Curbed Reader Comment Round-Up
The best posts usually originate in our comments. To give appreciation to our amazing (and sometimes angry) commenters we feature their broad strokes of wisdom in a tidy comment roundup.
1) U.S. Geological Survey Makes Nightmares Come True "I say we ignore this the way we ignored studies about the inadequacies of the levys outside new orleans."
2) Curbed LA Pricespotter: Eye Candy in Los Feliz "I would give my left nut to live there. Unfortunately, my left nut is not worth $4.8m, because that is what the asking price will be."
3) New Design Standards Set for Westchester, Venice "This is stupid. Lincoln is a massive commute corridor. Who wants to walk on a freeway? Beautify the streets around it, and make lincoln a lot more traffic-efficient. Its a nightmare now and only going to get worse. Take the nice local businesses off it. Nobody goes strolling down lincoln at 6pm for dinner with their dog and baby stroller unless you want a mouthful of exhaust. The only thing I agree on is that its ugly. "
Ask Curbed: Can the City Ticket Dumbass Neighbors?
It seems the never ending quest for good parking turns some nice people into crappy neighbors. Another parking-related query from someone pissed off at their fellow Angelenos:
"There has been something happening on my street that has been making me "curbed" and bent out of shape. I live in an apt complex on a crowded Hollywood street where there is very limited parking to go around. My husband and I share one parking spot in the complex, so at any time, the unfortunate one of us will have to park on the street. Recently, I have been noticing that some jerk neighbors have been taking up a two-car spot with their ONE car in the middle of it! I know that they are "saving" spots for their families or friends. And no, it's not because they are bad parkers and left too much space in front of their car. They are right in the middle of a two-car space between two driveways. What I want to know is: Can I call the city parking enforcement on their asses? What rules does the city have against this type of thing? or lack of?"
[Image by flickr user Neiljohn]
Report: Congestion Pricing For LAX When Hell Freezes Over
[LAX via Curbed flickr pool member patrickLA]
Okay, maybe it didn't exactly say "when hell freezes over," but the report from LA's Department of Transportation basically says do not implement congestion pricing for LAX until the Green Line finally connects to LAX and some sort of people mover has been installed. In our lifetime? Doubtful. The report, issued February 20th, analyzes the potential mayhem that will ensue if people are required to pay a toll to drive to the airport, with the goals of discouraging car traffic and reducing congestion around the terminal. Backups, confusion, technological shortcomings, and no noticeable impacts are just some of the fun results.
What we can expect from congestion pricing at LAX.>>>
Westwood NIMBYs Win One Over the Feds
All of that hoopla for nothing. Plans for the teardown of the Federal Building and subsequent construction of new FBI office buildings in Westwood have been canceled. The FBI changed its mind. Apparently all of those cries over traffic were heard:
“This is good news. I am very pleased to hear that the FBI decided not to proceed with the building,” said [Senator] Feinstein in a statement. “There was an insurmountable amount of neighborhood opposition and a corridor of major traffic congestion. I am very happy to help the FBI in any way to find a new location.”
Who thought the FBI listened to anything?
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FBI Cancels Westwood Plans [LA Business Journal]
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Westwood Federal Building Making Way for Two More [Curbed LA]
Under the Thumb of Traffic and Parking
It's really a wonder anything gets built anywhere. Don't mistake us, we're not bitching. But for the development newbies in the audience, if you're wondering why there are vacant lots all over the place in prime areas, look no further than the cost of building parking and the neverending traffic impacts. An article from Westside Today cites the LAEDC's Mid-Year 2006-2007 Forecast report [PDF], which sees potential challenges for the Westside, mainly revolving around community groups opposed to development due to traffic and parking.
Oasis Realty wants to spend $500 million to make radical changes to the Beverly Hilton, but efforts are stalled, much like the traffic near Wilshire and Santa Monica, where the company wants to add two 13-story condominium units and a 15-story condo project.
Not likely, says Victor Bardak of the Beverly [Hills] North Homeowner’s Association. “I have already had several calls from residents about the size of those buildings,” said Bardak. They’re virtually all critical, and much of the criticism centers on the traffic that would be generated as part of the construction near the busy intersection, as well as vehicular traffic that would result from people seeking out the new hotel towers.
One of the potentital solutions to the traffic and parking crunch is the proposed light rail line - first the Expo Line going to Culver City and then sometime later, the Red Line extension or Purple Line, or whatever its called. In the meantime, we'll all continue to suffer the traffic with a stiff upper lip or if you're like us, you'll just avoid going to the Westside at all costs.
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A Rosy Glow [Westside Today Online]
Comments
We're fed up with our wheezing and runny, bleeding noses and eyes and we're not gonna take it anymore. 
Beginning today, live tigers will be released along Sunset Blvd at rush hour to drag away a select number of drivers, all part of an effort to cull the traffic herd. No, not really. 
The 
