Do You Notice A Change?



 
 

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via The News Blog with Eric Spillman by Eric Spillman on 5/12/08

Latraffic How's your commute these days?  Is it taking a less time to get to work than it did a year ago?

The L.A. Times cites anectdotal evidence and a study showing that maybe the freeways are a little lighter than they used to be.

The reasons:  1) Gas prices, and 2) The economy.  It's not a huge difference, but traffic analysts believe some people are saving a few minutes on the way in to work: 

The morning commute from Simi Valley to Los Angeles averaged 61 minutes in April 2007 when gas cost a little more than $3 a gallon but fell to 55.1 minutes last month. Also significant are numbers from the Inland Empire, where the morning drive from Riverside to Ontario fell nearly 13% -- from 41.5 minutes in April 2007 to 36.2 minutes this April.

The article even refers to KTLA's own traffic expert Commander Chuck Street.  He thinks traffic is lighter these days, and, since he flies around so much, he ought to know.

I think there is a difference, but I think it has more to do with the economy than with the price of fuel.

There's a whole lot less remodeling and construction going on these days.  People aren't taking thousands of dollars out in a home equity line, and spending it on upgrading their kitchen.  Fewer people employed in construction means fewer cars on the road.

I travel the 101 through the Valley and the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass just about every afternoon, and I HAVE noticed it's slightly easier.

What do you see?   


 
 

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