Traffic Patterns in LA (Santa Clarita, Burbank: home, construction, living in)

[yoyoma02]

After living in LA for almost 2 years, I still can’t figure out the traffic. I live in West LA and work downtown. I take the 10 east to work, and the 10 west back from work.

It seems like traffic is all over the place… meaning, it can be a Friday morning at 8:30am and traffic heading to work is jammed. However, it can be a Tuesday at 8:30am and I can cruise 70 MPH all the way until Western Ave. How does that work?!

Also, coming home from downtown, it can either be bumper to bumper or it can be wide open clear… it seems like the day and time doesn’t really matter.

How is this caused? Does anyone know what causes traffic in LA to be so unpredictable?

[Jeanius4U]

Same happens to me. I figure they all call off the same day! lol

[yamota]

Nothing in LA is predictable

[saybanana]

I hate it when traffic slows down just because the CHP pulled over someoneand everyone slows down to see what is going on, then speeds up once they see there was nothing worth looking at?

I also hate it when you travel on the freeway behind slower cars/trucks on several lanes traveling the same speed, but you don't want to pass them on the next most left lane because your exit is coming up?

Sometimes it's a domino effect. On several major streets, there is a backup of many blocks because some idiots think it is OK to go through an intersection knowing they will be in the middle of it when the red light comes, not allowing cross traffic to go through.

I love days when things go more smoothly.

[Parker501]

Yup... just takes a couple slow drivers or the cops around and everything comes to a stand still.
I used to take the 10 and found the same thing.... washington is a nice alternative

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by yoyoma02

After living in LA for almost 2 years, I still can’t figure out the traffic. I live in West LA and work downtown. I take the 10 east to work, and the 10 west back from work.

It seems like traffic is all over the place… meaning, it can be a Friday morning at 8:30am and traffic heading to work is jammed. However, it can be a Tuesday at 8:30am and I can cruise 70 MPH all the way until Western Ave. How does that work?!

Also, coming home from downtown, it can either be bumper to bumper or it can be wide open clear… it seems like the day and time doesn’t really matter.

How is this caused? Does anyone know what causes traffic in LA to be so unpredictable?

Ha ha! So true. Exactly as I describe it now that I've lived here for a month!

It really is crazy with no pattern.

Get this I live in the Palms/Mar Vista area off Sepulveda. Up until last week I worked in Brentwood. (started a new job).

I drove on the 405 across the hils from the west side to the valley and got to downtown Burbank in less than 45 minutes. At 7:00 in the evening!

Saturday morning I went on a hiking trip to the Vasquez rocks north of Valencia/Santa Clarita off 14 (on way to Antelope Valley). Got there from my place in less than 40 minutes.

Sunday I went to a picnic at Balboa lake/Sepulveda basin park in the valley near Encino. Bam! the same 405 turned into a parking lot!

I was told, they do construction on Sundays when they figure people aren't working.

Weird. The littlest things can set off the freeways and turn them in to a massive parking lot. But when it flows smoothly it really does.

Back in the Chicago area, traffic was very predictable. You had your chokepoints/bottlenecks. And all you had to do was go around them.

[jackie100]

A lot of times I've noticed its one driver driving really slow that holds up the entire freeway; like someone going 40mph in the fast lane with no one in front of them. All the cars behind that car don't KNOW that there is no traffic jam; they are stuck behind a procession of slow cars in the fast lane so they assume they are in a jam.... However, if you switch lanes and go in the middle lane you will see that there is like a mile between the slow car and the next car.

I have noticed slow drivers causing the illusion of traffic on many freeways. People just driving slow and braking for no reason.

[HarryKerry]

I noticed this pattern more when the economy dumped. Before it was reliably awful all the time and all the freeway maps on the morning shows were all RED. Now, I see (and experience) a lot of GREEN on the greater LA freeway traffic maps on the KTLA Morning News for the past nearly 4 years. It's never been like that, not even when the economy tanked in the 1990's and early 1980's.

[yowps3]

Coming from Sydney, Australia.. L.A traffic is nothing compared to Sydney's hostile traffic situation..

[Charles]

Originally Posted by yowps3

Coming from Sydney, Australia.. L.A traffic is nothing compared to Sydney's hostile traffic situation..

Ya right.

"Coming from Sydney, Australia.": It looks like our traffic just got a little worse too.