Hailing a cab is one of those techniques New Yorkers have learned from a young age. If they moved to Los Angeles, they’d have trouble using their skills. One unique fact about the bustling town of Los Angeles is that unlike most metropolitan areas, cabs are not coloring the busy streets yellow. The reason there are so few cabs in the busy streets of this city is because they can’t stop.

Contrary to popular myth, it is not illegal to hail a cab but it is illegal for cabs to impede traffic or park illegally. Since almost all areas in Los Angeles are notorious for heavy traffic, taxi cabs find it difficult to stop without risk of large fines. Cabs will still pull over in these areas, but it is not without risk which many drivers are not willing to take. Taxi drivers are claiming that these regulations are hurting business and making it difficult to make ends meet. General Manager of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles claims that his drivers spend around 60% of their time waiting at designated stands. One cab driver had accumulated over $300 of tickets for stopping in a red zone and dropping off a disabled passenger in a bus zone. Parking enforcement hands out numerous tickets to cab drivers for small violations; sometimes the fines are larger than the earned fare making it hard for cab drivers to earn a living. That doesn’t even include the rising cost of gasoline that is hurting all businesses. As Los Angeles grows in population and traffic, there seems a benefit to creating a taxi-cab culture similar to other large cities.

Heavy traffic and the economic toll on cab drivers caught the attention of Councilwoman Jan Perry. She asked the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to consider alternatives. In an attempt to change the vehicle code, more lenient rules can help ease congestion. Last week city officials began studying San Francisco’s city rules to see what changes to the current rules could benefit this city. Changes would be aimed at Hollywood and Downtown, two of the most congested and pedestrian-friendly areas.

Politicians such as Councilwoman Perry are getting involved because of the need to reevaluate the transportation system in this city. The roads are not getting any wider but the number of people and cars has been growing steadily. With 2,300 licensed cabs in Los Angeles, they should be factored in to solving the traffic congestion problem. If cabs were more common it would encourage people to forgo their cars and utilize cabs for short rides. Parking congestion would also improve with a more cab-friendly city. Many younger people without cars in the city are turned off by catching a cab because of the difficulty in finding them. One woman claimed that “if cabs were more available” she would use them but “right now it takes to long to call a cab and wait for them to show up.” More people would be likely to use cabs if they became a part of Los Angeles’ busy streets. Instead of cabs wasting valuable time sitting at stands, they could make transportation more efficient to people who chose not to use a personal car.

Perhaps the best way to encourage taxi-cab use is to set an example. The more cabs that are seen around, the more people are going to think of using them. Many people think of cabs as a New Yorker or Washingtonian idea, but its time to bring it to Hollywood.

What do you think is the answer?

(Rate this article!)

 Loading ...

Check out these related stories

• Some PR Advice For The Next President
• Clinton Takes Pennsylvania, McCain Smiles
• Politics: Get Someone Naked by Knowing your Current Events
• Political News: All The Costs of the War in Iraq
• LA Wounded: Mummified Body, Shooting in Inglewood, Six Cats Mutilated