Should the freeways signs that display amber alerts and travel times also be used for advertising to help raise money for our cash-strapped state? The Schwarzenegger administration is considering an idea from Clear Channel Outdoor that would let a billboard company upgrade the signs for free if some kind of advertising deal would be worked out. The Bad? Distraction, safety, blight. The Good? If there's an Amber Alert, the digital screen can not only......

In one sense, you know congestion pricing if you've ever traveled northbound on the 15 freeway in northern San Diego County or the 91 in Orange County and used the express lanes where pricing is variable depending on the time of day you drive it. LA County's transit agency, Metro, received "$210 million dollars from the federal government to experiment with a road pricing plan on the I-10 and I-110," writes Damien Newton of......

The Freeway Blogger placing a sign near Dodger Stadium over the 110 Freeway | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist Yesterday the Freeway Blogger came to Los Angeles to promote peace via his easy-to-make signs placed over freeways where they get millions of impressions by passing drivers until someone comes by and takes them down. He hit at least seven spots yesterday. Did you see the signs saying "Peace" or "Peace on Earth"? 10 Freeway at......

The anonymous Freewayblogger is coming back to Los Angeles on Thursday while on her West Coast tour that begins today in San Diego and ends in Portland on the 22nd. The Freewayblogger claims to have hung over 4,000 signs against the war on freeways across the California and the western U.S. "When you put a sign up next to a freeway, people will read it until somebody takes it down," she writes on her......

The above sign has been over the Santa Monica Freeway since July 21st. Ever wonder who puts up those signs along freeways advocating for some cause or the other? One person is the Freeway Blogger who has hung over 4,000 signs against the war on freeways across the California and the western U.S. The above photo is from late July, but at least five went up yesterday afternoon, according to the blogger in an......

For decades, a 4.5 mile gap on the 710 Freeway between Pasadena and Alhambra has been a headache for many commuters. The freeway, which begins in Long Beach, was always planned to be finished, but lawsuits and a storied history within the city of South Pasadena stopped that. In an unexpected and maybe confusing move, the South Pasadena's city council voted to support a state bill that would allow Metro to seek private financing for......

The Bottleneck Blog is reporting this afternoon that the "California Transportation Commission just unanimously approved the plan in Los Angeles County to convert the carpool lanes on parts of the 10, 110 and possibly the 210 freeways to toll lanes." But blogger and LA Times Road Sage also cautions those who drive regularly on those freeways to not panic...yet. The plan still has to make it through the state legislature before you'll be coughing up......

Metrolink's ridership got a shot of adrenaline yesterday as ridership jumped to an all time high of 50,232 passengers -- a 15.6% increase since Tuesday for the regional commuter train service. Metro Rail has jumped 6% since last month (especially the gold line) and freeway traffic has dipped 1.5% since last year ("91.7 million miles traveled in March to 91.4 million in May"), reports the LA Times. For the last week, average gas prices in......

Photo by Try Hank via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The "severely decomposed" body of an infant has been found in Santa Ana. An area resident saw a dog playing with something unusual, which turned out to be the baby, whose body has been taken to the Orange County coroner's office for an autopsy. Police may now be ruling yesterday's 101 freeway death a suicide, reports the Daily News. Initial reports intimated......

"You would think that something affecting millions of voting Americans would top the list of talking points for every one of the candidates. Yet most of those stumping for the nation's highest office have offered little more than platitudes: When it comes to transportation, they're basically for it."...

Fairfax Avenue is the Bomb!!! Declining enrollment and rising costs means less expansion and construction to help relieve overcrowding in LAUSD schools. The LA Times reports that "since the fall, the school system has canceled plans for 19 new schools and additions to existing campuses in South Gate, Bell, Van Nuys, San Fernando, Sun Valley and central Los Angeles, among other areas, citing new enrollment projections." Kids, you don't mind sharing that book, do......

How many times have you seen some boneheaded driver make a stupid move on the road, only to drive up beside them and see them yapping away on their cell phones? Too many times, I'll bet you. Now a new study shows that cell phone users also drive more slowly and make poor lane-change choices, which may slow down traffic overall up to 10%. From the LA Times: Researchers at the University of Utah......

While the presidential election is the sexy supermodel on the Feb. 5 California Primary ballot, there are three important propositions asking you to say Yes or No when you walk in to that polling place or mail in your vote. Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Therefore, in the spirit of voting, let us take some time to open your minds to the wonderful world......

Late last week the MTA board announced plans to convert some of LA County's car-pool lanes on heavily traveled freeways to toll lanes. The Daily News reported thatUnder the plan, solo drivers could use the car-pool lanes if they pay a toll. Vehicles with two or more occupants - which currently use the lanes for free - would also pay a toll, although less than solo drivers. It's unclear how the plan would apply......

Guest Day Editor LA City Nerd will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview here and check out the nerd's blog. Everyone knows Los Angeles is the second largest City in the US, but here are some LA City Nerd facts you might not have known... 1. LA City has the largest urban forest of any City in the US. 2. LA City has the largest municipal street......

Loyal LAist reader Evan Price caught this photo of a water main of some sort (we hope that's water) shooting out of the In-N-Out over by Universal City near the Vivid building today around 1:30pm. This is where a lesser blog would make some sort of childish sexual innuendo about liquids gushing in the vicinity of the world's largest porn company, working in a punchline of "Now that's what we call Animal Style", but......

With one-third of the worst freeway junctions in this land o' freedom according to Forbes Magazine, somehow, this city still runs. It must be due to the fact that Los Angeles is economically successful: that is, if we go by the theory of economist Anthony Downs who said in the Washington Post that more economic activity equals more cars and more driving. He continues to say that "congestion will remain a fact of life......