The traffic, how bad is it? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: to rent, construction, elementary schools)

[Amiekbm]

Hello, all. I have been lurking for a while and have really appreciated your candor and opinions. We are about to move from New Jersey to LA. I know the traffic is awful, but how is it awful? Are people aggressive, cutting you off and refusing to let others merge? Are they selfish drivers or is it just the infrastructure that's the problem?

I'm as used to the NJ drivers as I can be. They double park, speed around elementary schools, and cut you off without looking. I know that LA has horrendous traffic, but I am trying to steel myself.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Amiekbm

how is it awful?

When people say or write "awful" they mean congested. Some freeways are really bad all the time, Sundays, the middle of week days, etc. The 405 is particularly bad on the between the 101 and Long Beach. So is the 101 between the Caheunga Pass and downtown and the 10 between the 405 and downtown. The 91 is horrible too. The 5 south of LA is not only narrow but is under construction. The 710 is loaded with trucks. So, it's 1PM on a Sunday afternoon an you are moving 10 MPH through west Los Angeles. It sucks.

Where in the LA area are you moving to? Where is your job going to be?

[Vascodagama]

Originally Posted by CD_Suspension

When people say or write "awful" they mean congested. Some freeways are really bad all the time, Sundays, the middle of week days, etc. The 405 is particularly bad on the between the 101 and Long Beach. So is the 101 between the Caheunga Pass and downtown and the 10 between the 405 and downtown. The 91 is horrible too. The 5 south of LA is not only narrow but is under construction. The 710 is loaded with trucks. So, it's 1PM on a Sunday afternoon an you are moving 10 MPH through west Los Angeles. It sucks.

Where in the LA area are you moving to? Where is your job going to be?

Given all that congestion in LA its amazing people aren’t that rude and dangerous anymore. Remember when people were shooting at each other …

[00molavi]

I moved from CT a few years back. If you have driven in and out of NYC and you survived it, then you will do just fine. People are a bit slower here (not in a bad way), they will give you more time to park and pull out, also generally better with lanes. The merging lanes are better here and the fwy signs are also better. On the flip side watch out for the "storms", that in here means a few drops of rain and you will see trailers turned upside down all over the place because of slippery conditions.

[bellabella80]

Like the above people said, people aren't rude to your face. If you try to merge and make eye contact and hold out your hand, they'll let you in. Otherwise they'll pretend they don't see you. It's kind of a passive aggressive crowd of drivers. When we say traffic is awful it's because it will take you 1.5 hours to go 20 miles on the 405. Just do this, avoid the 405, 101 and 10 freeways during the hours of 7-9am and 4-7 pm. If you must drive in this time, give yourself double or triple the time to get there. Also, Sundays on these freeways suck too for some reason, I think everyone's going to the beach or something. Oh, and rainy days are awful. LA people are scared and nutty to drive in the rain. It's really bad. Just get used to logging on sigalert.com, this will help guide you everyday which route to take, it shows real time traffic conditions. Or 980AM tells traffic every 10 minutes too...You're just going to have to get used to LA traffic, it's a way of life. Make sure you enjoy your car!!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Don9

Given all that congestion in LA its amazing people aren’t that rude and dangerous anymore. Remember when people were shooting at each other …

Still, even during that period a couple years ago when there were a few freeway shootings, it was probably something like one gun shot per 15 million miles driven.

[Fontucky]

The most dangerous time on the freeways/roads is right after the first good downpour of the year. We often go 6 to 9 months without rain, and that first storm turns the pavement into an oil slick. Naturally, nobody slows down.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by Amiekbm

Hello, all. I have been lurking for a while and have really appreciated your candor and opinions. We are about to move from New Jersey to LA. I know the traffic is awful, but how is it awful? Are people aggressive, cutting you off and refusing to let others merge? Are they selfish drivers or is it just the infrastructure that's the problem?

I'm as used to the NJ drivers as I can be. They double park, speed around elementary schools, and cut you off without looking. I know that LA has horrendous traffic, but I am trying to steel myself.

No. You're confusing LA with San Antonio, TX. TX is where I learned NOT to use a turn signal. You never want to alert the enemy to your next move, otherwise, they won't let you in!

[disgruntled la native]

LA drivers are actually pretty good compared to most cities (and NEW JERSEY!! ) New Jersey is filled with aggressive ******* drivers. LA drivers are overall polite and careful compared to most major cities.

The worst part is the traffic, which just seems to be getting worse every year. I remember as recently as 2000 it was a lot better.

[Amiekbm]

Phew. That's a huge relief. I drive in NYC all the time and actually kind of enjoy it, but in suburban NJ the drivers are rude and don't seem to think that traffic rules apply to them. My husband has had to drop off at school in the morning, because the people double parking in front of the fire lanes and telling the crossing guard or principal (!!!) to f off when they ask them to move drives me up the wall.

My husband's job will be in Burbank. We are hoping to rent there for a year or two, since the schools seem to be good (we have three kids, aged 4 to 8) and we'd like to have the shortest commute possible for the first year of so.