Life in L.A.

Today was another one of those (many) days when I wished I were still in Japan. Where public transportation is bliss.

Because today, it took three and a half hours to get to school. My house is 15 miles away from my school. When I come home at night, it takes me about 20 minutes. This morning, it took three and a half hours to drive 15 miles. I could have gone to San Diego and back in that time. Three. And. A. Half. HOURS. Two of my carpoolmates missed class; one missed a big neuroscience midterm. Thankfully, a few more people in the class experienced the same problem and the merciful professor is allowing them to take it tomorrow.

I wanted to rip my steering wheel out or urge the government to invest in flying car technology. And then I came home to read that a man died in the accident, and thousands of more people today were probably more severely affected by the traffic than our car was. People are so self-centered (=me).

Big-rig crash kills 1, snarls the 405

Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Investigators remove the body of a victim after a crane crashed on to the 405 Freeway early today.

By Jean-Paul Renaud, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:27 PM PDT, October 30, 2007

An early morning big-rig crash today on the southbound Interstate 405 left one person dead near Los Angeles International Airport and blocked traffic for miles, authorities said. It could be early afternoon before the site is cleaned up, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Traffic on the southbound lanes was backed up this morning for nearly two miles, past the 101 Freeway.

Although surface streets were strained earlier in the day, an LAX spokesman said traffic around the airport was returning to normal at midday. But airport spokesman Marshall Lowe said northbound Lincoln Boulevard from Sepulveda Boulevard to Loyola Marymount University remained congested because of construction in the area.A heavy-duty truck carrying a crane crashed into the center divider about 4:45 a.m., CHP Officer Jose Nuñez said. The driver, who has not been identified, was killed, Nuñez said.

“How that happened, or whether or not he was trapped inside the vehicle, we don’t know that yet,” Nuñez said.

Three lanes of the 405, a major commuter road, were blocked in both directions during the morning rush as accident investigators worked at the scene. Once the accident is cleared, Caltrans officials must still assess the damage to the divider.

“If drivers can avoid going around in that area, they should do anything to avoid the 405 southbound,” Nuñez said. “Northbound lanes are affected, but it’s heavier southbound.”