Commuting to L.A. is insane from the IE (Long Beach: home, transfer)

[MountainBiking]

I'm sure most of you know all about the crazy commute to the L.A. area from the IE. Some of you do it or have a friend or relative that does it.

My brother asked me to do a remodel at his warehouse/studio in Burbank. I leave North Fontana at 5 am and arrive at the job about 6:15 am. The warehouse/studio is off Alameda. I leave the site at 3:30 pm and get home between 5pm and 5:30pm when there's no accidents. I commute alone. I notice that when I get off on Cherry Ave. off the 210 east there's still a bunch of traffic heading east towards northeast Fontana, Rialto, San Bernardino, etc. Also, a lot of traffic goes towards the High Desert and Rosena Ranch.

I know a lot of people are moving to the IE from the L.A. Did these people know that the commute was going to be this bad? Is the commute worth it to buy a less expensive home out here?

-Cheers.

[Outdoorfanatic1]

Yup. It's a crazy commute

[909er]

It's tough and it's been getting worse, but it depends on your situation. I personally carpool from Fontana to a large flexible company in the Southbay. The shift starts before 6 am, so the drive in is usually 55 minutes. Leaving around 2:15, it takes about an hour an a half with most of the extra time due to waiting on transition ramps like 105 to 605, and 605 to 210. Other than that it moves along ok.

But if I didn't have my exact scenario, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't drive by myself nor would I work 9 to 5.

[Parsec]

Fontana is right on the train line. Seems like a typical commute here in the Boston area, from the Worcester suburbs to Boston. About 5-10 min drive to the train, 1.5 hours on the train, then another 5-10 min walk? Obviously that only works for a downtown commute, but do most people still drive if they have the option of taking the train in LA?

[909er]

Ha, the train is a joke unless you work in DTLA, and while many do, it's not the regional hub of jobs. Jobs extend down Wilshire Blvd, into Santa Monica, the Southbay (El Segundo, Torrance), Long Beach and Southern Orange County.

There are actually two trains here, the big one and the little one. The big one you see is the Metrolink, all trains go into Union Station. The little trains are around town, and depending where you are, a lot of people park and ride those to specific destinations.

But if you work on a little train line, but live by the big train, you have to take the big train into Union Station. Then you hop on the red line of the little train, until you get to a transfer point. For most that's the blue line. That goes to Long Beach, and also connects to the green line. If you have to take the big train/red line/blue line/green line, it's about 2.5 hours. And the blue line breaks down a lot.

I'll stick to carpooling. This is a car town.

[Pennychaser11]

Haha train from IE to LA? Funny, you'll spend most of your commute time trying to get around LA area. I guess one positive is you can relax and sleep in the train but keep your eyes on your belongings.

Money saved by moving to IE is counterproductive. You spend more on gas/maintenance/lost time and most importantly your health will suffer.

[mandK]

Originally Posted by Pennychaser11

Haha train from IE to LA? Funny, you'll spend most of your commute time trying to get around LA area. I guess one positive is you can relax and sleep in the train but keep your eyes on your belongings.

Money saved by moving to IE is counterproductive. You spend more on gas/maintenance/lost time and most importantly your health will suffer.

IE to DTLA is very doable. The key is to work in DTLA.

I did it for a year. It wasn't bad at all, although my current 7-mile commute is much better.

[timtemtym]

I don't know how or why people do it. I taught with a lady down by the port of LA area and she commuted from Victorville. She spent some nights with friends in the south bay, but seriously, she was in the car for most of her day. That just seems completely unhealthy and unhappy. She rarely missed work though.

[Ambitions]

My Dad has been commuting for about 35 years to LA from Rancho and he hates it! Sometimes he takes the metrolink which is less stressful, but still...

When I get a career, I know I won't want to live more than 25 minutes from my job.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by Ambitions

My Dad has been commuting for about 35 years to LA from Rancho and he hates it! Sometimes he takes the metrolink which is less stressful, but still...

Why didn't your dad just change jobs? Seems strange he stuck it out for 35 years. Wow.

Originally Posted by Ambitions

When I get a career, I know I won't want to live more than 25 minutes from my job.

That's what everyone wants, but that's not how it always works out. Don't be surprised to hold positions all over the region as you move through your career(s).