...Life as greater Los Angeles knows it is ending this weekend, courtesy of a full closure of one of its central arteries, the 405.
(...)
That's where I first encountered Jet Blue's admittedly shrewd marketing ploy to ferry passengers from Burbank to Long Beach—"over the 405"—for $4. (I'm still not sure if that fare includes various taxes and fees—or if there's time for a drinks service.) When I learned the actual distance Jet Blue's planes will fly—30-odd miles—I wondered if there might be a faster (and even cheaper) way. Jet Blue had posted a flight time of 20 minutes. But what happens when you factor in the time to and from the airport on both ends, the walk to the check-in and then the unpredictable security lines, the equally capricious runway departure and arrival queues, and any other unforeseen delays? That cross-town trip was theoretically adding up to a substantial schlep.
(...)
And so tomorrow (NB actually today, possibly ongoing as we speak given the time difference?), after you've spent the morning watching the Tour de France riders begin a climb through the Pyrenees, you can follow along, via Bike Commute News and the #flightvsbike hashtag, as a group of cyclists takes on an Airbus A320 (or Embraer 190) in a city convulsed by gridlock. In part two of this column, I'll be toasting the winners and providing some post-race commentary.
