Temecula Valley's I-15 Freeway upgrades, rapid transit and the Ultimate Interchange

Proposed: New interchange design at the I-15 Freeway
and Temecula Parkway.

Concept: Direct access ramp linking conceptual dual 2+ carpool lanes with a FasTrak toll option for solo drivers in the area of the I-15 Freeway and Temecula Parkway. The DAR links the express lanes with a conceptual transit station to the west and an officially proposed park & ride to the east.

Drivers and transit riders who regularly pass through Temecula along the southbound side of the I-15 freeway are well aware of long off ramp traffic queues which often spill over onto the freeway at the city's three exits: Winchester Road, Rancho California Road, and Temecula Parkway.

The Temecula Parkway exit is by far the most hazardous as the off ramp lacks an auxiliary lane which causes the long lines to back up into the far right general purpose lane. Sometimes the backup spans a whole mile. With a curve along the freeway just a half mile north of the offramp, the hazard is serious. Traffic in the far right lane cruising along at 70 mph will often, without warning, see the lane come to a dead halt, leaving drivers little time to react. The area has been the site of numerous traffic collisions. The hazard has also created a minor traffic bottleneck.

The City of Temecula has moved one step closer toward breaking ground on restructuring this congested and hazardous freeway interchange located on the southern end of town, a project long overdue. According to the city, construction would require the relocation of utility, water and sewer lines through an existing Arco gas station. The city therefore negotiated a purchase of the property for $5 million. The city also reported that this construction is dubbed "ultimate" with the expectation that this will be the final interchange upgrade and the new configuration is expected to be able to handle growing traffic volumes until 2030. The project also includes re-striping Temecula Parkway to four lanes in each direction between the freeway and Pechanga Parkway.

Concept: An extension of Bedford Court from Temecula Parkway serves as a direct access ramp to potential high occupancy toll lanes along the I-15 through Temecula. Numerous casino buses and future public express buses would utilize it. A transit station on the opposite side of the freeway would cater to connecting RTA buses and potential local high speed rail toward Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the south. A gateway into the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve would also support the transit station and serve as a tourist stop.

We believe this area, let alone the freeway itself, will be seeing more projects to come. Therefore, upgrades are far from over. Pictured here, the Coalition is exploring the possibility of an additional interchange add-on at Temecula Parkway that would cater to high occupancy vehicle traffic, carpools, vanpools, future express buses, casino buses headed to the Pechanga Resort, and solo motorists willing to tax themselves into a carpool lane.

Concept: Dual 2+ Carpool lanes with a FasTrak toll option for solo drivers with the existing 4 general purpose lanes along the I-15 Freeway through Temecula.

With major high density development proposals planned along the western side of the freeway through Temecula, the freeway could very well use a set of dual high occupancy 2+ carpool lanes in each direction with express bus infrastructure which would seamlessly connect San Diego County's I-15 Express Lanes system to the south with the the proposed Riverside County Transportation Commission I-15 high occupancy tolled express lane network to the north. The conceptual Temecula-to-Elsinore HOV 2+ segment would also include direct access ramps to future transit stations near the Promenade Mall area, the Golden Triangle area or other selected spot for the RTA Twin Cities Transit Center, downtown Wildomar, and downtown Lake Elsinore. The lanes would also permit solo drivers to buy their way in by paying a toll with their FasTrak transponder. As we have been campaigning and as demonstrated by San Diego's system, all 2+ HOV's would travel free without a need to preregister for a transponder.

As much as officials want to designate the Temecula Parkway interchange upgrade as "ultimate," it certainly will not be the area's final infrastructure upgrade to come, especially with the projected growth in Temecula's west side.

Enough with the urban sprawl in Moreno Valley!

During the last several weeks, local Moreno Valley residents have been objecting and questioning the runaway logistics development now taking place in the heart of their city--oops, we made a typo. Runaway logistics sprawl is taking place at the outer edge of their city in the eastern residential areas and in spots that once had rural ranches and agricultural farms.

There's been much local response to our recent post on this matter as shown on the Facebook pages of Save Mo Valley, and Moreno Valley Residents Against Warehouse expansion. Residents are demanding the city government to put the brakes on the World Logistics Center, and for good reason. On Sunday, The Press Enterprise put in its opinion pretty much echoing the Coalition's position. We've noted that the newspaper generally supports business-friendly policies in its editorials, but also knows that pollution control is one of those government regulations that is absolutely vital.

