Undercounting traffic

Suspicious that new residential and commercial projects in Los Angeles are creating more traffic than developers and city staffers had predicted, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel wants the city to set new traffic calculations that will generate more money to help fix congestion. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Now, the Department of Transportation uses national averages to estimate traffic from proposed projects. Then, developers must make improvements themselves, adding traffic signals and turn lanes, or cut a check to cover the cost of mitigation, including public transit or freeway ramps.

But in car-crazy L.A., new supermarkets, big-box stores and high-rise condo projects could create more vehicle trips than similar projects in Miami or Phoenix, Greuel said.