Archive for Driving in Los Angeles

The Rain Paradox – things that make you go hmm

Wash Me

Wash Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever noticed when it rains a clean car gets dirty and a dirty car gets clean? See if you can guess which way it went for my car Thursday night.

TGIF!

Marci

Can you Imagine Driving in a City Where Stepford Wives are Driving?

Sorry for the delay in my post, but I just returned from spending a weekend in Tucson, Arizona. I witnessed something I don’t think I’ve ever seen on the roads in Los Angeles — an open lane, I mean wide open. The lane was under construction more than 1/4 mile up the road. There was a sign that read “Merge Left — Lane Closed Ahead.” We know those signs. They’re on every other road we traverse in Los Angeles. The funny thing is people were actually heeding the message, not at the front of the lane where it was closed, but about 1/4 mile back. Do you get what I’m saying? The lane was wide open with NO cars. What was an even more bizarre sight to see, the cars in the left lane were lined up that 1/4 mile distance one right behind the next. No one was vying to get as close to the front of the right lane as possible before merging. No one was attempting to cut anyone off because they couldn’t wait their turn. I’ve truly never seen anything like it driving in Los Angeles! I wanted to take a picture, but it wasn’t safe and of course being the driving trailblazer that I am, I drove up to the front of the right lane before merging. I was the only driver who dared. I have to confess, it was enormously satisfying to bypass all the traffic in the left lane in mere seconds. What can I say; I’m a Los Angeleno through and through.

This experience left me feeling like I was in a parallel universe where people not only obey the rules of the road, but they also take on a Stepford Wife demeanor. They slow down when someone wants to change lanes. They let people in ALL THE TIME. They use their signals. I will say, I saw one car not signal on the road, but he had a NY license plate. It wasn’t such a big deal though because everyone drives so slowly already!

Are all Tucsonans exceptionally considerate? Or perhaps all Los Angelenos are just rude? It’s stress. Clearly, we drive in a city that is bursting at the seams. It’s a natural response to want to get out of the situation and move ahead as quickly as possible. We’re so programmed to drive offensively, it’s just become second nature to be impatient when we have to wait.

When I returned home to Los Angeles and got in my car, I decided to see how long I could drive like a Tucsonan. It was a test. I would not outpace the speed of traffic on any road I traveled. I would let people in my lane. I already do signal, so that’s not an issue. But, I would be patient and considerate. And so I was … for at least an hour.

Marci

Stay Away From the White Light!

White Light

Stay Away From the White Light

 

I’m driving along on the 405 South as I do nearly every day of my life. I can see traffic slowing down ahead. I’m in the fast lane going along at a good clip. The car in front of me is setting the pace. Thankfully, I’m keeping a safe distance between us. Suddenly he changes lanes, not slowing down first. If anything, he’s accelerating at a faster pace. He also doesn’t signal and zips along oblivious to anyone else on the road. Meanwhile, the lane I remain in is at a dead stop right in front of him. Has this ever happened to you? There was a great car chase scene exhibiting this in Against All Odds. Not a great movie, great chase scene though. One of the best. I’m sure you can find it on YouTube. Leave this to the movies. Don’t let life imitate art.

It seems someone is trying to invoke the red light shuffle in a dangerous way! There’s no red light. Maybe a white light cause you’re headed for a collision of significant proportions if you didn’t keep a safe distance between your car and the one in front of you. There’s no gentle shift. This just is not good, but it seems to be a common occurrence in Los Angeles.

I was okay. Thankfully, I had enough space. I was able to stop without issue, but the car behind me was not as well positioned. I saw this Mercedes in my rear view mirror slamming on his brakes behind me, swerving to the left and right hoping to make a lane change but couldn’t while I watched him in my rear view mirror. I prayed he would be able to stop and I’m not a praying person. Thankfully, the driving Gods were on my side. He was able to stop without hitting me. I started patting my chest as if I was trying to regulate the beat and return it to a normal pace. Deep breaths. I looked at him in the rear view mirror and I’m sure he was doing a Hail Mary himself. He also put his hand to his chest. I’m grateful he had a later model Mercedes thereby having antilock brakes. I’ve been hit before by a car that did not and it wasn’t pretty.

Here’s the thing. There needs to be a protocol, rules of driving etiquette if you will. You have a responsibility to yourself and every other driver. When you drive irresponsibly, you might be lucky yourself, but you’re putting everyone else in danger. I’ve experienced this. I went through 2 miserable years of pain, surgery and rehab for an accident that was caused by a guy texting (another very dangerous issue). He lost control of his car because he took his eyes off the road for a split second. Actually, according to a witness (oddly an ambulance driver), it was caused by a reckless driver in a van who cut off a driver and started a chain of events that lead to a 3 car crash. The van drove on unscathed and possibly oblivious to whole thing.  Interestingly, both incidents happened in exactly the same place — the 405 heading south near Santa Monica Blvd. a frequent spot for collisions. Traffic tends to slow down here.

