History professor Mary Corey remembers when she was able to travel from west Los Angeles to downtown and encounter minimal traffic, even during rush hour.
But in today’s traffic climate, she makes a special effort to drive only when most other people are off the road.
“I grew up here, I learned to drive here and traffic has completely changed ““ it’s created a lot of frustration and rage in this city,” Corey said.
Driving in traffic in Los Angeles is a common complaint among Los Angeles residents and UCLA students who have to commute long distances.
In order to avoid getting stuck in gridlock, Corey has to look closely at traffic patterns every day to decide when she feels comfortable driving.
Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, a professor of urban planning, attributed worsening traffic conditions in Los Angeles to urban sprawl and a lack of affordable housing.
“People (who) have to work in Los Angeles commute from far away communities, like Santa Clarita, because of high housing prices,” Loukaitou-Sideris said.
She added that the typical rush hour in Los Angeles has expanded from 2 p.m. to past 7 p.m. due to the increased number of commuters from suburban communities.
Sarah Boatwright, a fourth-year classics student, said part of adjusting from Sacramento to Los Angeles has been learning a new set of driving rules.
“I had to get used to the left-turn signals here. Almost nowhere in Sacramento has left-turn yield signals,” Boatwright said.
Having encountered a number of close calls but no actual accidents, Boatwright encouraged new students not to drive in Los Angeles, and instead said they should make use of public transportation as much as possible.
Fourth-year English student Robyn McAllen, who commutes 80 miles round-trip from Ventura County, said she has gotten used to the difficult driving conditions of Los Angeles.
“I spend probably a minimum of 10 hours a week in the car just going to campus and those are the weeks without heavy construction, broken water mains, or leaving during rush hour traffic,” McAllen said.
When McAllen first started commuting, she said she often obsessed about how much time she lost in the car, but now she makes her commute a time to relax as much as possible.
“It’s the only time of day I can just sit around and listen to the music I want and think about things that aren’t school related,” she said.
Though drivers in Los Angeles are likely to hit traffic at certain times, many long-time residents have learned tricks to avoid the worst commutes.
Andre Rocha, who graduated from UCLA last spring, said he takes Sawtelle Boulevard as an alternative to the southbound 405 Freeway when traveling from UCLA to southwest Los Angeles.
Sawtelle Boulevard runs parallel to the 405 Freeway from the Veteran’s Administration near UCLA and terminates at Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City.
Rocha also recommended Melrose Avenue as an east-west alternate to Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood.
“It seems the lights are faster (on Melrose) and the street is not as heavily used as Santa Monica or Sunset,” he said.
For Bruin sports fans going to the Rose Bowl, Rocha said driving on Interstate 10 to Interstate 110 is a better option than the “405-101-134 merry-go-round,” which he said is often confusing for drivers because of the many freeway changes.
Los Angeles natives become accustomed to traffic being a part of daily life, and often cope through shortcuts and alternate routes, Rocha said.
“People from outside Los Angeles think traffic is hell, but it’s really not,” he said.
Loukaitou-Sideris said there are no easy solutions to the traffic problem, but added that urban planners are trying
out solutions such as expanding the Metro Rail and making public bus routes more comprehensive.
Other ideas include transforming major boulevards such as Olympic and Pico into one-way streets, and implementing fees for commuters in carpool lanes, she said.
Corey agreed that the traffic has gotten out-of-hand in Los Angeles. She said during a recent trip to New York City she was relieved because she didn’t have to drive.
When the traffic does get unbearable for her, Corey said she drives to the desert late at night to unwind.
She said she listens to books on tape, takes deep breaths, and forgets about the traffic in Los Angeles.