AUGUST 22, 2007 @ 11:12 am – SB 405 Fwy at 105 Fwy Interchange

Well thanks to Wil Smith and Universal Pictures, I was late to work today. Just when things were starting to improve around here, this had to happen.

Universal Studios is shooting a freeway action scene on the 105 freeway just west of the 405, adjacent to the SW corner of LAX. As I understand it, the shoot requires that the 105 traffic WB from the 405, and all associated on/off-ramps be closed from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm "for a number of days". Can someone tell me what that "number" is please?

Wait a minute! It's the middle of the week people. Why shut down one of SoCals most commute crippling and busiest freeway intersections? Commuters are beyond inconvienced by these closures. What show stopping scene had to be shot mid-week that couldn't be shot on weekend days?

Are you guys taking scheduling lessons from CalTrans now? I most certainly hope not. The freeways can't possible handle another asinine studio public relations stunt. The spin control for a Highway A-hole is almost always futile.

And boy are his ears pointy.

JULY 23, 2007 @ 6:10 am - SB 101 Balboa Ave

Today we actually had a summer thunderstorm pass through the LA area. It made the air hot and humid as the day wore on. But, it was the morning effect of the storm that caused the Highway A-holes to bloom.

Whenever it rains here after a long dry spell two things happen; 1. The roads have less traction due to the road oil coming out of the crevices and floating to the surface, and 2. People forget how to drive on a slick road.

Slow down you A-holes! For the last 5 months we have had near 0 precipitation. You have all seemed to have forgotten how to drive safely in the rain. I mean c'mon now, all you have to remember is to slow down and keep an extra car length or two between you and the car ahead of you. And don't worry about what's going on behind you unlike what this bozo did.

I was in the number 5 lane puttering along in the rain about 15 mph. All traffic was moving fairly well. Just as I passed the Balboa on-ramp the car ahead of me, a 1995'ish silver Nissan Altima, decided to pull half way out of his lane to the right so that now he was driving half-way in the slow land and half-way on the on-ramp merge lane.

I've seen this before. This action usually means that someone was merging into traffic from the Balboa on-ramp and the chump driving the Altima wasn't about to let the black Honda Prelude pass him to merge. What the Altima didn't realize, was that a newer white Ford F250 truck saw the Altima move to the right, and figured I guess that he was pulling over. The F250 began to merge from lane 4 next to the Altima into the space the Altima half-way occupied now in lane 5 - the slow lane.

Horns blasted, people were yelling, brake lights lit up like a streak of Christmas lights. The F250 appeared to have taken control of the lane and was motoring on. The Altima was now completely on the right side shoulder, and the Honda Prelude was right behind the Altima - both stopped.