Top 5 L.A. roadblocks -- No. 5: The exit from N Pasadena fwy to N Golden State fwy

July 14, 10:38 PMLA Traffic and Transportation ExaminerDavid Salper

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This is the first of MY Top 5 L.A. Roadblocks -- pet peeves of Angeleno immobility that have an obvious resolution, IF ONLY CALTRANS WOULD LISTEN TO ME.

Let me know what YOUR pet peeves are, and we'll compare notes.

#5   The Exit from 110 North to 5 North

If our roadways are the arteries of the city, then their chokepoints are arteriosclerosis -- a narrowing or hardening of the path to where you're headed, leading the driver toward a very real stroke.

So, why -- WHY -- would Caltrans force us to line up for a MILE in ONE lane to exit to another freeway when there are TWO lanes on the transition road ready and willing to carry our cars?

As any traveler through the Figueroa St. Tunnels of the N. Pasadena freeway knows, the single-lane exit to the I-5 North is often backed up to the near Hill St., encouraging dangerous and despicable lane ripping (credit to davestravelcorner.com): Drivers cutting into the exit lane at the last moment, often coming to a full stop in the 2nd lane awaiting their chance. This makes the Number 2 lane useless for its supposed purpose: through traffic to the Pasadena Freeway.

Two lanes, can't complain

This backup results from a  problem with many freeway exits:  Certain two-lane connector roads and offramps have only one freeway lane feeding them, because a full lane's worth of the approach to the exit is set aside as an oversized shoulder.

Modeled after swimmer Michael Phelps, apparently, the broad, brawny shoulder of the I-5 connector has more width than length.  Yes, just beyond the curve of the log-jammed, left-handed, one-lane exit, the right shoulder opens up into a heavenly 2nd lane that would have been so useful somewhere back in the havoc of the Figueroa St. Tunnels. 

Will Caltrans Listen to Me?
Of course, the fix is obvious: The far left lane should remain an exit-only lane, while the 2nd lane becomes a "may exit" lane, allowing commuters to exit onto what is now the connector shoulder, or continue through to the Pasadena. Then, some of that I-5 bound rush-hour and Dodger post-game backup could finally switch into 2nd gear in the 1st lane, and Arroyo Secans could content themselves in the Number 2 lane, not fearing any lame lane-rippers blocking their path home.

One OR two lanes, is that sane?

What would it be like if Caltrans heeded the call of its disgruntled, captive audience?  Find out here.