’t think I had to go slower than 70 at any time. I have been meaning to do it again sometime, but as I mentioned, I am just not a morning person.

    JVW (39c649)

  25. Mornings for sleeping.
    The nights are cool and quiet,
    better for working.

    Machinist (b6f7da)

  26. I had the same experience going to Torrance to see relatives. (My staunch Republican cousin Jeanette still has a Craig Huey sign in her yard). Nothing remotely resembling traffic.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (756b02)

  27. I’m very happy everyone cooperated to make this work.

    MayBee (081489)

  28. So carmageddon turned into carhoutek? (For those of you too young to remember Comet Kohoutek, here’s a link; and then get off my lawn.)

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  29. I have to disagree with you guys.

    I was driving from Bethesda along the Beltway and traffic was completely backed up. There were at least 3 accidents within 5 miles of each other, and it was stop-and-go all the way. To top it off the police were patrolling I-95 looking for speeders.

    It took me 2 hours to get to BWI airport, when it usually takes me about 45 minutes. Frankly, Carmaggedon was the worst I’ve seen traffic in a while.

    JayC (052f15)

  30. This is what all highways will look like after we finish president petulance’s high speed rail initiative, or something.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  31. Once more, it proves that what starts on the Left Coast eventually consumes all of America.
    We can only hope that some bureaucrat, Kongresskritter (or staff) missed their flight out of town.

    AD-RtR/OS! (ce0593)

  32. ___________________________________________

    It was the best drive on the 405 I have ever had

    The lack of “carmageddon” (or, for that matter, LA in 1984) is a perfect illustration of the way that human nature — both good and bad — plays a big role in almost everything and anything. So people kept hearing “carmageddon! carmageddon! stay home, stay home!” in the media and through word-of-mouth, and responded accordingly.

    But such an example is also another reason why I have great disdain for various people (mainly of the left) who dismiss the dynamics of human nature, or try to alter human nature in a way that goes against thousands of years of history — and lots of trial and error — or pretend that the fundamentals of human nature don’t matter.

    So think of what decades of listening to disingenuous, sloppy, feel-good liberalism have done to the psyche of the populace. Sort of like hearing 50 years’ worth of “carmageddon! carmageddon!!”

    Mark (411533)

  33. Palin isn’t perfect but i still support her over Obama.

    BTW the hitler carmageddon thread is hilarious.

    DohBiden (d54602)

  34. Apparently a lot of Angelenos stayed home this weekend. Does this mean there will be a lot of new Angelenos born in April 2012?

    DRJ (fdd243)

  35. Jeez, DRJ, there you go bringing sex into a serious discussion of the human condition.
    TMI!

    AD-RtR/OS! (ce0593)

  36. LYT,
    I thought the 405 was closed today; how did you drive on it? Or was it a total lie about it closing.

    Part of the 405 was closed. I can testify from personal experience that the route to Torrance was wide open yesterday morning and afternoon.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (756b02)

  37. Oh for the last time we will not default you fearmongers.

    DohBiden (d54602)

  38. I should have guessed after the 1984 Olympics when the freeways were empty due to fears of massive traffic jams! I should have gone to Disneyland!

    Brett (bcb05f)

  39. That picture only proves how much discretionary income and time we citizens have.

    Sponge Bob Torquemada (786e37)

  40. So am I the only one here who remembers Kohoutek? I’m used to being the young whippersnapper in the group, not the old fogey! I don’t even remember the first moon landing; by the time I was aware of such things they were routine, and I didn’t understand what a big deal they were until years after they stopped. But I was looking forward to seeing Kohoutek, and it fizzled. So did Haley’s comet, but I was older by then.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  41. I had to google the reference, Milhouse, but it was interesting.

    Dustin (b7410e)


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