Letters From Hollywood

There isn't a soul living in the Greater Los Angeles Area that doesn't complain about traffic, and for good reason. The average traveler in Los Angeles experiences 97 hours of traffic delay per year. We hold the award for being the most congested and polluted region in the country. Economic success is to blame. Southern California has the 10th largest economy in the world, containing 54% of California's jobs. We've got lots of people with lots to do, and we do it all by car.

While rush hour is listed as weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., there's traffic just about all the time. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I've run into gridlock at three in the morning! Experienced LA drivers know to factor traffic time into their commute. It's safe to take the distance, triple it, and if you're lucky, that's how many minutes it will take to get there. Google Maps even has a special algorithm just for Los Angeles to compute traffic times, "Distance: 10 miles, Time to destination: 9 minutes, In traffic: 33 minutes." It's amazing to me how we can have six-lane highways that you could literally get out of your car and walk to your destination faster than your car would ever arrive. It's bad enough that we have too many drivers on the road. What's worse is when an accident happens. It's a common understanding that if you get into a traffic altercation and your car can still move, you don't stop. Let your insurance sort it out later. The slightest of scenes along side the road - changing a flat, checking your trailer cargo, or pulling over to take a wiz - causes miles upon miles of rubbernecking. I really wish I were kidding. I'm convinced no one out here knows how to drive. People change four lanes in one movement. Everyone tailgates, all the time. No one uses turn signals. If they do, that only tells all the drivers around them to speed up and try to cut them off. You've got to love road rage. It's no surprise that the Southland is among the top five least courteous cities in the country. I have a theory that it has to do with the invasion of personal space. I can go on a road trip for several days and not get sick of the drive. But if you lock me into a small, confined space on the highway between hundreds of other cars, I feel like I want to poke my eyes out. We have terrible commuting options for such a large city. Limited bus routes, a rail system hardly worth mentioning, and carpool lanes that don't seem to do much of anything. Most people drive alone. LA is the largest car market in the world. I've heard people say, "When you spend this much time in your car, it's important that you like what you drive." Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that's the chicken or the egg talking. Fortunately for me, I enjoy walking a few short miles to work everyday. I also live in an area that just about anything I need for my day-to-day life is within walking distance. It's scenery that reminds me of my small, traffic-less, hometown. Don't take that for granted. Until next time, don't do anything I wouldn't do. Kemer