As demanded by the local residents, public officials from all levels need to wake up and take action! Right now, the Moreno Valley City Council is not looking out for their residents, is pandering to logistics developers, and does not care if the the quality of life collapses in Moreno Valley with the resulting diesel pollution and added truck traffic through the Badlands hills.

Moreno Valley Urban Sprawl: World Logistics Center

Here's a fact that needs to be factored into this whole situation. According the South Coast Air Quality Management District and reported by the PE, out of the total square footage of proposed warehouses and distribution centers in Southern California since 2010, Riverside County dominates a whopping 75% of the Southland's logistics sector of 112 million square feet. Factor in San Bernardino and that adds up to 97%, but here's the headline. More than one third of the 112 million square feet of warehouses points to the proposed World Logistics Center at the base of the Badlands hills.

Right now, there are no proposals to link this hub via rail to the proposed Long Beach GRID logistics hub and there's a multitude of other unaddressed questions. Where are the plans to increase capacity on the 60 Freeway through the Badlands without disrupting the local ecosystems? Where are the private sector incentives to develop cleaner truck technology already in use on our buses to clean up Moreno Valley's air quality? We don't want the 60 and the 91 Freeways turning into the I-710. We don't want Moreno Valley turning into the smog-covered Los Angeles of the 1980's. We certainly don't want the Inland Empire's air quality turning into Beijing's. The World Logistics Center is an epitome of urban sprawl, and concerned citizens and the local press are well aware of it.

A call for action

The situation in Moreno Valley is not about global warming. It's not about UN's Agenda 21 which, for the record, we do not support at all. It's about doing away with pollution and corporate corruption. If Moreno Valley wants jobs and more housing, allow the private sector to come in, invest, and revitalize the existing Sunnymead and Perris Boulevard corridors. Keep the logistics jobs as close to the rail lines and the March ARB area as possible and offer incentives for cleaner ways to move freight. If the land owner of the World Logistics Center property wants to invest in it, find alternative ways for the entrepreneur to capitalize on the land that's compatible for the local area and the Badlands ecosystem, such as dividing the land parcels for rural ranches, creating a robust agricultural district for local produce, investing in a mixed-use recreational or youth district for residents, building a great park which would boost the tourism sector, or any other proposal that will benefit the welfare of Moreno Valley and provide the much-needed marketplace jobs without the pollution and traffic congestion.

Enough with the urban sprawl!

Inland Empire transit and California government waste

The Transit Coalition's future vision of mass transit in the Inland Empire is not an unaffordable dream. It could be a welcoming reality if officials from the local, state, and federal level work together to control unnecessary government waste. The fact of the matter is that state officials up in Sacramento must take the responsibility of getting California's transportation infrastructure to a stable and robust level. We've seen a lot of talk, and to be fair, progress has been made at the local level. However, it is without question that in order for us to have a robust transit system all throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California, state government programs must be streamlined and reformed.

Other states have done it:
As mentioned earlier this week, The Transit Coalition checked out the transportation infrastructure in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area and other regions in the western United States. While taxes are lower in these states, their transit systems are blossoming. By the end of the decade, there will be several options to get around the Salt Lake region between Provo and Ogden.

Go to Laughlin and check out the Needles Highway corridor linking the city with the I-40 freeway. Why is the highway segment through Nevada in far better shape than the California segment? How about the inspection stations travelers pass through as they cross state borders. The Yermo inspection station near Barstow is long overdue to be renovated. In contrast, Utah's freeway port of entry stations utilize modern facilities. Meanwhile, Southern California continues to be mired in some of the worst traffic congestion in the country while residents pay some of the highest taxes.

Tolling our way out of traffic:
There are a number of proposed toll lane projects all throughout Southern California which will serve as money fountains to fund local transportation projects because state money is being displaced elsewhere. The Riverside County Transportation Commission states this:

Some drivers question why tolls are needed, in light of gasoline taxes and retail sales taxes that are charged. In the past, gas taxes were enough to fund transportation improvements. Over time, though, the power of gasoline taxes has eroded. Since 1993, gas taxes have remained the same, with neither federal or state taxes tied to inflation.  In addition, with more fuel efficient vehicles on the road, drivers are paying less and less in gas taxes.

http://www.sr91project.info/tolled-express-lanes
http://www.i15project.info/tolling.php

The problem with that statement as California state officials well know is that other states like Utah and Nevada have the resources to expand their transit and highway networks in relation to the population demand. They too have more fuel efficient cars and their fuel taxes are even lower than California's. This is what happens when taxpayer money is not mispent or wasted. As mentioned, congestion pricing in the high occupancy lanes does work, but tolls are no substitute for state transportation tax funding. California's ongoing failure to deal with its transportation network at a statewide level is a disgrace. That can be called NIMBY obstructionism.

