Retro Friday: 1950s-Era Carmageddon

We complain now about the traffic... but if this circa-1950s video of the 110 freeway (then known just as the "11") is any indication, things were pretty tight back then too. Call it "Carmageddon, '50s Style."

Carmageddon Wrap

Thankfully, Carmageddon turned into Car2K -- although folks already fear next year's sequel, when motorists may ignore the warnings and hit the freeways. But that's next year (which I've already dubbed "Breakin' the 405 2: Carlectric Boogaloo").

For now, some takeaways from the weekend. The Los Angeles Times asks if Carmageddon's less congested roads can be :

The success of Carmageddon has given way to a political and lifestyle question: If L.A. residents can cut their driving for one weekend, how can they be encouraged to drive less the rest of the time?

...

"You can suddenly hear people talking. You hear kids playing," said L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. "People discovered something about themselves and Los Angeles auto culture that shocked them. Why can't we take some chunk of L.A. and shut it down to traffic on certain days or weekends, as they do in Italy?"

Some mass-transportation advocates went further, saying that Carmageddon showed the need for less freeway expansion — like the $1-billion project that closed the 405 — and for more investment in rail and bus service.

Over at KCET, D.J. Waldie is a bit more realistic:

We may have immunized ourselves too well, in the opinion of some emergency planners. We're already being warned to be afraid of not being afraid enough of Carmageddon 2, when the other side of the overpass comes down next year.

Saturday also seemed to have a message that life would be better if a kind of permanent Carmageddon were possible, and every day would be like Saturday. Advocates of a less driven L.A. may point to Carmageddon as a model of the future city, where auto-dependent residents cheerfully bike, walk, and take the bus to work because they know what's good for them.

Unfortunately, most drivers tend to believe that someone else - anyone else - should take the bus, ride a bike, stay at home, and accept diminished mobility. Not them, but you. (Or as actor Neil Patrick Harris tweeted in illustration of the effect: "I love having the 405 freeway closed. Traffic is nonexistent. Carmageddon is the best! I'm gonna Carma-get-in my car and run some errands."

OK, that NPH tweet is pretty funny.

Carmageddon? More Like Car2K

So the cynics might say that "Carmageddon" was overblown hype. Others might note that all the hype surrounding "Carmageddon" is what made things go so smooth. (That's the 5 freeway, near Atwater Village, as seen from a bike bridge above.)

Either way, traffic was smooth around Los Angeles on Saturday, despite the 405 shutdown. We'll see if that convinces people to hit the freeways on Sunday -- creating a belated "Carmageddon." See you on the streets!

If "Carmageddon" still doesn't occur, feel free to use my "Car2K" slogan.

Your Thursday Carmageddon Roundup

Above, the Taiwanese animators from NMA take on Carmageddon.

Also: The LAPD pleads, don't try to party or ride your bike on the empty 405. (LA Now)

The Carmageddon Playlist: 7 Songs that Namecheck the 405 (LA Weekly)

Restaurants, Bars Offer Carmageddon Deals (NBC4)

Carmageddon is No Excuse Not to Exercise (LA Times)

Hitler Rants About Carmageddon

You knew this was coming right? The famous Hitler meme tackles next weekend's Carmageddon.

Countdown to Carmageddon

I guess "carmageddon" is sticking, despite my attempts to coin "autopocalypse" or my pal Christy's even better "cartastrophe."

But CARMAGEDDON it is. CARMAGEDDON PEOPLE. WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE STUCK IN OUR HOMES NEXT WEEKEND!

Or maybe not. There's a strong feeling out there that the roads will rival the 1984 Olympics -- when motorists, afraid of all the traffic warnings, stayed clear... leaving the freeways remarkably smooth.

Team Franklin Avenue plans to stay as FAR AWAY from the 405 as possible next weekend... the benefits of living far, far away from the west side.

In case you're still in the dark about CARMAGEDDON 2011, UCLA and KCET will produce the special "COUNTDOWN TO CARMAGEDDON: The 405 Closure." Details:

Produced by UCLA’s University Communications and Public Outreach department, the 30-minute program is scheduled to air on KCET as a special broadcast of the award-winning news program SoCal Connected. The first airing is set for Wednesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. The show will repeat on Friday, July 15, at 9:30 p.m.

COUNTDOWN TO CARMAGEDDON: The 405 Closure presents the reasons for the freeway’s 53-hour closure and the unprecedented steps ordered by public officials to avoid severe traffic delays across the region. The program will also explore the potential long-term benefits to commuters of modernizing the freeway.

The program details the impact of the 405 shutdown through informative graphics and discussions with senior officials of Metro, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Police Department and UCLA, a major employer in the closure zone.

LA Observed's Kevin Roderick, who also serves as director of the UCLA Newsroom, will narrate.