LAX – say those three letters to anyone in Southern California, and you might hear a reflexive groan in response. But it typically has nothing to do with flying: The two-level “horseshoe” road outside the terminals, where passengers get picked up and dropped off, can get so backed up that it takes 45 minutes just to finish a single 1.25-mile lap.
Changes are coming, including a better connection to rail transit and expanded airport roads. But will they be enough?
Probably not. In a recent essay for Golden State, I made the case for congestion pricing at the airport – that is, a toll system for drivers where prices are set according to traffic volume.
In this video, I visit LAX on a few relatively light traffic days to explore the horseshoe both on foot and by car, and I share a personal hack for travelers getting rides to and from the airport.