It's true that we have an expensive high speed rail project breaking ground in the Central Valley, but the statewide rail network will be just one piece of the pie.

Getting Southern California Moving...
Fair-minded individuals and many at the local level know that there are numerous ways to solve this problem, but our state lacks the courage to stand up for it. Here are some statewide fiscal controversies that need to put into perspective and up for debate and action:

• Wages: Set public employee wages and benefits to match the salaries and retirement programs offered in the marketplace. Whose going to stand up against the special interests? This is no longer a labor rights issue; we simply cannot afford a continued "Gold Rush" of overpaid positions. Officials need to check out what's going on in the other states and the private sector to stop the waste.
• Consolidate duplicate agencies. At the local level, Riverside County has the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Riverside County Transportation Department. Let's debate a potential consolidation. At the state level, why are there multiple separate tax collection agencies? To name a few: The state Board of Equalization, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Employment Development Department.
• Business-friendly policies: Get businesses to come back and invest in the Golden State to build up the marketplace economy without jeopardizing the environment or disrupting neighborhoods through urban sprawl.  
• School funding spending: Police the funds going to California schools to ensure that the funding actually reaches the classroom, not a special interest. California taxpayers spend much more per pupil, but just like our transportation system, quality is worse than in several other states.
• Stopping fraud: Set a zero-tolerance law on fraud with state programs, especially worker's comp. Impose a mandatory floor on prison time for defrauding the state and any of its programs. If the state wants to stop theft of its money, that will stop it.
• Prisons and jails: Speaking of prisons, give the special interests a "get out of jail free" card and get them out of the system. Reducing expenses by matching salaries to those offered in the marketplace, privatizing facilities and camps would help address California's jailhouse problems and cut waste. Mobile convicts in jail also should be active in some form of non-punitive prison labor so that taxpayers are not giving them free housing and meals.

If public officials want funding, there it is. That's a prime way we can afford to build out our transit infrastructure and rid Southern California of chronic traffic congestion. Debating and adopting these ideas will do it. However, the state as it is now has little will to man up to this situation. Pandering to the special interests seems to be an easier way to do the job.

In the mean time, Southern California is mired in a substandard transportation system. It's long past due to reverse this trend.

Traffic Trouble in Temecula and the state

Huge development plans are in store in Temecula and The Transit Coalition is keeping a close watch on such smart growth proposals in order to combat exacerbated traffic trouble in Temecula where forced traffic flow and congestion are already present. One major development project advocated by the city is the revitalization of a commercial corridor linking the Old Town district toward the northern city border. The Jefferson Avenue vision calls for large parks, an uptown district, a sports area, an arts district and mixed use buildings ranging from 3-8 stories. A second major plan proposes additional housing, a school and potentially a second hospital or college/university campus in between the Old Town area and the foothills to the west.

Transit and highway infrastructure must be upgraded if this development is to prosper—no question. The existing infrastructure near the I-15 freeway corridor simply cannot sustain current demands let alone the additional vehicles generated by the development proposed. Try heading into or leaving Temecula during the afternoon peak hour at 5 pm. Ask the locals just how bad traffic can get near the I-15 freeway. Earlier this month, a large event in the region caused a local Temecula freeway off ramp queue to back up into the main freeway lanes, causing a chain reaction that slowed traffic for five miles. We don't want Temecula to become the next Corona Crawl.

To be fair, both Temecula and its neighbor Murrieta have been proactive in getting infrastructure built and plans are moving forward with a local interchange project which involves shutting down a major off ramp in the area next weekend.

