Socal Traffic Expert: 405 and Other LA Freeway Quick Tips

Do you know there is actually a Yelp page for the 405 Freeway?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/405-freeway-los-angeles

Like most online sources of information about LA traffic, there are mostly rants and raves and opinions rather than actual useable facts. Socal Traffic Expert strives to HELP the average driver navigate AROUND LA traffic. We like to be part of the solution, not just contribute to what seems to be an ongoing problem.

We asked our Facebook followers... If you drive/have driven in Los Angeles Traffic, what ONE thing would you recommend someone driving in LA for the first time to do/not do?

Gary Klayman (AZ resident, former Inland empire resident):

Dont take your eyes off the road trying to spot celebrities on the freeway or you may end up rear ending one.

Although I have not personally witnessed celebrities on the freeway with my own eyes, the chances of seeing one in Socal is pretty great. I would venture to guess that “rubbernecking” (for East coast transplants) for celebrities is directly correlated to accident rate just as much as “looky-loo” curiosity about an accident on the other side of your freeway. Keep your eyes ahead of you and aware of your surroundings at all times, preferably with a field of vision ¼ mile ahead of you on the freeway.

Bonnie Keith (38 year Socal resident):

Just relax, you'll get there eventually.

Bonnie, it depends what your definition of “eventually” is. Sometimes fatal crash investigations or terminal sites of police pursuits prompt closures that last hours and sometimes even days. Although the chance is small (probably less than 1%), Southern California freeways do see large-scale closures like this perhaps several times a year. In these cases, law enforcement's first priority is citizen safety. While it may be frustrating to sit in traffic for hours, it's also a lot safer than driving through a crime or disaster scene.


Bill Mann (South Pasadena resident, veteran Socal freeway driver):
Find out where you are going and how to get there BEFORE starting out


Shannon Drummond (10-year San Fernando Valley resident, now living in NYC):
Don't stop to merge onto the freeway. Living here often there are stop signs at the merge but not in LA


Bonnie Keith Yes Randy what else can you do? Road rage?


These three comments all fit into the "PLANNING" category. Knowing where you're going ahead of time, including the names and numbers of all freeways involved on your route, plus the offramps you must take, will help frustration levels tremendously, not to mention the safety of your drive.

Shannon this is a great point. There are very few freeways in Southern California (most notably the Pasadena Freeway (110)) that have older, shorter on and offramps like those on East coast turnpikes and thruways. Most onramps on Socal freeways are metered, which means during drive-time, the entrance traffic is directed with a stop light. If there is no stop light, make sure you use the onramp as what it is meant to be – an ACCELERATION lane where you increase speed to match (as closely as possible) the existing flow of traffic on the “mainline” of the freeway.

Road rage is a whole chapter... I could include stories like the one on the 170 where a fighting party pulled over and one subsequently hit and ran over the other.

Nancy Hurst Kirkwood Checking the map ahead of time a good idea - do not freak out if you miss your exit just get off at next one - Move with the flow of traffic

Cutting across lanes is extremely disruptive to the flow of traffic (especially when it is already moving slowly), not to mention extremely dangerous.

Showbiz Emelle Never EVER get on the 405. That. Is. All. If people ask, I tell them that there is only a two-hour window where the 405 is clear, and it changes daily, so no one can ever know when it actually exists.

This is quite true. Very rarely does the 405 (the hellish section usually referred to is the stretch generally between the 101 and 105) see free-flowing traffic. Certainly not during any daylight hours.

Chuck Rowe Know your alternate routes!

Because of the geography and topgography in California, drivers do not have the luxury of following a grid-type navigation system as in many smaller towns and midwest cities. Sometimes an exit will not lead to a frontage road, or a particular exit will not have an access ramp for returning on the other side of the freeway. Learn as much as you can (preferably using Socal Traffic Expert) about the freeways on your route AHEAD of time.  

Eileen Clemens Granfors Do not assume your blinker on will help you merge whether because of road work, accident, or the way the stupid road is built.

Never assume ANYTHING on Socal roads. Do not assume people see you or where you are going. Double and triple check before you make a lane change. ALWAYS watch out for motorcycles, as it is legal for motorcyclists to ride in between lanes in California, something that surprises (and usually infuriates) automobile drivers visiting CA for their first time.

Comments/Questions/Contributions?

Contact #SocalTrafficExpert Randy Keith

Call or Text 480-840-7301
E-mail: westcoastpianoman@yahoo.com

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