[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by Raider111

So if you are stuck on the 405 in a standstill (as I was 2 years ago for over an hour trying to get down to SD), is there a way to magically just transport yourself to one of the other freeways to get somewhere quickly?

I agree with you... sometimes it's true you can change freeways but more often than not it's not really practical for people to switch. It's like saying "if 95 is congested, take the backroads instead"... sure, possible, but no one is really going to get off 95 and take the backroads to NYC. Plus, it's not like 1 freeway is stopped but all the other freeways are clear. Usually if it's jammed going in one direction, all other freeways will also be jammed going to the same direction.

[Stephy0519]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

I agree with you... sometimes it's true you can change freeways but more often than not it's not really practical for people to switch. It's like saying "if 95 is congested, take the backroads instead"... sure, possible, but no one is really going to get off 95 and take the backroads to NYC. Plus, it's not like 1 freeway is stopped but all the other freeways are clear. Usually if it's jammed going in one direction, all other freeways will also be jammed going to the same direction.

Odd...I used to get off 95 and take the backroads, especially if Waze told me it was quicker. I could easily get from White Plains to Norwalk, via backroads.

Additionally, my realtor and her husband (who I've developed a relationship with) and are native Angelenos, both told me that people DO get off the freeways and go other roads.

It will be interesting to see what the roads are like today and tomorrow, as the president is in town and we received a road closures/avoidance email.

[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by Stephy0519

Odd...I used to get off 95 and take the backroads, especially if Waze told me it was quicker. I could easily get from White Plains to Norwalk, via backroads.

Additionally, my realtor and her husband (who I've developed a relationship with) and are native Angelenos, both told me that people DO get off the freeways and go other roads.

It will be interesting to see what the roads are like today and tomorrow, as the president is in town and we received a road closures/avoidance email.

I'm a native Angeleno lol and I agree people can get off the freeway onto local roads but it depends on where you're going. No one's going to stay on a packed freeway when they're just 5 miles from their destination. It's not available or practical if you have to go further, especially during commute times. Like if you're going from the suburbs into downtown, whether it's Calabasas or east of it, the Valley, Pasadena, or the OC, there are limited ways that you could reasonably get off a freeway during rush hour. This is obviously not going to be your problem because you have a very good commute by LA standards.

It boggles my mind that someone would take backroads all the way from White Plains to Norwalk as part of a normal commute but hey if you're saying it can be practical then I will stand corrected. Why don't more people do it then, instead of complaining about traffic on 95? And why did that poster say "you're screwed" if 95 and Merritt are clogged???

[SeaDoo342]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

It boggles my mind that someone would take backroads all the way from White Plains to Norwalk as part of a normal commute but hey if you're saying it can be practical then I will stand corrected. Why don't more people do it then, instead of complaining about traffic on 95?

Yeah... no way. Maybe Stephy did it, but it would be a nightmare commute...even worse than sitting on the highway in bumper to bumper traffic.

[Stephy0519]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

I'm a native Angeleno lol and I agree people can get off the freeway onto local roads but it depends on where you're going. No one's going to stay on a packed freeway when they're just 5 miles from their destination. It's not available or practical if you have to go further, especially during commute times. Like if you're going from the suburbs into downtown, whether it's Calabasas or east of it, the Valley, Pasadena, or the OC, there are limited ways that you could reasonably get off a freeway during rush hour. This is obviously not going to be your problem because you have a very good commute by LA standards.

It boggles my mind that someone would take backroads all the way from White Plains to Norwalk as part of a normal commute but hey if you're saying it can be practical then I will stand corrected. Why don't more people do it then, instead of complaining about traffic on 95? And why did that poster say "you're screwed" if 95 and Merritt are clogged???

I didn't say as part of my normal commute. However, when a 35 minute drive was going to occasionally take me 2 hours+, I would listen to Waze, if backroads would cut off 30+ minutes.

The rest of that makes sense to me!