However, much more needs to be done in order to get the region's transportation network into stability and the state needs to be held accountable for getting this done. On top of what is locally proposed, Temecula is going to need several more amenities in order to sustain the continued growth demand: Dual high occupancy lanes in each direction along the I-15 between Corona and Escondido which support free non-transponder carpooling, direct access ramps between the HOV/HOT lanes and transit hubs, additional north/south connectors between Temecula and Murrieta, an extension of the Metrolink Perris Valley Line into the region, a BRT line between the Pechanga Resort and Lake Elsinore, hourly all-day intercity bus service offered by the private sector between LA and San Diego, and a more direct hub-and-spoke local bus network. All this will not be possible unless the state stops displacing transportation funds and gas tax revenue to other special interest programs.

Friday Tips: Travel trips for Independence Day July 4th

It's time to celebrate our nation's Declaration of Independence! For those traveling out of Southern California or setting off fireworks, here are some basic tips to get the most out your holiday:

Flying? Buy your tickets and book your flight, airport shuttle and lodging reservations as early as possible. Arrive early at the airport and give yourself lots of extra time to clear security. Take advantage of online check-in options to avoid getting bumped off of an overbooked flight.

Taking the train or bus? Buy your tickets and book your trip early for the better fares. Take care of your lodging reservations early. Take advantage of online ticket options so that you can arrive at the station stress-free, check your baggage and board. Plan some stopovers along the way for long-haul ground trips.

Traveling by car? Plan your route and book your hotel/motel stops well in advance. Get your car properly tuned up. That means changing the oil if needed, inspecting the brakes, fluids and tire pressure. Remember that Inland Empire freeways, especially SR-91 will get very congested this Friday afternoon! The highways are also busy during commute hours and during the day and evening on weekends. The highways are generally wide open during the late night on weekdays and early morning hours on weekends. Make sure your designated driver gets proper rest breaks. If you have a smartphone, take advantage of numerous free travel apps to get live traffic reports and the best prices on gas, food and lodging.

For those who plan to shoot off fireworks at home, please follow these tips published by the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection and our friends working for Riverside and San Bernardino County:

• Obey all local laws and ordinances before buying or setting off home fireworks. Don't be the one responsible for fire damage due to unsafe or illegal use of fireworks.
• All fireworks are illegal in Riverside County. The only cities in the county that allow State Fire Marshal Safe and Sane Fireworks are Cathedral City, Indio, Blythe and Coachella. However, these fireworks must not be transported or possessed outside of the cities where they were purchased according to law enforcement. 
• Fireworks are not permitted in unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. Safe and Sane fireworks are only allowed in Adelanto, Chino, Colton, and Rialto, as well as designated locations in Fontana, Grand Terrace, and San Bernardino. Please call the fire department in these cities for more information. 
• Use only State Fire Marshal approved fireworks. All fireworks that explode, shoot into the air or move along the ground are termed dangerous and are illegal anywhere in California.
• Never allow children or teenagers to light fireworks on their own without adult supervision. They are not toys. Parents will be liable for any damage or injuries caused by their children using fireworks.
• Read the instructions on the package before lighting the fuse.
• Enjoy the fireworks outside only.
• Keep your fireworks show away from dry grass or other flammables.
• Enjoy one firework at a time.
• Keep a safe distance. Do not wear loose fitting clothing.
• Sparklers can reach 1800° F. Hot enough to melt gold.
• Never point or throw active fireworks at another person.
• Do not experiment with fireworks.
• Never carry fireworks in your pockets.
• Have a bucket of water to dose the used fireworks in & a hose in case of flying embers.
• Discard defective fireworks. Do not attempt to re-light or repair.

Getting the drug traffickers out of Eastvale and the I-15 freeway

Eastvale was once a completely rural area, with farms and agricultural fields dominating the area until the turn of the century where a sea of single family homes transformed the region. Currently, Eastvale is a robust bedroom community. Jobs in Ontario to the north, Corona and the Metrolink system to the south, and government services in downtown Riverside are a bus ride or short drive away. Eastvale can also boast over its median family income of more than $100,000.

With those assets, criminals are exploiting ways to hide out in the area, turning vacant rental properties into drug production houses and using the I-15 freeway corridor as a means to transport illegal marijuana into the black drug market. The recent subprime mortgage crisis led to an upswing of rentals. At least 18 pot houses had been discovered in the city alone since the beginning of 2013, and police officials report that there are more houses being watched and investigated.

