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# Letter: Has Santa Monica traffic really improved?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/letter-santa-monica-traffic-improved/
- Published: 2015-02-26T14:29:15.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-03T21:36:52.000Z
- Author: Editor
- Tags: Letters, Opinion, biking, cycling, Development, don wagner, illusions, jaywalking, letters to the editor, pedestrians, Santa Monica, traffic, Transportation, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-06 13:37

Editor:

Yesterday, while trying to drive though Santa Monica, I found myself trapped in streets and intersections clogged with cars. This drama was heightened by cyclists dashing though stop signs and red lights and, to add a touch of excitement, jaywalking pedestrians.

As I was waiting for an intersection to clear, I said to myself, "This cannot be real." City Hall told us that traffic in Santa Monica has improved by 18.6 percent. I was so happy that it was not better by only 18.5 percent or worse, 18.4 percent. So, I mused, if traffic in Santa Monica is 18.6-percent better, then why am I stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic? It must just be an illusion. I must not really be caught in bad traffic; yes, that's it — it's all an illusion! After all, City Hall tells us traffic is 18.6-percent better and if City Hall says it, it must be true. Right?

Yes, that's it, what is really happening isn't really happening; it's all must be an illusion.

Don Wagner  
*Santa Monica*