Getting Out of a Jam

By Juliet McShannon
Staff Writer

March 8 -- Lt. Clinton Muir has made it a habit to get stuck in Downtown traffic jams. In fact, he goes out of his way to look for them – sometimes taking his wife along with him for the ride.

“Last Christmas was particularly eventful,” Muir, Commanding Officer of the Police Department’s Traffic Services Division, says, smiling. “My wife and I joined other Santa Monicans in the shopping frenzy and found ourselves stuck in gridlock on Fourth Street.

“I just had to investigate what the cause was, to identify the problem and solve it,” Muir says. “So I decided to drive into the thick of it, there and then. I am glad to say I’m still married!”

This is not unusual behavior for an officer who has been known to get out of his vehicle and direct traffic on impulse in an effort to break up a jam. It is all part of Muir’s quest to help motorists get around Downtown Santa Monica as smoothly as possible.

Muir’s dedication to the job at hand is owed, in part, to many years of re-routing both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. “If I think about it, my experience goes right back to when I was just sixteen years old working at Universal Studios. My job was to help direct people, to keep the lines moving along.”

Born in the San Fernando Valley, Muir recalls spending much of his childhood hanging out at the Santa Monica Pier. “I loved Santa Monica from the word ‘go,’” he says. “There was, and still is, a welcoming feeling here. I especially remember how friendly the police officers driving along the ocean front were.”

It seems fitting then that Lt Muir went on to join the SMPD 14 years ago. Since then, he has been a patrol officer, an assistant operations captain and played an active role in the internal affairs division, before being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in July 2001, when the controversial Downtown Transit Mall was under construction.

Muir understands why the transit mall – which was inaugurated in June 2002 – has had its fair share of criticism, with many frustrated motorists blaming traffic congestion on the newly created bus lane, which effectively eliminates a general traffic lane. Still, Muir sees it as a positive addition to Downtown.

“I see the change as presenting a new challenge,” he says. “It would be unfair to blame the congestion Downtown solely on the bus lane. Traffic is halted for a variety of reasons such as someone waiting for a parking space along the sidewalk.”

A pressing concern, however, is the current lack of signage, especially around the more heavily congested streets such as Fourth and Fifth, Muir says. Educating the public is a key priority.

“Visitors and Santa Monicans alike will have more patience if they can see a solution in sight, to be clearly directed to better routes to avoid gridlock,” he says. “That is the reason why increasing signage is a priority.”

Muir believes Santa Monica’s ever increasing popularity – “with its host of attractions, not least the Third Street Promenade” – has created a need for Traffic Services to “anticipate greater traffic congestion during summer and prepare as best we can for it.”

This he has done with a “hands-on approach,” encouraging traffic officers to speak up and give their opinions on problem areas they have experienced first hand patrolling the streets. “Empowerment of police officers is important in the sense that they feel they are listened to and their viewpoint counts,” he says.

Another challenge is the dire need for more parking spaces and parking structures. To help make the best use of limited spaces, Muir communicates daily with Standard Parking Management, which runs the public structures, gathering “real time information” to determine how many spaces are open in the various structures.

Muir also spends time driving around parking structures at popular Los Angeles destinations to see how congestion problems are dealt with. “I think I have paid half my salary in parking fees just driving around the different parking structures in Los Angeles to identify inherent parking problems,” he says laughing.

There is talk of some of the more popular parking structures Downtown getting an electronic car count board similar to the ones at The Grove, a popular new destination near the Farmer’s Market on Fairfax Avenue. Muir believes the board would reduce waiting times and, more importantly, enable motorists to make an informed choice.

Despite dealing with frustrated motorists, a dearth of parking and increasing traffic, Muir remains optimistic about his approach.