‘We’re ready – to win’: City prepares for traffic nightmare ahead of World Series
By Rebekah Ludman
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10/25/24 (LAPost.com) — Those who plan to drive on Friday evening should consider leaving early. Several major sports and entertainment events are expected to bring major traffic jams across the city, with Halloween celebrations adding additional potential for backups.
The Dodgers will be playing the first game of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium, which promises to be a defining moment for the MLB’s two top teams. Fans are hoping for a showdown between superstars Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
The Lakers second home game of the season starts just two hours after at the Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James and his son “Bronny” became the first father-son duo to play in the NBA Tuesday night. The game resulted in a 110-103 victory for LA, only heightening fans’ excitement for Friday’s game.
The USC Trojans will also have a game at the Memorial Coliseum, which starts at 2 p.m. and is the first event to kick off the anticipated traffic nightmare.here are also concerts scheduled at L.A. Live and the Disney Hall.
In Inglewood, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour will be playing at the Intuit Dome, Jeff Lynne’s ELO will light up the Kia Forum, and the East L.A. Classic will kick off at SoFi Stadium.
All of these events combined have created a perfect storm for traffic. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and a number of local transportation leaders held a news conference Thursday to discuss the situation.
“Ahead of the World Series tomorrow, we’re working to make sure the City is safe, that traffic is minimized, and that visitors and Angelenos alike are able to enjoy the many attractions, culture, food and neighborhoods that make L.A. an iconic international destination,” Bass said in a statement. “My message is that L.A. is ready to – ready to host the World Series, ready to welcome visitors from near and far, and we are ready to WIN! Go Dodgers!”
Bass also said she has directed the city’s Emergency Operations Center to activate at a “Level 3” status. This will mobilize city employees from Friday through the weekend to help manage bad traffic. This will also cause an increased presence of L.A. Police Department officers on city streets.
Spectators are encouraged to consider options other than driving when accessing venues. According to Laura Rubio-Cornejo, chair of the L.A. Department of Transportation, “the easiest way for attendees to attend any of these events and to avoid the stress of travel and cost of parking is to take public transportation. Both LADOT and Metro offer options for getting to these venues by transit, which you can find on our respective websites.”
The department plans to deploy over 100 traffic officers to major intersections across the city.
“But even with these preparations, people who choose to drive will likely encounter significant congestion,” Rubio-Cornejo said.
L.A. Metro is going to expand its service Friday and Saturday on the A, B/D, and E lines. Anybody looking for additional information, like the Metro schedules, can visit metro.net/riding/schedules-2.
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Rebekah Ludmanrebekah@lapost.com8182845620
