In an attempt to reduce traffic the
Los Angeles International Airport
has created a state of disorder – with
policy changes.
Individuals who do not have a
ride out of LAX have to go to a
a new designated area called LAX-it,
through free shuttles, where they
can hail a ride.
This policy change should not
have been implemented because
it has caused longer wait times for
Uber rides and a lot of confusion
among travelers.
It is a longer process, the
terminals are far away from the
area and it is causing more delays
than anticipated.
The isolated inner lanes have become shuttle lanes and do not show any signs of traffic. If that was
LAX’s goal, they have succeeded.
Shuttles arrive every three to five
minutes, however, the chaos does
not begin there.
The detours to the pick-up area
have made it a longer process for
Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers to get
into LAX, and that has caused less
drivers to seek rides at LAX.
The supply of drivers has gone
down, while the demand for drivers
is high. This has caused a surge in
pricing, which results in another
issue for travelers.
In an article on Forbes.com, a
passenger who tried out the new
system said “The same Uber X route
that cost me $27 (plus tip) from the
Valley to the airport on Monday now
cost $67 (plus tip) on Friday, almost
150% more.”
The new policy has also disturbed
personal pick-ups, because they
have migrated to the farthest right
lane on the moving traffi c lanes.
It has caused more traffi c on the
lanes for personal pick-ups because
cars do not always drive correctly
into the appropriate lanes they want
to stop at.
Cars try to merge onto the
curbside pick-up lane but get stuck
in more than one lane which impacts
oncoming traffic and causes traffic.
The transition has not been smooth
and it is only making travelers more
upset with how traveling is taking longer.
The two inner lanes at LAX
arrivals should have stayed as the
pick-up lanes because those two
lanes are isolated from oncoming
traffic.
Ride-share and taxi drivers are
not making traffic worse at LAX
but they are the ones that have been
detoured to another area for the sake
of flowing traffic.
The problem is the lack of security
in the curbside lanes. There are
individuals that take advantage of
the loading/unloading curbs and
they use them to park and wait for
their friends or family members on
the curb.
A much stricter policy of a one-
minute wait should be enforced.
Officers should seek those who
abuse the rules and each terminal
should have an officer patrolling.
I have personally gone to LAX
multiple times prior to the policy
change via Uber, Lyft or have been
dropped off by family members and
never had an issue with curbside
pick-up.
This is a policy that was not
broken and should not have changed
but we are now dealing with the
repercussions.
BY JOHANNA RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer