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August 16, 2007
Is your world shrinking?
From yesterday's LA Daily News:
- WOODLAND HILLS - He can't stand spending one more minute in traffic.
And after commuting all week to work at Warner Center, Divine Hicklin usually stays home on weekends to take a break from battling the bulging bottlenecks on the roads.
"When the weekend comes, I want to stay home, in my pajamas, in front of my computer and away from traffic," said the downtown Los Angeles commuter. "I do it all the time."
Whether behind the wheel or sitting on a bus, Los Angeles commuters spend about 93 hours a year stuck in traffic. And those like Hicklin often end up feeling so wiped out by the gridlock, they're becoming increasingly inclined to stick - whenever they can - to their own little neighborhoods on weekends.
"I think a lot of us have gotten used to not doing things," said Ted Balaker, policy analyst for the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit. "It makes this city less of a grand metropolis and more into isolated hamlets."
As congestion makes it more trying to get around, Balaker said Angelenos are subconsciously paring back their lives in everything from where they choose jobs to visiting friends on another side of town or even eating out in a different area.
Many don't even realize what they're giving up in life because they're trying to avoid traffic, said Balaker, author of a report released last month that assesses the impact of mobility on personal lives.
But as congestion grows, people ultimately are becoming less spontaneous and less adventurous.
Read Sue Doyle's interesting piece here; some interesting reader comments below the fold:
- I constantly skip fun things I have done in the past due to traffic. Sharapova vs Dimentieva tennis? Sounds awsome! ... oh wait.... the 405 on a Friday evening? No Thanks.
Used to attend 10 Dodger games each summer, lately I barely make it to one game per season.
Family gathering in Marina Del Rey...hmmm.. I'll stay home and watch tv.
Some weekends I don't even start my car - I've had enuogh driving Mon-Fri from Calabasas to Hollywood. Malibu is really the only place I visit on weekends (15 min down the canyon).
Posted by: David Stratemeyer
Alas I am not alone?
I have to be up at a quarter to five in order to catch a bus which will take me to N. Hollywood from Reseda. I hate the traffic, the crowded streets, and the stop and go ride that agrevates me to no end as I try to be on time for my 8 o'clock job. I stay home on my days off because it is no worth the trouble to try to get to the Malls, theater or any place. In the summer heat the buses break down in the 105 degree weather forces me to stand there suffering from heat exhaustion despite of the water I am carrying. There is no pleasure in having to endure endless commutes under duress. I shop for groceries in my neighborhood, maintain telephone realtionships with friend, avoid LA's amusement spots etc..It's terrible and getting worse to get around LA especially the valley.
Posted by: Marina Perekrestoff
Posted by tedb at August 16, 2007 04:29 PM
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