The City of Eastvale is exploring options to track down on this crime wave. One idea floating around city hall is better regulating landlords and rental properties. Such a notion is subject to debate. One fact that needs to be considered is that there are legit and law abiding landlords who are in no way affiliated with this type of activity; they should not be paying the price. With a strong local law enforcement presence, the focus should be catching the illegal drug operators through an intelligence-driven means, giving legit landlords the power and immunity to immediately evict such criminal activity from their properties, busting criminal landlords assisting in the practice, and setting a floor for mandatory jail time for such drug operations. Programs to keep our youth away from drug abuse must also continue in our schools.

Such a crime wave has happened before in the young city. We all remember in 2006, MSNBC aired To Catch a Predator in Riverside, which actually took place at an Eastvale home on the southeast side of town on Riverboat Drive. 50 suspected child predators were busted, the most caught during the show's run. California now has some the hardest penalties for lewd acts against children and similar crimes against minors. There is no question that locking up drug trafficking criminals would contribute toward getting such behavior out of Eastvale let alone the rest of Southern California. Our transportation network, let alone the houses in our Inland Empire cities, should not be facilitating these kinds of criminal activities.

The Future Vision of the Interstate 40 Corridor through the Mojave Desert

What does the future hold for a transportation corridor linking the Inland Empire into the Mojave Valley?

The Coalition's field study of the Interstate 40 corridor between Barstow and the Mojave Valley yielded many findings and several unique marketplace transit and economic development opportunities. Generally speaking, each of the intermediate towns and stops share the following marketplace assets: Historic Route 66, Heat energy, logistics, and the BNSF-operated rail right-of-way.

Here are just a few suggestions for public officials to consider for clearing the way for a strong and robust transportation corridor:

• Incline additional marketplace economic investment by designating the central area blocks of each town and village as unique specific plans. Keep the blocks to a small scale. Any development that would induce urban sprawl, or traffic congestion must be discouraged.
  
• Keep the job-to-housing ratio balanced to eliminate the need for long distance commuting.
  
• Protect the open desert from unchecked sprawl by designating the outer fringes of the villages and towns as rural ranch or agriculture and areas beyond that as open space.
  
• Offer incentives to the private sector for the production of renewable heat energy.
  
• Commence a town hall meeting with existing investors, local area business owners, and residents to see how the region can be more business-friendly and what government reforms are necessary to build up business. What would entice a private intercity bus operator to the Highway 66 corridor?
  
• Fix up the Highway 66 frontage road as more investors come forth.
  
• There is a possibility that Class One private railroads including BNSF which long ago discontinued passenger service could reinstate and directly operate passenger trains in the future. Should BNSF desire to move forward with this concept for the LA-to-Flagstaff corridor, public officials should clear the way for the railroad to do so with potential local stops at each of the intermediate cities.

It's going to take a lot of work and vision to get these desert towns and villages back into an economically robust state when Highway 66 was the main throughfare, but history has shown that revitalizing blighted areas is possible and rewarding. One only needs to travel into one of many historic downtown districts throughout Southern California to see such economic development in action. 

Could several forgotten desert villages along Highway 66 become what Radiator Springs became in Hollywood?

(4/17/13) – Whose going to represent Lightning McQueen's courage in real life?

(C) Wikipedia/Alienburrito CC-BY-SA

Few Californians may know where a place called Ludlow is, but what’s left of a once-booming village out in the middle of the southern Mojave Desert are few retail outlets catering to the needs of passing I-40 travelers. Ludlow was once a robust village with a rich history. Most of the activity dwindled with the dawning of the freeway as motorists bypassed businesses located along the historic Highway 66 or what is now known as Old National Trails Highway.

Similar stories can be told for the villages of Amboy, Essex, and other Highway 66 stops, but only worse. Since the old Highway 66 veers to the south and away from the interstate east of Ludlow, these remaining villages are now on the verge of becoming ghost towns as I-40 travelers and truckers no longer stop there. Does all of this sound like the true version of the story of Radiator Springs from the “Cars” Disney film?

Hope is underway and some investors have already started to pour money into these lost towns. No, Lightning McQueen is not going to bail out Amboy by setting up shop there, but the corridor has been sparking interest. Since Highway 66 has been drawing attention from preservationists and historians, the deviating segment east of Ludlow might be seeing some market demand for tourism and leisure. Add to that potential logistics points served by the existing BNSF rail line and heat energy sources.

