Traffic outside LAX is inevitable, but why is it like this in the first place?

Good morning. It’s Friday, June 21. I’m Colleen Shalby, a metro reporter specializing in transportation. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• LAX traffic has become a norm. Why is it like this?
• JJ Redick will be Lakers’ next coach.
• 24 superb things to do around L.A. to kick off the summer of 2024.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

In a city known for traffic, LAX is a gridlock standout. Can it be fixed?

I’ve flown in and out of Los Angeles International Airport since I was a kid, and the traffic-ridden horseshoe loop on 1 World Way has been the most stressful start or end to the journey. I’m not alone — many longtime and first-time LAX travelers told me the same.

A $30-billion overhaul promises to improve the ways travelers navigate the airport, and could alleviate the notorious traffic congestion by the 2028 Olympics.

But why is it like this in the first place? I explored the question for a recent story.

For starters, transit experts said the bulk of traffic at LAX is for nonstop flights. Some major airports like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International serve as hubs for connections and many travelers never step foot outside the airport, so they do not generate immense traffic. But at LAX, most travelers are either starting or ending their journey in vehicles — all using the same road.

And that road has one way in and one way out, without an easy connection to public transportation. Traffic problems have only worsened over time as the number of travelers and Los Angeles County’s population has exploded by the millions over several decades.

“Things that were perfectly reasonable in 1966 become problematic in 2024,” said Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA.

The Automated People Mover could help. The 2.25-mile elevated train is expected to launch in 2025 and would take travelers from terminal to terminal, a consolidated rental car facility, parking lots and the Metro. Experts said that if people can change their long-standing habits of relying on vehicles to take them to and from LAX, traffic outside the airport could significantly decrease.

The airport has tried before to address capacity needs: The Tom Bradley International terminal and a second-level roadway were added ahead of the 1984 Olympics. In more recent years, the airport separated lanes for passenger drop-off and pick-up from shuttles and created a designated “LAXit” lot for ride-hail and taxi services.

But many travelers — including two women from North Carolina who I recently helped guide to the shuttle to the ride-hail lot — have difficulty figuring out where to go. Others said that lugging baggage onto the LAXit shuttle is its own challenge.

“It is a complete cluster,” traveler Jennifer Martin said after landing from Salt Lake City. “We should have flown into San Diego.”

LAX recently allocated $43 million to update its signage and terminal and gate number system to help travelers better navigate the airport.

Of course, there are ways to lessen the burden, especially as summer travel picks up. Tips from travelers include:

• Plan accordingly: Expect traffic and get to the airport two hours early to avoid a frantic dash to your gate. All terminals now connect once past security so if you find yourself at LAX too early, you can explore.
• On the flip side, give yourself plenty of time to get out of the airport area before making plans.
• Use the Flyaway bus — for less than $10 each way, the bus takes travelers to or from Union Station and Van Nuys.
• Book a parking spot in advance of your travel.
• Review the LAX map ahead of your journey to figure out how to find a taxi or get to the rental car facility.

Is there a transportation story you think I should explore? You can reach me at colleen.shalby@latimes.com

Today’s top stories

A 19-year-old USC student was in custody in the fatal stabbing of a man.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Stabbing on USC’s fraternity row

• USC student felt ‘imminent threat’ when he killed an alleged car burglar, DA says in declining to press charges.
• A USC student with a knife, a suspected car burglar and a deadly confrontation on fraternity row.
• A man allegedly killed by a USC student on Greek Row has been identified as investigation continues.
• New details emerge after a USC student was arrested in the fatal stabbing of a homeless man.

