Where will much of this traffic go? Along Mulholland Drive, turning the scenic drive into a commuter’s nightmare?  A few years ago the Laurel Hills Homeowners Association approached City Councilwomen Wendy Greuel (now the city controller) for better sequencing of traffic lights at the Mulholland intersections at Laurel Canyon and Coldwater.  The group was successful in lobbying for the right hand turn from the northbound Laurel Canyon onto Mulholland and the left turn pocket east bound on Mulholland at Laurel Canyon.  They could not get any traction on the synchronization of lights at Coldwater, or at intersections below Mulholland. Everyone is always whining about the traffic creep to get to and from the city over Mulholland. Well it seems that it’s not just the locals that are frustrated anymore.

Whenever I see city workers referring to large maps, I always want to know where my tax dollars are being spent.  That’s why I approached two guys standing by the roadside on Mulholland and Laurel Canyon wearing those hideous day-glo vests.  They were doing some scoping work for the installation of our very own ATSAC (Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control System).  This is good news indeed for those of us who live up in the hills and have to contend with commuters using our residential streets as short cuts.

The ATSAC system brags that it can reduce travel time by 12 percent, intersection delay by 32 percent and intersection stops by 30 percent.  Los Angeles is a pioneer in the use of this traffic mitigation technology.  At a conference at Duke, they showed what all traffic control centers of the next century will look like.  LA is the model for ATSAC. 

ATSAC is a computer-based traffic signal control system.  It monitors traffic in several ways.  It has a CCTV mounted on the traffic signal arm.  We usually see videos from these types of cameras when we get traffic reports during the TV news cycles.  ATSAC will also have sensors in the street which will detect cars, speed and level of congestion. This information will then be sent real-time to HQ where computer programs determine if traffic flow can be improved by changing the traffic signal synchronization.  The changes can be made automatically or manually.   The beauty of the system for those of us living in the hills is that signals at feeder roads below Mulholland can also be coordinated. 

The two men, who didn’t want to be photographed (hence the photo of only one of their  bottom halves in the picture) told me that they are planning the ATSAC system that will reach from Cahuenga Pass, along Mulholland to the 405. The network will extend from Sunset Boulevard to Ventura Boulevard  Work is planned for Laurel Canyon and Mulholland next week. I was told that work at that intersection would take about three days. The entire network should be built out within a year.

The system brings both good news and bad news. Finally downtown recognizes that traffic is cutting through our neighborhoods. Hopefully the new efficiencies will not generate additional traffic as our back streets become speedier alternatives. ATSAC needs to use its 21st century technology to discourage drivers from using residential streets. Hey guys.  Hold those commuters at the residential intersections for 10 minutes at a time.

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