Comments on: Things I Didn’t Know

By: Michael O'Brien

Michael O'Brien — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:18:33 +0000

Another factor: the LA conurbation is more dense than the New York region. In fact, it’s the densest city in the U.S. by a considerable margin. In theory, greater density would correlate with shorter trips.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:57:19 +0000

The data on average miles driven is probably skewed. Most Angelenos suffer on their crowded roads and this data probably doesn’t include/receive the same level of analysis as the freeways. However when I visit LA and stay at friends’ homes I rarely use a car. Walking/cycling gets me everywhere I want to go and I gather many others who live next to the ocean enjoy the same lifestyle. Compared to most cities built on sprawl, LA has many areas that are quite enjoyable and don’t require the use of motorized vehicles. Houston really sucks as it has chosen a lifestyle based on highways (many areas of LA does too).

By: anonymouse

anonymouse — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:52:36 +0000

LA has rather fewer freeways than you might expect. In particular, the dense and congested Westside has a very low density of freeways, with a pretty big area between the 101, 405, and 10 freeways not really being near any freeway at all. And if you look at the structure of the city, it’s mostly 1920s style streetcar suburb grid, rather than the tangled mess of cul de sacs that typify more recent suburban developments.