I have a confession to make: I’m terrified of the freeways. They are either maddeningly fast (can I really cross over four lanes to get to my exit?), or they are excruciatingly slow so that I’m late for my appointment no matter what time I leave the house. Either way, my stress level is high. As a result, I end up taking local roads.
A friend of mine in Santa Monica (I take local roads to Santa Monica) says that taking local streets is what people from the East Coast do. But is that really true? I decided to find out by conducting a small, completely unscientific survey of a few people I know – those who’ve lived in LA a long time and those who’ve moved here recently. Here is what they said (note: opinions can change without notice based on current traffic conditions):
Q: What is your favorite freeway and why?
Long-time resident (LR): The 2. From the moment I approach the freeway in Glendale and see the layers of mountains, I feel as though I am far, far away from Los Angeles.
New resident (NR): The I-10. It takes me home as well as has the ability to take me to Louisiana. Truly indicative of life if you think about it.
Q: Do you have special tips for managing the freeways? Like going way above the speed limit? Or cutting off people at the exit?
LR: Use waze to find out the quickest way somewhere. It tells you if a freeway/street is jammed or not.
NR: Rebel against LA traffic by speed racing down the open road at 3am on a Wednesday night.
Q: How often do you take freeways vs. local roads?
LR: 30% of the time.
NR: 5% of the time.
Q: Do you have a favorite local road in the Hancock Park/Greater Wilshire area? One that every newcomer to the area should drive at least once?
LR: 6th Street between Norton and McCadden. The camphor trees envelope the road and you never know what other arboreal surprises you find round its bends.
NR: Larchmont Boulevard. Obviously.
Q: Feel free to share any other general driving tips.
LRs: #1: Add “the” before every freeway number (ex. the 5 or the 101). #2: Rush hour is from 6:30am to 11am and 2:30pm to 7:30pm. #3: Even though the 10 can be slow at rush hour, take it to get to Santa Monica because it often ends up being the fastest way. #4: Start very, very early, like 5:45 a.m.
NR: Get a Vespa.
My conclusion: like every other good piece of research, this warrants more research. Do you have a favorite freeway, local street or driving tip? We’d love to hear from you.
Have lived in LA for eight years — 4.5 in Larchmont. Every Monday morning I take the 10 from La Brea to Cloverfield. Every Monday morning I am gripped with fear — elevated heart rate, sweaty palms. I think: Thousands of years of human culture and it’s come to this?
Have lived in LA for 45yr. If it rains stay off freeway as the oil on the road makes stopping almost impossible. Being hit at 35miles per hour is less dangerous than 65 to70 miles per hour. California does not require safety inspections yearly-your car may be safe but there is junk on the road. I live in Windsor Village.
i think your research is dead on. the worst fwy: 110 going
through downtown. so many lanes to navigate across and quickly. My
anxiety is high there.