[7express]

Originally Posted by Raider111

So if you are stuck on the 405 in a standstill (as I was 2 years ago for over an hour trying to get down to SD), is there a way to magically just transport yourself to one of the other freeways to get somewhere quickly?

No. But you can get off and get on one of the other freeways. If there's an accident on the Merritt (like there was yesterday) chances are 95 is backed up too. When you have more highway options like LA does, chances are you'll find a route that's moving better than the others. But as noted by the OP, at least traffic in LA actually moves unlike here. I have a lot of Angelenos that follow me on Twitter that are constantly complaining about traffic and I always joke with them that if you want to see bad traffic, come here to Connecticut, and spend rush hour on the Merritt Parkway for a week. If I happened to live in LA, spent a week visiting Fairfield County I would NEVER complain about traffic in LA again.

[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by 7express

No. But you can get off and get on one of the other freeways. If there's an accident on the Merritt (like there was yesterday) chances are 95 is backed up too. When you have more highway options like LA does, chances are you'll find a route that's moving better than the others. But as noted by the OP, at least traffic in LA actually moves unlike here. I have a lot of Angelenos that follow me on Twitter that are constantly complaining about traffic and I always joke with them that if you want to see bad traffic, come here to Connecticut, and spend rush hour on the Merritt Parkway for a week. If I happened to live in LA, spent a week visiting Fairfield County I would NEVER complain about traffic in LA again.

You know that not all the freeways are interchangeable right....... most commutes will reasonably only have 2 available freeway routes (like 95 and Merritt). It doesn't matter if there are 10 other freeways, if they don't go where you need to go, you're not going to use them. If Stephy found her 405 commute jammed one day, her other option besides the local roads is 110. The 101, 5, 10, 710, etc. are of no relevance in that scenario.

If you happened to live in LA, the reality is your level of traffic there would largely depend on where you live and work - just like in CT. It could be terrible, like a commute from Westport to NYC, or it could be a breeze, like a commute from Ridgefield to Greenwich.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

You know that not all the freeways are interchangeable right....... most commutes will reasonably only have 2 available freeway routes (like 95 and Merritt). It doesn't matter if there are 10 other freeways, if they don't go where you need to go, you're not going to use them. If Stephy found her 405 commute jammed one day, her other option besides the local roads is 110. The 101, 5, 10, 710, etc. are of no relevance in that scenario.

If you happened to live in LA, the reality is your level of traffic there would largely depend on where you live and work - just like in CT. It could be terrible, like a commute from Westport to NYC, or it could be a breeze, like a commute from Ridgefield to Greenwich.

A "breeze"? I am sorry but that made me laugh.

My other half makes a commute from the Danbury/Ridgefield area to Stamford/Greenwich line. It is anything but a "breeze". It takes her on average 80-90 minutes to go 27 miles. She commutes during rush hour. It is not even close to a "breeze".

[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

A "breeze"? I am sorry but that made me laugh.

My other half makes a commute from the Danbury/Ridgefield area to Stamford/Greenwich line. It is anything but a "breeze". It takes her on average 80-90 minutes to go 27 miles. She commutes during rush hour. It is not even close to a "breeze".

Oops, my bad, I meant Norwalk, not Greenwich. I did that a few times and found it not too bad at all. I was just trying to point out that in any area, there are good commutes and bad commutes.

BTW that sounds exactly like my commute in LA... 90 mins to go 28 miles. I feel her.. it sucks.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

Oops, my bad, I meant Norwalk, not Greenwich. I did that a few times and found it not too bad at all. I was just trying to point out that in any area, there are good commutes and bad commutes.

BTW that sounds exactly like my commute in LA... 90 mins to go 28 miles. I feel her.. it sucks.

Since the highway was modernized in Darien, it's gotten a bit better but the commute still isn't great. As I said, my other half gets off 95 in Norwalk to go up 7 and the trip on 95 alone can take 45-50 minutes from exit 6-16. It's another 25 minutes home as 7 is stop and go with lights.

Much better than commuting from Trumbull or Fairfield, though - which is downright hell.