Los Angeles, USA
By car in Los Angeles
While many attractions are easily served by rail, and others are adequately served by bus, you will need a car to fully enjoy your visit. Yes, traffic is bad, but if you want to experience L.A., you need to get a car. Some of the most interesting parts of town can be very exhausting and time-consuming to reach via public transportation. For example, if you want to visit Malibu, any beach cities other than Santa Monica and Venice, the Korean Friendship Bell (with views of the port), the Chinese communities in the San Gabriel Valley, or any part of Orange County, you are strongly advised to travel by car. There are also many spectacular natural areas surrounding the L.A. metropolitan area that you can only reach by car. See the article about Driving in Los Angeles County for more information. If you are mostly going to be between the ocean and downtown, drive on arterial streets such as Wilshire Blvd. and Sunset Blvd. to get around instead of the freeways. This not a way of avoiding traffic but a way to see more of the city’s sights and lessen the chance of getting lost by taking the wrong exits on the freeway.
If you are going to be driving around, make sure you have access to extensive street and freeway maps, a Thomas Bros Guide (a large spiral-bound street atlas), AAA offers good free maps to members from any state, or a car with an onboard navigation system. (One map in particular from AAA that even locals find useful is a pocket guide to the area’s extensive freeway system.)
The freeways in L.A. can be confusing and overwhelming, and typically the speed of the freeway during the non-rush hours is much higher than the speed limit. If you have two or more people in your vehicle, regardless of your purpose, you may use the “Carpool Only” lanes (some require 3 people, but these will be clearly marked). There’s also lots of construction work going around since the beginning of 2004 (especially late at night), so watch out for that too. Listening to a radio station is helpful for any long trip through L.A. since most stations regularly disseminate traffic information during the daylight hours. KNX 1070 AM and KFWB 980 AM are the most frequent and cover the metropolitan area, including Orange and Ventura counties and the Inland Empire. Note that freeways are sometimes broadcast by the segment name (i.e. Santa Monica Freeway) in addition to their route number (I-10). Proper freeway names can also change depending on these segments (I-10, for example, contains both the Santa Monica and San Bernardino Freeways.) Be wary of certain interchanges, especially the East L.A. Interchange and the loops in Downtown L.A. Although these are well signed, they can still be confusing. When receiving directions or traffic reports, keep in mind that both locals and traffic reports will refer to highway numbers with the definitive article (e.g. “the 10″ instead of “I-10″).
Although L.A.’s traffic jams are legendary, the freeway grid provides for an effective movement of traffic and a variety of alternatives. Be sure to have an alternative route planned out in advance; many freeways run parallel to each other and serve as viable alternatives, especially in long-distance trips! Traffic accident reports on the radio will give the name of the freeway interchange or cross-street. Traffic is often so far away that you won’t be affected even on the same freeway and direction. If possible, use a passenger as your navigator. You may also check SigAlert for current traffic information before your trip. If you are traveling more than 10 or 15 miles on the freeway network, ask a local for the best route at that time of day.
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