Crime and courts

• The Supreme Court upholds California woman’s drug smuggling conviction that leaned on expert’s opinion.
• Treason trial of L.A. woman held in Russia for donating $50 to Ukraine charity opens.
• A man posed as a food delivery driver before burglarizing a string of homes in Irvine, police say.
• A shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Oakland leaves several wounded and officers injured.
• Rapper Travis Scott has been arrested on disorderly intoxication and trespassing charges in Florida.
• Prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin engaged in ‘horseplay’ and acted recklessly on ‘Rust’ set.
• A former TV financial analyst has been arrested for fraud after years in hiding.
• Federal agents raid the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

Politics

• In a setback for conservatives, the Supreme Court upholds a tax on corporate wealth held overseas.
• ‘Theft is an act of desperation’: Pushback remains as Legislature rushes retail theft bills to Newsom.
• A measure to restrict tax increases cannot appear on the November ballot, California Supreme Court rules.
• Nonstop attacks about Trump and Biden’s mental acuity loom over the first presidential debate.

Earthquakes

• 42 buildings in Beverly Hills aren’t seismically retrofitted. Is yours at risk in an earthquake?
• About 6,000 buildings in L.A. are at risk in an earthquake. Do you live or work in one of them?

More big stories

• MoviePass secures investment from Comcast-backed venture firm amid comeback attempt.
• JJ Redick will be Lakers’ next coach as long search ends where it started.
• A second chance, a second killing — and a political nightmare for L.A.’s D.A.
• Burglars are hiding cameras in Southern California yards: Tips for protecting yourself.
• California will help return tribal lands as part of the historic Klamath River restoration.
• Whittier to remove more than 80 ficus trees in a bid to boost business.
• Donald Sutherland, stately star of ‘MASH,’ ‘Ordinary People’ and ‘Hunger Games,’ dies at 88.
• What Americans want from food: Energy, muscle strength, better health and less stress.
• LGBTQ+ residents flock to progressive L.A. County. But many can’t afford it, a survey finds.
• A foundation honoring ‘Star Trek’ creator offers million-dollar prize to develop AI that’s ‘used for good.’
• A majority of Latinos are worried about their finances, a new poll shows.

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Commentary and opinions

• Sammy Roth: It’s time for the Dodgers to stop taking Big Oil money.
• Jackie Calmes: Can the kowtowing to Trump get any worse?
• Editorial: Climate change is making more California homes dangerously hot. It’s time state laws caught up.
• Bill Plaschke: In foolishly hiring JJ Redick, Lakers continue down the road to nowhere.

Today’s great reads

Lego mini-figures have been transformed into full-fledged characters through their appearances in films, TV shows and other media, putting them — not the bricks — at the center of the play ecosystem. Above, mini-figures are displayed at the Whittier location of Bricks & Minifigs, a chain franchise.

(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

How Lego went from humble toy and destroyer of bare feet to black market item fueling crime spree. A spate of Southland burglaries involving Legos has spotlighted a unique community of collectors who pay big bucks for rare versions of the construction toys, which have come a long way from the first “Automatic Binding Bricks” introduced in 1949.

Other great reads

• Why a San Francisco bookstore is shipping queer books to conservative states — for free.
• A canine rescue group became a favorite of Hollywood celebrities. But were the dogs really ‘rescues’?
• Adopting a dog? It helps to do some homework first.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Elena Reygadas, pictured at Lotus of Siam, was named “best female chef in the world” for 2023. Her five Mexico City restaurants, including Rosetta in Roma Norte, help make the capital one of the best dining destinations.

(Hannah Rushton/For The Times)

Going out

• 🍴Eating off the Las Vegas Strip with ‘world’s best female chef’ Elena Reygadas of Mexico City.
• 🚴🏽‍♀️ 24 superb things to do around L.A. to kick off the summer of 2024.
• 🦭This L.A. marine mammal rescue center is at max capacity. Here’s how you can help.

Staying in

• 📺 ‘Dancing for the Devil’: Updates on Netflix’s ‘TikTok cult’ series.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for summer Sichuan noodles.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Olena Aliabieva, as the Fool, and Myroslava Koshtura, far right, as Cordelia, wait backstage for their turn to perform during the rehearsal of “King Lear” at the Other Place theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. A Ukrainian troupe staged its first production abroad in the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Marcus Yam at the Other Place theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, England where a Ukrainian troupe staged its first production abroad in the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor

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