Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Carmageddon

Way back in the late 1980’s I got stuck in a traffic nightmare when a big rig jacked- knifed on the 405 north at Santa Monica Blvd.  I was on Pico at Sepulveda and sat in traffic for 2 hours to go 4 blocks… it was a Friday night. It was memorable because it was so unbelievable.

Another horrific traffic nightmare was attempting to come home from Fourth of July fireworks in Long Beach in 2003. From the port to the 405 on the 710 took 3 hours.

With the 405 closure looming and all the local authorities trying to scare us in to staying home or leaving town, I have to wonder how everyone is really going to handle this. Is it going to be like the 1984 Olympics with wide open freeways? Or is it gonna be the nightmare we all think it will be.

Few things come to mind. First and most obviously, if you don’t have to drive somewhere on the Westside of town this weekend … don’t. Stay hyper local in your immediate neighborhood. Shop your local businesses and restaurants, hang out with your neighbors, get some gardening done, clean your house…. Relax. The 405 closure is a great excuse to do nothing.

If you need to get some shopping in, including Warehouse, Sample, mall or grocery shopping, get it done before 3pm Friday. Don’t go to a sample sale or warehouse that’s out of your immediate area or where you need to pass by or near the 405, 10 or 101 freeways on the Westside after 3pm Friday.

Second, if you must go somewhere (Friday afternoon thru Sunday evening), plan several different driving strategies well before this weekend and quadruple the amount of time you think it will take.

Here’s a quote from Zev Yaroslavsky in the L.A. Times….
“Stay the heck out of here,” L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. He said he knows every shortcut in the area and that “not one of them is going to work.”

Third…..We should all try to keep our cool, be helpful and kind to other drivers.  Yes there will be the stupid drivers, who act and drive stupidly, but honestly can anyone out there say they never, ever have done something, stupid or rude while driving? Get your “zen” on by listening to classical or mellow music.

Fourthly…. If you must go out take some water, munchies and make sure your cell phone is fully charged, It may help you out if you’re stuck in traffic or other travel nightmare. If you have a GPS, use it. Have some local street maps in your car. Listen traffic reports before you head out. Be prepared for the worst.

Lastly, since you may be driving side streets through local neighborhoods, try to be respectful to the people living there. Avoid horn honking and other rude behaviors.
Get out of the way for any emergency vehicles… someone’s life may depend on your wiliness to move out of the way.

Yep, never a boring moment in Southern California.