With these assets, these small towns could one day become what Radiator Springs became: Several forgotten towns transforming into robust tourist destinations and producers of renewable energy. One result could be additional marketplace passenger trains between Los Angeles and Flagstaff with stops at each town. San Bernardino County officials should consider clearing the way for potential revitalization of these almost forgotten villages. Who's going to represent McQueen's courage in real life?

A look at Newberry Springs

(4/16/13) – What does the future hold for this agricultural town?

The Transit Coalition continues to explore ways to improve multi-modal connections between the Inland Empire and points north of the Cajon Pass. There are numerous services that link Southern California to destinations like Las Vegas, Laughlin, and the Grand Canyon National Park, but what about the small towns in between?

Twenty miles east of the City of Barstow lies the town of Newberry Springs along Interstate 40, a robust agricultural, ranching and farming center made possible by the irrigation from the Mojave Aquifer. The region also benefits from local leisure-goers, snowbirds, some tourists utilizing the man-made lakes. Numerous live/work agricultural ranches can be found throughout this region which contributes toward a better balanced job-to-housing ratio.

The town’s rural demographics make fixed-route public transit a difficult endeavor for now, but what can be done to improve transit mobility?

What could a small centralized town center bring to Newberry Springs?

A small centralized downtown district for the ranchers and a community farmer’s market targeted toward travellers and truck drivers could make a bus route extension from Barstow a feasible option. Has the County of San Bernardino worked with the local residents on building up the agricultural marketplace? Has the state worked on making such trade more business-friendly and feasible?

Here's some more benefits of a downtown district: A private sector intercity bus operator like Greyhound could one day be inclined to stop a few of its through-buses in Newberry Springs. How about a future Class One BNSF-operated train west into Los Angeles, or east to Flagstaff? Bridle paths adjacent to major through-fares, complete streets, and a much-needed repaving of the Highway 66 frontage road east toward Ludlow would be possible from the added tax revenue. But in this current business climate, such public amenities and economic upgrades are not possible.

Highway Shutdowns: It’s Life over Convenience

(2/13/13) – IE Transit Talking Points Short

When major highways get shut down by the police, there will be inconveniences for motorists. Yesterday afternoon (2/12/2013), armed police forces screened every motorist leaving the San Bernardino Mountains along each of the mountain highways which led to massive traffic delays. This was clearly to keep fugitive Christopher Dornerfrom escaping the area. People headed up the mountain were turned away. The afternoon manhunt, which was broadcasted live all over the nation, all afternoon, led to an evening fiery cabin inferno near Barton Flats.

The Transit Coalition wants to get Southern California moving, and police-related road closures often appear to do the exact opposite. However, with getting Southern California moving comes another fundamental American principle that must be respected: Life, liberty and the pursuit for happiness. If the police need to shut down roads to protect lives, that’s something all motorists need to accept. Sitting idle in traffic is an inconvenience, but when lives are at hand, such delays become meaningless.

Will you be willing to sacrifice some convenience so that life can be protected? Let’s continue to support law enforcement in their heroic efforts to save Southern California officers and the public from the cowardly acts of Dorner.

Ready-Made Time Lapse Videos for Transportation Planners

(2/12/13) – IE Transit Talking Points Short

Government transit agencies spend countless amounts of their resources toward studies. What the agencies may or may not know is that highly useful transportation data is already available on the Internet. For example, search for “los angeles las vegas time lapse” on Google’s Video search and see what comes up.

At the surface, the returning results may look like nothing more than freeway fans filming long stretches of the I-15 between LA and Vegas, speeding the footage up in their video editors, and posting them to YouTube. However, if one is to take a video and slow it back down to actual speed, some useful planning information would be available on the spot. Therefore, individuals who film entire freeway and rail corridors and posting them online are patriots.

For instance, simply by viewing footage of the I-15 freeway, toll lane planners would be able to instantly see San Diego County’s I-15 Express Lane facility end-to-end and note its peculiarities. Likewise, slowing the video down to emulate traffic congestion can help planners calculate the cost and misery of gridlocked freeways.

Public entities may want to review the data that is available out in cyberspace, certify any relevant findings without infringing copyrights, and keep a library of this data available to the public and contractors assigned to conduct studies. Even a few hours worth of research at hand can save big bucks in taxpayer money on studies.