The central terminal area at Los Angeles International Airport experienced a sudden onset of calm this Tuesday—the nearby LAX-it waiting area for ride-hailing pick-ups and drop-offs, not so much.
Laura J. Nelson and Erin B. Logan report on the first day of LAX-it, the new scheme that moves ride-hailing pick ups and drop offs to a location outside the central terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Early reviews show the new arrangement was unpleasant for ride-hailing visitors to the airport:
Even on a low-traffic day, the new pickup system had some growing pains. At points in the early afternoon, the wait time for Uber and Lyft rides swelled, with more than 100 people waiting in each line for their drivers in the pickup lot.
Moreover:
Travelers spent an average of 10 minutes waiting for the shuttle, boarding and riding it to the pickup lot on Tuesday, airport officials said. It took an additional eight minutes for travelers to get in a taxi and pull away from the curb; for Uber and Lyft, that time was 18 minutes.
Airport planners promise that easy fixes will improve the "LAX-it" experience, but meanwhile there were plenty of anecdotes from upset Uber and Lyft users on the first day of the new operations. Nelson also provided an explainer of the new LAX-it operations on the morning of the big day.
Meanwhile on Twitter, Nelson also provided an anecdote on the other side of the equation, where buses and shuttles appeared to be running smoothly and unencumbered by the crush of motorized humanity that has come to define the LAX terminal area experience.
Read the full story: Starting today, LAX bans Uber, Lyft and taxi pickups at the curb. See how the new system works
Tinkering With New Ride-Hailing Area Produces Results at LAX
Few planning projects in recent weeks have attracted such scrutiny as the LAX-It ride-hailing pickup area at Los Angeles International Airport.
Congestion Tipping Point: Uber and Lyft Banned from LAX
Automobile traffic to LAX has increased by half in the last decade, and congestion has passed a tipping point.
Meet the Hollywood YouTuber who exposed the LAX people mover "fiasco"
Nick Andert uncovered the "brazen and unethical behavior" that has mired the Los Angeles International Airport people mover in years of delays and cost overruns.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority