GHOST TRAFFIC HAUNTS THE 101.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer Phantom traffic blanketed the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. on Monday, snarling snarl 1 v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls v.intr. 1. To growl viciously while baring the teeth. 2. To speak angrily or threateningly. v.tr. morning commutes, delaying work and confounding confounding when the effects of two, or more, processes on results cannot be separated, the results are said to be confounded, a cause of bias in disease studies. confounding factor experts. This insidious phenomenon, which seems to present itself periodically at the least convenient times, has no direct cause, no singular reason why it comes or goes. No lane seems open, no relief appears down the road. Though people joke you can get anywhere in Los Angeles in 15 minutes, on days like this, a simple trip takes an hour. A minor crash at 6:35 a.m. in Calabasas partially caused Monday morning's logjam log·jam n. 1. An immovable mass of floating logs crowded together. 2. A deadlock, as in negotiations; an impasse. Noun 1. on the 101, but its effects resonated for miles and hours after crews cleared it. ``On the freeways, even around 6 or 7 a.m., it's heavy,'' said Josh Sander of Canoga Park, who allots an hour for his commute to West Hollywood, even though he leaves not long after sunup. ``It's unbearable to be in your car in this heat, too. It's like an oven in there, so it feels even worse.'' The city's rotten traffic is nothing new, but it doesn't feel so bad when there's a clear reason for the hang-ups. But this morning, long after the Calabasas crash occurred, no car parts littered the lanes, no orange-vested workers shut down off-ramps. The phantom traffic's cause proved mysterious. ``Well, here comes my authoritative answer: I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ,'' said Paul Gonzales, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. . ``We all try to make sense out of the way traffic is, since it makes us feel good, but sometimes things just happen this way. If there's a crash, you could understand it. If there's construction, you can understand it. If you keep thinking about it, it can drive you crazy.'' But instead of a spectacular tractor-trailer smashup smash·up n. 1. A total collapse or defeat. 2. A serious collision between vehicles; a wreck. or a detour, the phantom's roots come from little things. A family visiting grandma in Lompoc loads up the minivan and crowds you out of making the light to get onto the freeway. Once you're on, some college students from UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX headed home for the summer don't merge quickly enough, making you sit for an extra 10 seconds before you begin to sort of move. Farther down the road, some jerk is on his cell phone, complaining to his boss that he's going to be late because traffic is ``just dreadful.'' He isn't paying attention, drifts into a lane and almost causes a crash. Things get slower still. ``Yes, there are people who aren't in school, people are heading home from college, so there's some very valid reasons,'' said Officer Leland Tang, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. ``By themselves, they're not so much but, cumulatively, they really add up.'' Hence, the Phantom Traffic. Last week, it was gone; the week before it was in full effect. This week, it looks like it's back, but by the time you read this today, who knows? ``There's no way for us to even track it,'' said Dave White, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. . brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com 818-713-3738 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Eastbound vehicles brake on the 101 on Monday in Encino. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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