When people talk about the Wild West, sometimes I wonder if they’re referring to scenes like this one. We’re looking north up Western Ave from Santa Monica Blvd in 1923. I can’t see any traffic lights controlling this mayhem, and even if there was, why was that pedestrian walking through the middle of the intersection? Talk about having a death wish.
This is how that intersection looked in June 2022. That bank building on the left hand side is still there and still in very good condition.
Could that be a cop directing traffic? When I started driving in the 50’s there was a yellow circle at the cross section end of the yellow line called the “button”. You ask why do know that. I cut over the button on a left turn. A cop on the curb yelled for me to stop. He took me over to the yellow line ” That is the button we stand there to direct traffic. Do not turn that tight again”
Maybe he is. He looks like he’s on the march, so maybe he’s on his way to yell at a driver to warm against turning so tight!
Looks like he has plenty of company.
Interesting that the sporty little number in the first image is right handed drive. It’s an oldie!
Yes, it looks like it’s not too far away from being a jalopy!
I don’t see any signals or crosswalks?
Neither do I! Oh my!
He may be walking from the PERy shuttle (the small trolley stopped) down to the LARy loading zone (out of view to left of photographer). Some PE Franklin Avenue cars did negotiate the turn on Santa Monica to continue on to Hill Street. But the shuttle service cars simply terminated their run here. Maps might show the LARy tracks crossing through the intersection, but their service terminated just below Santa Monica. This was said to be one of the most heavily trafficked crossings in the entire city in that era. Having any construction jobs on one of those corners probably didn’t help matters.
Yes, Al, you might be right about him getting off the streetcar. I hadn’t thought of that.
Just to clarify this, the PE curve was a single line which ran to the west side where a fixed switch existed so any car heading outbound/westbound (towards Vine) would then encounter this and be routed onto the track for the east side. A shuttle coming from the Franklin service could stop just below there (as seen in the image) and as soon as the poles were reversed to head back that car would switch lines. this eliminated the need for actually turning the car itself. the motorman would just move to the control seat at the rear which now became the front. (All of it appears on some older maps…Sanborn types with details.)
Check out Ed Ruscha’s roll of film heading eastward from here decades later where surving businesses/structures from mid-century or earlier were still on hand (soon after to disappear or be altered): https://www.getty.edu/research/collections/object/1008GW