I hate to have a somber moment in here, but this was a reminder, a daily reminder for those of us who hit the road each day for our commute. Please be safe. Keep a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. You might think you have plenty of time to stop, but maybe the car behind you does not. It’s called Paying It Forward.

Have a great weekend.

Marci

Getting Through Costco – A Microcosm of Life on the Road in Los Angeles

All this for a $5 roast chicken!

All this for a $5 roast chicken!

Yesterday against my better judgment, I found myself shopping at Costco. It was late Sunday afternoon, just an hour before closing, which on a normal day means I can pretty much zip in and out quickly without too much stress. Apparently not yesterday. Maybe it was due to daylight savings time. We were all somehow thrown off our regular schedule. All I wanted was a roasted chicken for dinner.

I typically shop at the Culver City/Marina Del Rey Costco location. The traffic at this location is undoubtedly the worst of any Costco location. I challenge you to find one that’s worse. There are simply too many cars and people in too concentrated of an area. When that happens, as we all know, people get stressed and all hell breaks loose. The Lincoln/Washington intersection and surrounding streets feel the stress day and night. It’s become one of the top gridlock areas on the Westside. It can take 10 minutes or more just to get through that intersection during the height of rush hour. The parking lot is a hazard in itself. I’d like to know who designed the layout. Plus, there’s hardly ever any parking so when a car sees an available spot, he guns the engine to get there before someone else beats him, thereby creating an atmosphere akin to Nascar, complete with fights.

Yesterday, it all started when I pulled into the parking lot. Those who drive into the parking lot do not have stop signs. Those who are struggling to get out of the lot DO have stop signs; however, no one pays attention to them. This is where my first near collision occurred. I pulled into the Costco driveway and proceeded to turn left inside the parking lot. A woman (dare I say in a black colored SUV) just didn’t want to wait to turn. She missed hitting me by a fraction of an inch. (I’m picturing Maxwell Smart saying, “Missed it by that much!”) Collision #1 was thankfully averted.

I then proceeded to the end of the parking lot as people tend not to fight over parking spaces there and I don’t mind walking. This parallels my driving behavior on the road as I often drive out of my way to avoid a bad traffic situation. It’s just easier.

I worked my way through the hoards of people, headed to the back of the store, ready to pick up my roasted chicken only to discover there are none left. There were about 25 people standing around waiting for someone to put out more chickens. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This trip could not be in vain. I felt like I was stuck in one of those police blocks on the freeway where everyone is at a standstill and has someplace to be, but they can’t go. So, instead, they inch forward to get as close to the front as possible so they take off just as soon as its possible. We looked like cattle. I almost started mooing. Then it got nasty. Some people pushed their way to the front. Others patiently waited. The chickens finally arrived and one by one they were yanked away. I did get my chicken. It was then time to navigate through the store, down the aisles (aka mean streets), and head to the check out area, the next hurdle.

As I worked my way through the store, I was going down the main artery and a woman with a shopping cart on a side aisle cut me off! She went right in front of me, actually put her arm out and pushed me backwards so she could get ahead. I was stunned. I looked at her and said, “Are you kidding me?” She glared at me, continued on, plowed ahead pushing her way through without any regard for anyone else. I can only imagine what she’s like in a car. The funny thing is she looked like the sort of person who would be hauling her 6 grandchildren in a minivan. Incongruous. If this made the news, the headline would have been Grandma loses it in Costco. Had we been in cars and ended up in a collision, I do believe the police would have ticketed her, maybe even arrested her!

Life, however, sometimes has an interesting way of equalizing these things and redeeming one’s faith in humanity. The lines at the front were exceedingly long, so I picked one and just waited. The lady in line in front me noticed that I had one item and offered to let me go before her. So did the person in front of her and the next person and the next person, until I was at the front of the line, able to check out and go on my merry way.

The exit from the parking lot was not bad all things considered as I was well positioned to exit given my parking location.

We live in this urban jungle called Los Angeles. We love what the city has to offer. We go about our every day lives, but because of overpopulation, too many cars, no good alternative means of transportation, it’s not easy to get things done. It often takes far longer to do errands than if you were in say Pleasantville. This endless hustle and bustle causes stress and makes people do things they might not otherwise be inclined to do. On the other hand, it may just give them another avenue to express who they truly are.

Drive safely out there, that includes shopping carts. Have a good week!

Marci

P.S. Costco really does have the best tasting roasted chicken. They didn’t pay me to say that. I wish they would!

 

Halloween in L.A.

Only in L.A.!

Only in L.A.!

Happy Halloween – Be Safe Out There!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a safe Halloween out there! Drive safely — it’s supposed to rain and after all this time of no rain, it’s going to be slippery.

I’m off to find the Batmobile. I’ll be dressed as Batgirl.

Check back later this weekend for more colors and what they mean!

Marci

Car Shame of the Day

The guy below on the right in the little black Ford drove up the right shoulder bypassing the two lanes of cars patiently waiting to get on the freeway. Way to go! You got about 5 cars ahead before coming to an abrupt stop on the freeway because of traffic.

