CAR SOCIETY- NAVIGATING FREEWAYS AND ROADS IN L.A.

"Nobody walks in LA”

LA is not so much a city, as it is a vast expanse of suburban areas linked by freeways. As such, the public transit (while making strides to improve) is kind of a joke.  There are busses, and even a few subways, but they will take you hours to get anywhere due to the geography, traffic and sheer size of the area. So a car is a necessity. Expect to spend lots of time in it…Sitting in traffic. Freeways are working at 110-150% capacity at any point during the day or night. Make sure your car is in good working order, have adequate a/c, and carry with you a gallon of water, gas can, flashlight and duct tape in your trunk for any emergencies such as overheating radiators, or busted hoses. (people will not stop to help you).

The Major Freeways are:

“The 101”- This 12-lane, major artery runs from Downtown LA, north through East Hollywood area, into the Valley, then bends to the left and runs west along the north Valley (parallel to mountain range) almost to the coast. Eventually it turns north again and will take you all the way to San Francisco.

“The 405”- Runs from San Diego, north through the West side of LA (it splits Beverly Hills and Westwood/Brentwood areas). It then goes through the “Sepulveda Pass,” and drops you into the Valley at Sherman Oaks (it crosses the 101 here). It then continues north into the deep Valley.

“The 5” – runs north from the East side of Downtown LA, through Burbank and north into the deep Valley.

The “10” runs basically from Santa Monica/Venice area south east to West side of Downtown LA.

These four freeways make a sort of “tic-tac-toe board” around the greater LA area- downtown L.A. /Hollywood area being the "center square."

There are other ancillary freeways off of them (the 110, the 105, 134, 91, etc.), but knowing these four major freeways will basically get you everywhere you need to go, until you figure out the little shortcuts and round-abouts that the locals know.

article:  Why Southern Californians Love Saying 'the' Before Freeway Numbers

STREETS/ADDRESSES: There is little rhyme or reason to street numbers. Due to mountains, drainage basins etc. streets will just stop, or wind up mountain passes only to suddenly be named something different. Don’t panic. You have weapons at your disposal. 

For years the standard glove-box warrior against finding oneself lost and driving through a gangland area of Inglewood, was the trusty THOMAS GUIDE – a book of detailed maps of every city, neighborhood and park in the greater LA area. Easy to index and follow.  With the recent advent of GPS in newer cars, phone apps and Google Maps, they are not quite the vital auto accessory they once were, but if you do not have GPS in your car, have your iphone handy, or you are one of those digitally-challenged people, it might be a good investment. Last time I checked, you can still buy them in most LA grocery stores, 7-11’s, gas stations etc.

DRIVER’S LICENSE/INSURANCE/SMOG CERTIFS: If you live in Los Angeles, you are required to have an LA license, which also means you need LA car insurance. This is about three times as expensive as Florida/Gerogia insurance. To get LA auto insurance, you will need LA plates and registration. To change a car registration to California, there is a hefty charge- last time I checked it was around $800.00. Also your car will need to be “smog checked” to make sure you pass California Emissions Standards which are much higher than rest of the country. Many folks find it easier and cheaper to just buy a car in LA. The nice thing about LA is that there is a huge glut of used cars, and since it is a desert climate, cars don’t rust, so older models are viable out west that would otherwise be hunks of rusty junk in the salty, humid Florida/Georgia coastal air.   Here is a link to the L.A. DMV: http://dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr_info.htm

One more thing- valet parking is the norm. At malls, restaurants, grocery stores…expect to have someone park your car for you and expect to pay and tip every time you get in or out of your vehicle. Also make sure you don’t leave anything valuable in plain sight. Still, it’s almost always safer to valet park – don’t risk your safety to save two bucks…and while they are in the process of changing parking meters to the new ones that take credit cards, it's still a good idea to carry a few bucks of quarters around with you. A quarter wil get you 15 minutes of meter time in most areas...fyi.



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