LOS ANGELES AIRPORT TO REOPEN TERMINAL CURBSIDE TO PRIVATE VEHICLES
Los Angeles, California - December 13, 2001) Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials today announced that terminal curbside in the Central Terminal Area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will reopen to private vehicles for passenger drop-off and pick-up at 5 a.m. on Saturday, December 15. This action is being taken to respond to growing demand by passengers to find ways to make LAX more "user-friendly" by encouraging and facilitating more air travel, while maintaining the highest level of security. All vehicles entering the Central Terminal Area will continue to be subject to visual inspection and/or random search. The 96th Street entrance to the Central Terminal Area also will re-open to private vehicles.
"I want to make LAX more convenient to use while maintaining the highest level of security," said Mayor Hahn. "Everyone planning to travel to Los Angeles during this holiday season should know that we are working to make the airport more user-friendly. We're also asking for everyone's cooperation in complying with the enforcement of the airport's policy regarding unattended vehicles at the curb.
"This action returns LAX operations to a level of normalcy by balancing improved passenger service with the need to ensure aviation security and the personal safety of everyone at the airport," said Mayor Hahn. He added, "The cooperation of the traveling public is absolutely essential to ensure the success of the resumption of terminal curbside access. Private vehicle drivers cannot wait or leave their cars unattended - not even for a minute. If a driver is asked by law enforcement officers to move along, he or she should park the car in a parking structure or open-air lot. There will be zero tolerance for vehicles left unattended at curbside. They will be immediately cited, searched, and towed."
According to Michael DiGirolamo, LAWA deputy executive director for airport operations, unattended vehicles have the potential to create significant delays and to cost thousands of dollars to passengers, airlines, and the airport in the form of terminal evacuations, delayed flights, Central Terminal Area roadway closures, and law enforcement and emergency response. An unattended vehicle is subject to a $91 municipal fine and towing/impound fees. In addition, vehicle operators could be subject to federal civil penalties, as well as potential lawsuits from airlines, which have begun seeking redress through the courts for costs resulting from individual breaches of federal aviation regulations.
DiGirolamo also says that the plan to re-open the terminal curbside to private vehicles strikes a proper balance within the confines of on-going threat assessment, available resources, and security rules and airport user-friendliness.
The 96th Street entrance to the Central Terminal Area also will re-open to private vehicles Saturday morning, and the LAX Airport Police checkpoint there will cease operations. All commercial transportation vehicles (including taxis, door-to-door shuttle vans, limousines for hire, direct-to-airport buses, and courtesy vehicles for rental car agencies, hotels, and private parking lots) are currently being routed through that checkpoint for random searches before accessing the terminal curbside.
The Passenger Drop-Off Only facility at 9011 Airport Boulevard also will cease operations. This facility will be unnecessary with passenger drop-offs now available at terminal curbside.
The terminal curbside has been closed to private vehicles since the airport reopened September 13 following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast. A modified traffic management plan, which allows private vehicles to enter the Central Terminal Area roadway and parking structures but not access the terminal curbside, was implemented October 20.
By the end of November, airport traffic monitors located in the Central Terminal Area roadways registered an average 60,000 vehicles daily of which 50 percent were commercial transportation vehicles. This is down from a record-breaking daily average of 109,000 vehicles in July.
LOS ANGELES AIRPORT TO REOPEN TERMINAL CURBSIDE TO PRIVATE VEHICLES
Los Angeles, California - December 13, 2001) Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials today announced that terminal curbside in the Central Terminal Area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will reopen to private vehicles for passenger drop-off and pick-up at 5 a.m. on Saturday, December 15. This action is being taken to respond to growing demand by passengers to find ways to make LAX more "user-friendly" by encouraging and facilitating more air travel, while maintaining the highest level of security. All vehicles entering the Central Terminal Area will continue to be subject to visual inspection and/or random search. The 96th Street entrance to the Central Terminal Area also will re-open to private vehicles.
"I want to make LAX more convenient to use while maintaining the highest level of security," said Mayor Hahn. "Everyone planning to travel to Los Angeles during this holiday season should know that we are working to make the airport more user-friendly. We're also asking for everyone's cooperation in complying with the enforcement of the airport's policy regarding unattended vehicles at the curb.
"This action returns LAX operations to a level of normalcy by balancing improved passenger service with the need to ensure aviation security and the personal safety of everyone at the airport," said Mayor Hahn. He added, "The cooperation of the traveling public is absolutely essential to ensure the success of the resumption of terminal curbside access. Private vehicle drivers cannot wait or leave their cars unattended - not even for a minute. If a driver is asked by law enforcement officers to move along, he or she should park the car in a parking structure or open-air lot. There will be zero tolerance for vehicles left unattended at curbside. They will be immediately cited, searched, and towed."
According to Michael DiGirolamo, LAWA deputy executive director for airport operations, unattended vehicles have the potential to create significant delays and to cost thousands of dollars to passengers, airlines, and the airport in the form of terminal evacuations, delayed flights, Central Terminal Area roadway closures, and law enforcement and emergency response. An unattended vehicle is subject to a $91 municipal fine and towing/impound fees. In addition, vehicle operators could be subject to federal civil penalties, as well as potential lawsuits from airlines, which have begun seeking redress through the courts for costs resulting from individual breaches of federal aviation regulations.
DiGirolamo also says that the plan to re-open the terminal curbside to private vehicles strikes a proper balance within the confines of on-going threat assessment, available resources, and security rules and airport user-friendliness.
The 96th Street entrance to the Central Terminal Area also will re-open to private vehicles Saturday morning, and the LAX Airport Police checkpoint there will cease operations. All commercial transportation vehicles (including taxis, door-to-door shuttle vans, limousines for hire, direct-to-airport buses, and courtesy vehicles for rental car agencies, hotels, and private parking lots) are currently being routed through that checkpoint for random searches before accessing the terminal curbside.
The Passenger Drop-Off Only facility at 9011 Airport Boulevard also will cease operations. This facility will be unnecessary with passenger drop-offs now available at terminal curbside.
The terminal curbside has been closed to private vehicles since the airport reopened September 13 following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast. A modified traffic management plan, which allows private vehicles to enter the Central Terminal Area roadway and parking structures but not access the terminal curbside, was implemented October 20.
By the end of November, airport traffic monitors located in the Central Terminal Area roadways registered an average 60,000 vehicles daily of which 50 percent were commercial transportation vehicles. This is down from a record-breaking daily average of 109,000 vehicles in July.
(NSC - 12/13/01)
