Believe it or not, I think there’s a connection between Archer School, Tom Kalette, and Wendell Brown. Let me explain.
I knew last issue I would draw the ire of some members of the anti-Archer expansion crowd when I suggested we all cut Archer a little slack, and indeed, that’s what happened.
But there are a few things I’m still not “getting” here.
If Archer School for Girls magically disappeared in a puff of smoke tomorrow, does anyone really think the traffic situation on Sunset would instantly improve the next day?
Really?
Archer isn’t the problem. L.A. is the problem. We have too many cars on the road, especially at rush hour. This is true everywhere, not just at Sunset and Barrington.
I think the hyper-focus on Archer – when other schools, businesses, and institutions in the area do far less to reduce traffic – is unfair.
Tom Kalette was dearly beloved by all who knew him. He was a real fixture in Brentwood Village and served admirably on the Brentwood Community Council.
One of the things we all liked about him was that he studied issues like what needed to be done at particular intersections to improve traffic flow. His ideas were always practical, and, once stated, came to be viewed as the obvious solution.
He’s no longer here to brainstorm the Barrington/Sunset problem, but in his memory, here are a few ideas:
Let’s put a big sticker on all L.A. County residents’ rear bumpers: A, B, or C.
One week, all “A” commuters would have to report to work at 7 a.m.
The “B” commuters would take the 9 a.m. shift and the “C” commuters would get to work at 11 a.m.
The following week we’d all move forward a shift – the 7 a.m. shift would move to 9 a.m.; the 9 a.m. shift would move to 11 a.m.; etc.
So one week you would go to work early, the next week you’d go at a normal time, the next week you’d get to sleep in a bit.
Everyone would work his or her normal 8-hour days.
So 7 a.m. starters would knock off at 3 p.m.; 9 a.m. starters would quit at 5 p.m.; and 11 a.m. starters would work till 7 p.m. The first one in could open the office; the last to leave could lock up.
Traffic would no longer hit all at once they way it does now.
Isn’t this essentially what L.A. did during the 1984 Olympics? To this day, people talk about how well this worked. It didn’t cost anything, really.
Let’s try it for a month. If it works – and I can’t see why it wouldn’t – let’s make the idea permanent.
Telling Archer to cut back on a few daily car trips won’t change much; the “ABC Plan” just might.
Traffic is a big problem. We need an equally big solution. If for some reason “The ABC Plan” falls short of the mark, we could use the same ABC system to give all office workers one “work at home” day per week.
For those of us who sit behind a computer all day, does it really matter where we do it from? Now THAT would take a LOT of cars off the road.
Are there any Brentwood commuters reading this who wouldn’t be willing to give this “ABC Plan” a try? If so, I’d be curious to know why. Please send an email with your thoughts to: jeffhall@brentwoodnewsonline.com.
Which brings me to Wendell Brown. We celebrated his life near “his” corner on Sunday, Nov. 9 (see front page story). One of his great poems was called “Gratitude.”
Wendell was thankful Brentwood adopted him the way it did. And, in so doing, many were affected in a very positive way by Wendell. He had so little, and yet he was so happy all the time. He inspired us.
In his memory, rather than thinking Brentwood is going to hell in a hand basket because Archer School wants to improve its campus, maybe we should be thankful we live here in the first place.
Is life here really so awful? Would we really rather live elsewhere? That’s always an option. If you are at wit’s end because of the traffic, you could always move to Montana.
But solving real problems right where we live is always an option, too.
Let’s try the “ABC Plan” for a month. We might just amaze ourselves.