(Note the color of the car and my assessment of what the color means in my last post!)

Also, be sure to check out the Car Shaming Page if you haven’t seen it lately. Got any car shaming pictures to share? Send them to me and I’ll be happy to post.

Car Shame of the Day

Car Shame of the Day

Color Me Driven

 

Color Me!

Color Me!

Last Friday, I noted that people who drive light colored Priuses seem to drive annoying slow. I know this because I’m often stuck behind one. Interestingly, if you, however, drive a Black Prius, the same does not apply. It got me thinking about how the color of your car tells something about the kind of driver you are, or at a minimum it reveals some of your personality traits.

Color is important in a car after all. If you don’t believe me, according to ForbesAuto.com, a General Motors’ lead designer for exterior colors on cars reported that nearly 40 percent of customers who walk into a dealership will leave and go to another dealer if they can’t get the color they want in a car. So, it stands to reason that color says something about who you are.

Here’s my take on car colors and what they mean.

Beige – drivers of beige cars tend to be dependable and flexible. You adapt well to your surroundings and blend in well. You are more likely than other colors to let other drivers in when they signal.

White — White has long been considered a color of purity. It’s also a practical color when it comes to cars. It doesn’t show dirt easily and it doesn’t fade like other colors do. It says clean and fresh looking. So if you drive a white car, you are likely to be practical, stable and low maintenance. You won’t be the sort of driver who zips in and out of lanes trying to get ahead. You’re by and large a patient driver. The biggest problem with white car drivers is going too slow and annoying the people around them. More often than not, the car you’re stuck behind is going to be white. Think about the snow birds in Arizona. (For those who don’t know, snow birds are elderly drivers who have moved to warmer climates for the winter.) They all drive white cars! Last point, if you have only ever driven white cars, you need to step out of your comfort zone and live a little.

Red — Red is a color of passion, power and attention. If you drive a red car, you long to be noticed. You may drive faster than a white car, but you’re not the fastest on the road and you don’t care to be. You know you’re calling more attention to yourself just by being there. That includes police attention and you want to avoid that speeding ticket. Good move.

Purple – Purple is a creative and original color, but not for a car. The music group Train cites in their song “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” a “crappy purple Scion” as one of the 50 ways she dies. Better off wearing purple, don’t drive in it.

Orange — Orange is in fact the new black. No one gets stuck behind a slow orange car unless he rear ends the car and I wouldn’t advise that because the driver will go off on you. Orange car owners may be a little too into drama in their lives, but they love excitement and have no fear. This is the car that will take the drag race challenge.

Blue — Blue connotes stability. People in blue cars are purposeful and dependable. I’m not just saying this because I drive a blue car. You seek a sense of calmness and order, two qualities that are seldom present while driving in L.A. In order to cope, you create your own sense of reality. Heck, I started a blog about driving!

Black – you want to appear impressive without being too flashy, though you still do seek status from your car. You also like to maintain a little mystery. You are, however, the most likely colored car to cut someone else off on the road. It’s that rebellious streak in you. Did you know black is most often chosen color for luxury vehicles?

Silver — You like to blend into your surroundings, not be noticed too much and go with the flow. Others may perceive you as a little standoffish. You give the air of being cool and calm. You tend to be more of a conformist than you care to admit. You are also more likely to keep up with technological innovations.

Green – You love nature. You have an upbeat attitude for the most part, but can be a little moody and inconsiderate. It’s in those moody moments that you’re not likely to let someone in who signals. You also strive for material wealth.

Yellow – Yellow is the most highly visible color. Think about it — street signs and warning signs are in yellow. If you drive a yellow car, you have a lot of enthusiasm towards life and exude confidence. You can be analytical and critical of others too. If you’re driving a yellow Hummer though, you’re just arrogant.

 

Picking on Priuses and PT Cruisers

Why is it that 8 times out if 10 when I get stuck behind a ridiculously slow car it’s a Prius? The other 2 times it seems to a PT Cruiser, clearly not the turbo charged version. I suspect the PT cruiser (or any variation of that car) would rank higher if there were more on the road. It’s true. This is based on empirical evidence. It occurred to me that I should post photos proving my point. There’s plenty of time for this as I suspect this condition will not change any time soon.

I have observed, however, that it’s never a black Prius that goes slow. It’s typically the lighter colors. I believe that’s because there’s a cool factor associated with owning a black colored car even for someone who owns a Prius, doubly true if they have tinted windows. No one cool would be caught driving 45 MPH on the freeway. Think of the car scene in the beginning of Revenge of the Nerds.

Speaking of, do you ever wonder what the color of your car says about your personality? Stay tuned. I’ll have some great insights on this coming soon.

Have a safe weekend.

Marci Freud 

 

Seeing Red!

Who else is seeing red?

Who else is seeing red?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just thought I’d take a quick look to see how the commute home is looking. Not TOO bad for me … yet. Feeling sorry for the folks heading the other way on the 405. The 101 is worse though.