The Highway 101/State Route 92 interchange is the spot everyone loves to hate. I use it daily so I can stick my nose into this debate as much as the next guy. For the afternoon jam, my grand plan is cheap and very possibly as useful as the next, so here goes. I would “neck down” the lanes from southbound 101 going up to the eastbound overpass to one lane as it ascends, and designate it for the center lane of the bridge traffic. Then I’d neck down the eastbound 92 traffic to the left lane as you traverse the El Camino Real area and designate that for left lane bridge traffic. That would hopefully leave the other lanes for those who dance around the entries and exits of 92 for whatever other reasons. The northbound 101 entrance to the bridge is just fine as is (with perhaps cameras to “catch” lane crashers trying to “beat” the waiting cars). Voilá. Now you have the five lanes of traffic already set to enter the three-lane bridge.
I would think that might at least delay the massive merge crunch that jams everyone at those points at that time of day. The best is yet to come folks. NOW you get the adjoining counties and the state to organize a serious fleet of commuter buses to connect folks from their most dense starting and ending points. Provide Wi-Fi and comfort at a reasonable price for both commutes. So, there you have my brainchild, cheap and easy (hopefully). For morning driving commuters, I guess you’re still on your own.
Thanks, Mr. Caggiano, for the early morning thought experiment in your proposed grand plan solution. However, it should be noted that each time you “neck” down a lane you create potential backups on the feeding thoroughfares. For instance, southbound 101 would get more backed up than it does now and eastbound 92 would also get backed up, as well as onramps to these highways (such as the El Camino Real onramps to eastbound 92). Perhaps if there were data to support/toss out options, including your grand plan? Or has this data been factored into the proposed 82/101 interchange you’re attempting to replace? BTW, is it illegal to be a lane crasher trying to “beat” waiting cars? I guess you could post camera photos to “shame” folks for cutting in but if there’s no money…
Thanks Terrence, the reason for the neck down is to not have all the merging happen at the same spot. To move some of it to earlier spots would tend to have the merging spaced out. Hardly a cure all, but I think it could delay the backups for when things really get hairy. My REAL fix is the fleet of commuter busses.
Mr. Caggiano, studies have shown (and there was at least one multi-hundred page book on the subject) that the best location for merging is at the spot where merging is forced – the “zipper merge.” Although some think these folks are lane crashers, in reality these folks (including myself) are the most efficient. Unfortunately, for some reason, these actions are frowned upon and that leads to more backups than there should be. So everyone out there, begin doing the zipper merge to make your commute more efficient. In the back of your mind, you'll know you're doing the right thing for everyone behind you who is inefficiently merging. How's that for encouragement?
As for commuter buses, the problem remains, as with mass transit, the “final mile.” Unless commuter buses are specific to certain businesses or certain locations near businesses, commuter buses will never be as efficient or convenient as cars/carpooling/vanpooling. BTW, if you have a detailed commuter bus plan, send it to our transit officials - they need all the help they can get.
The answer is simple and costs nothing. From 2-7 pm close the North 101 on ramp from Hillsdale, close the Edgewater exit off of 92 east bound and close the Edgewater on ramp to 92 east bound. And per CA vehicle code, inform the ignorant drivers that when approaching an exit ramp, they should NOT slow down until they have exited the freeway and those entering the freeway are required to merge at the speed limit, not 15 mph . Maybe some of those fancy illuminated freeway signs can be used to teach because we all know there was a drought, that we need to buckle up, that we should not drink and drive and we should not text and drive with our head between our knees.
Michael - nice idea but "Now you have the five lanes of traffic already set to enter the three-lane bridge." The bridge proceeds to narrow down to two lanes. What happens at the end of the bridge and beyond on the 258 and 580 is a nightmare. I just came back from the East Bay and saw the usual stop and go traffic for miles. It also affects the 680, north and south, and Hwy 4 going east. It is a true waste of money to put a bow, which is being suggested, on a sack of incomprehensive traffic lunacy.
Why are my "We LOVE cars"-friends suddenly complaining about too many cars?
Isn't a nice backup the ultimate car-lovers-meet-and-greet? Where can you meet more like-minded people these days in a good solid congestion? It's like speed dating on four wheels.
Whenever we normal and non-addicted people say something like: "We need more bus and bike lanes" all we get is nonsense like:
- We love cars.
- Nobody rides bikes.
- This massive amounts of kids on e-bikes are annoying.
Really fun to watch how these heads keep spinning.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(6) comments
Thanks, Mr. Caggiano, for the early morning thought experiment in your proposed grand plan solution. However, it should be noted that each time you “neck” down a lane you create potential backups on the feeding thoroughfares. For instance, southbound 101 would get more backed up than it does now and eastbound 92 would also get backed up, as well as onramps to these highways (such as the El Camino Real onramps to eastbound 92). Perhaps if there were data to support/toss out options, including your grand plan? Or has this data been factored into the proposed 82/101 interchange you’re attempting to replace? BTW, is it illegal to be a lane crasher trying to “beat” waiting cars? I guess you could post camera photos to “shame” folks for cutting in but if there’s no money…
Thanks Terrence, the reason for the neck down is to not have all the merging happen at the same spot. To move some of it to earlier spots would tend to have the merging spaced out. Hardly a cure all, but I think it could delay the backups for when things really get hairy. My REAL fix is the fleet of commuter busses.
Mr. Caggiano, studies have shown (and there was at least one multi-hundred page book on the subject) that the best location for merging is at the spot where merging is forced – the “zipper merge.” Although some think these folks are lane crashers, in reality these folks (including myself) are the most efficient. Unfortunately, for some reason, these actions are frowned upon and that leads to more backups than there should be. So everyone out there, begin doing the zipper merge to make your commute more efficient. In the back of your mind, you'll know you're doing the right thing for everyone behind you who is inefficiently merging. How's that for encouragement?
As for commuter buses, the problem remains, as with mass transit, the “final mile.” Unless commuter buses are specific to certain businesses or certain locations near businesses, commuter buses will never be as efficient or convenient as cars/carpooling/vanpooling. BTW, if you have a detailed commuter bus plan, send it to our transit officials - they need all the help they can get.
The answer is simple and costs nothing. From 2-7 pm close the North 101 on ramp from Hillsdale, close the Edgewater exit off of 92 east bound and close the Edgewater on ramp to 92 east bound. And per CA vehicle code, inform the ignorant drivers that when approaching an exit ramp, they should NOT slow down until they have exited the freeway and those entering the freeway are required to merge at the speed limit, not 15 mph . Maybe some of those fancy illuminated freeway signs can be used to teach because we all know there was a drought, that we need to buckle up, that we should not drink and drive and we should not text and drive with our head between our knees.
Michael - nice idea but "Now you have the five lanes of traffic already set to enter the three-lane bridge." The bridge proceeds to narrow down to two lanes. What happens at the end of the bridge and beyond on the 258 and 580 is a nightmare. I just came back from the East Bay and saw the usual stop and go traffic for miles. It also affects the 680, north and south, and Hwy 4 going east. It is a true waste of money to put a bow, which is being suggested, on a sack of incomprehensive traffic lunacy.
Why are my "We LOVE cars"-friends suddenly complaining about too many cars?
Isn't a nice backup the ultimate car-lovers-meet-and-greet? Where can you meet more like-minded people these days in a good solid congestion? It's like speed dating on four wheels.
Whenever we normal and non-addicted people say something like: "We need more bus and bike lanes" all we get is nonsense like:
- We love cars.
- Nobody rides bikes.
- This massive amounts of kids on e-bikes are annoying.
Really fun to watch how these heads keep spinning.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.