Hellish LA traffic shows why we need a transportation revolution

NBCLA
via Twitter

More than 24 hours before the Thanksgiving holidays, Los Angeles
freeways are already packed to the brim with motorists.

A photo tweeted by
NBCLA shows just how welcomes anything to reduce traffic
congestion on highways would be.

Of course, Los Angeles is notorious for its traffic on a normal
workday, and thanksgiving travelers are only making the situation
work.

There could be hope, though. The first tunnel by
Elon Musk’s Boring Company is set to open December 10 in
Hawthorne, California, the billionaire tweeted last week. If his
plan to reduce congestion via underground pods along the same
right-of-way as freeways works out, the thousands stuck in
crawling traffic this Thanksgiving would be sure to welcome the
innovation.

Weather could make things worse, too. David Roth, a meteorologist
with the National Weather Service,
told Reuters that there is a substantial chance of heavy rain
across California on Thursday.

Read more: 

Elon
Musk’s Boring Company is opening a ‘brick store’ — here’s a first
look

Critics have pointed out that Musk’s plan to ease traffic
congestion won’t work as well as public transit, especially since
the plan is limited to 16-person pods (subway cars, for example,
can carry upwards of 100 passengers in a single vehicle, and a
single bus can carry dozens).  What’s more, the historical
cost that has historically plagued would-be subway or tunnel
builders is still as astronomical. Still, any car not on a
highway is welcome news for traffic jams.

Until then, you’re better off leaving bright and early tomorrow
morning for holiday travel — if you haven’t already. According to
data from Google,
4 am is your best bet to beat the Los Angeles traffic. Here’s
how congestion peaks over the course of the holiday:

Google
Trends

Given up on driving? Business Insider has
rounded up some of the best Black Friday holiday flight deals
here.