>> LA’s existing freeway system enabled easy commuting to events (fears of gridlock proved groundless, as residents reworked their commuting in accommodation). <<
“One of the most legendary tales of the 1984 Olympics was that people were so afraid of getting trapped in one of LA’s famous traffic jams that everyone stayed home or left town, allowing athletes and spectators to zip around town on empty roads.” http://gizmodo.com/give-the-olympics-to-los-angeles-1720530089
They refer to this as a “tale,” but i was living and working as an advertising sales rep in LA and Orange Counties in 1984. I can tell you that is was no “tale.” Area residents did stay home. Many businesses initiated telecommuting during that time. Event ticket sales did not meet projections because tourists were afraid of both transportation issues and scared off by news reports about the lack of hotel vacancies and exorbitant costs. After the fact, Ueberroth was hailed as a hero for actually showing a profit on the games itself, but the owners of hotels, motels, car rentals, eateries and so one saw only decreased profitability during the Olympics. Even the tourism they normally enjoyed for venues like Disneyland were depressed. The only people who benefit from the Olympic Games is the OIC. I wouldn’t welcome the Olympics to any city where I live.
I can attest to the same. My fiancee (now wife of 30+ years) and I attended a play and were driving through the empty city streets. While we sat waited for a light, police cars passed through the intersection ahead of us, followed by the Olympic Torch entourage. We hadn’t even paid attention to the Olympics, and it was pretty surreal, but something we’ll never forget. Best LA trip ever.
I, too, can vouch for reduced 1984 traffic. Were LA to become a (semi)quadrennial site, it’s likely that familiarity would soon enable equilibrium to develop so that competing businesses could still prosper despite the temporary shenanigans, in some cases by developing competitive coping strategies.