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Southern California freeway traffic oddly light as people stay inside amid coronavirus fears

Southern California’s main veins – notorious for having some of the worst bumper-to-bumper traffic in the nation – flowed freely and quietly this week.

The slow-moving pulse of the freeways echoed that of the region.

There has been a significant drop in how many cars are on freeways, highways and streets this week, as new coronavirus fears have led to businesses temporarily shutting their doors, people have been laid off and many commuters are working from home.

“It’s weird, but it’s understandable,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Gina Jojola, spokeswoman for the East Los Angeles division.

“In a sense, it’s a great indication that people are heeding the president’s and the governor’s guidelines to stay isolated in their homes,” she said. “It’s a indication that people are taking care of themselves, their families and being vigilant about the current situation with the virus and doing what they need to do to stay safe.”

  • Extremely light traffic on Topanga Canyon Blvd. just south of the 118 Freeway on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • Traffic moves along at 65mph+ on a nearly empty 405 Freeway near the 101 Freeway in Sherman Oaks, CA Wednesday, March 18, 2020. All schools are closed, many businesses are closed and commuters are working from home leaving the freeways without traffic jams. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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On weekday rush hour, Google Maps for Southern California traffic are typically covered in red lines, showing that thoroughfares are busy. For example, typical traffic for Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. is a commuter’s nightmare, with most major roadways showing high traffic volume, according to Google Maps.

But on at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, there was green – the signal for clear roads – nearly everywhere across the region.

On major freeways, “we would normally see traffic back up for quite a ways, but we’ve definitely seen a recent drop, a significant drop I would say in the number of cars on the road,” said CHP Officer John DeMatteo, spokesman for the Santa Ana division.

The amount of traffic on the roadways feels similar to a holiday or weekend holiday, he said.

Commuters on social media have taken notice.

There was “hardly any traffic on the 101 or 405” freeways, one person said on Twitter Tuesday evening, and that they were “impressed by Angelinos and their commitment to social distancing.”

“Traffic report: amazingly light. By Los Angeles standards, non-existent,” another commuter said on Twitter.

One of the downsides to the clearer roads, however, is that more drivers tend to speed, DeMatteo said. Sometimes people take advantage, he said.

“Sometimes, people don’t notice that they are speeding because there are fewer cars on the road, so the inclination is to travel faster,” he said. “We have definitely seen an increase, more people speeding more than they normally would.”

Meanwhile, in some areas, the drop in traffic hasn’t been as noticeable.

“It’s slightly less, but not significantly less,” said CHP Officer Juan Quintero, spokesman for the Riverside division. “For us, it’s pretty much been business as usual.”



from News: Redlands Daily Facts https://ift.tt/2WpoW91

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