What forms of transport do you use on a regular basis?

It seems like every person in California uses a car. I know it's not true, but there a lots of cars on the many freeways. Most of the cars have one person in them.
It's nice to run errands between 9am and 11am because most people have already gone to work or school. After lunch and especially after 3pm it get crazy. Young distracted soccer moms and students start to fill the streets. Angry 9-to-5ers bring their work place frustrations to the streets and freeways. People rush to red light so that they can use their cell phones as the light changes to green. If you make a complete stop at a stop sign, people get angry.
After 10pm the freeways lose congestion. You still need to watch for the over compensating 85-100mph people in the fast lane. They change lanes quickly and dangerously on the right.

Weekend warriors who are desperate to have as much fun as possible on their two days off get crazy too. Weekend crotch rocket dudes zip around trying to dominate the fast lanes.

Tailgating is a big problem in LA. Passing on the right also frustrates traffic conditions. All the freeways are at full capacity. Entrance and exit ramps (merge lanes) are often too short and or blocked by the person passing on the right. Frantic lane-changers burn up their gas and brakes maneuvering themselves into slow lanes only to be cut off by someone merging.

5 mile destination seem 30min away. This dynamic catches visitor off-guard all the time. Tourists think they can stay 30 miles out side of the city not realizing that it will take them 1 hour to travel to any destination on the other side of the city. By the time they get out of traffic , they are physically and mentally spent.

Thankfully all of our freeways can be avoided by taking side streets... through rough neighborhoods. I do it, but I look dirty. I don't recommend side streets to everyone. It's a fun little tour, lots of donut shops, but it's not always safe.

More irony: there are lots of new and expensive cars that are capable of accelerating and maintaining high speeds. Lots of misallocated college funds. These Transformer posers messes with slower trucks. Those expensive new cars usually can't live out their full potential here. I see sports cars stuck in traffic and waiting at stop lights all the time. Futility and prestige is all their are good at.
I like to have fun too, but the time and place for it has diminished severely.
People like to take their toys out to the sand dunes now. I think it's a good compromise for them, but I hear them talk about the over crowded sand dunes now too.
There are too many cars here in Los Angeles and Orange County now. It's gotten worse since manual transmissions are becoming obsolete. Cellphones aggravate the situation now too.

Even if you don't read this, I feel better. Btw, I've received lots of compliments on my offensive and defensive driving skills. I am grateful to see the illusions the automobile industry feeds to us.
Have a nice day.

$0.07

3 votes

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pjau (63) 5 years ago

It seems like every person in California uses a car. I know it's not true, but there a lots of cars on the many freeways. Most of the cars have one person in them.

That's a big problem having just one person in every car, but it's hard to deal with that since people don't seems to want to use public transport (because in a lot of places it is shockingly bad or slow), people don't want to ride share with strangers or it is impossible to do this due to not living near the people that could benefit from it.

But as you say in certain times it is a lot busier too, which makes everything worse. Maybe need some kind of organising of when the peak times are to spread everyone out haha

Tailgating is a big problem in LA.

My dad has always done that, can make you feel sick as a passenger.

Tourists think they can stay 30 miles out side of the city not realizing that it will take them 1 hour to travel to any destination on the other side of the city.

Yeah probably worth it just to pay the extra money to stay somewhere closer, less travel time, probably less need for a car, maybe public transport becomes a viable option or even walking.