I have to admit that over my last 25 years in California, Californians are getting much better at driving in the rain. Where the Sepulveda Pass was a once a log jam during a rain (in both directions) – we now get Californians mounting the pass at at least 35 mph and descending it at upwards to 50 mph.
Some might say that the newly opened car pool lanes have made all the difference – I beg to differ. First off – these car pool lanes only work as designed when traffic volume is light: when traffic volume is heavy – they do nothing to relieve congestion…because they END and MERGE with the regular traffic lanes (I’m not sure what Einstein thought this up!). A proper car pool lane goes on forever – just like one should NEVER put a stop sign at a roundabout – one simply needs to time one’s entry and exit with the flow of traffic! Utilizing concepts that are supposed to keep traffic moving (like car pool lanes and traffic circles) but ending up slowing traffic down when there is heavy volume — is rather dimwitted: but I can’t hang this troublesome dynamic on the California driver…
No, it’s not the car pool lanes that have freeway traffic up-to-speed on rainy days. Perhaps our increased population has accommodated many non-Native drivers who can handle the elements better than Native Californians? Hell! Just the other day I was going 60 mph on the South 405 in a fairly torrential rain during morning rush hour; and, I was being passed by folks going at least 70! This Michigander – who used to be able to kick-it-up to 75 mph on snow and ice was mightily impressed! I was even impressed with San Franciscans and surrounding area drivers on my recent, rainy, Thanksgiving Pilgrimage to Santa Rosa (but of course, folks up in-that-neck-of-the-woods handle the elements much better than Los Angelinos!).
I wasn’t impressed with folks on the I-5 between L.A. and San Francisco, however: we still have problems with asshole drivers who don’t mind causing major stoppage to what might otherwise be a fairly reasonable flow of traffic.
As anyone who has traversed this portion of the I-5 knows – we have two lanes to work with: one slow lane, and one fast lane. When idiots attempting to get “ahead” find a gap in the slow lane – they’ll take the slow lane at about 80 mph as-long-as-they-can – which invariably means they come up on an RV that is not going 80 mph. Then these assholes have to find an entry point in the fast lane to avoid braking – which invariably causes the car going about 70 mph in the fast lane to brake to avoid hitting the asshole who needed to cut in – which in turn causes a domino of braking in the fast lane — slowing everyone down.
I have to admit – before I figured out this sociology of traffic (assisted by the explanation of a Black Ops operative [who just happened to be my neighbor] that averaging 75 mph as opposed to 70 mph only gets you there 5 minutes faster) – I was one of these assholes I am complaining about! So when I was an idiot – I probably assisted in lowering the potential average speed of 70 mph down to 60 mph – in my deluded desire to get ahead.
Giti often tries to get me to be an asshole driver – but I just can’t do it! I have to talk-my-talk and walk-my-walk! I would rather miss the turn and spend an extra few minutes turning around (whether it be freeway or surface street) than be a dangerous driver by cutting some on off (and yes, I’m sure you picked up on my obvious intimation).
Given the fact that I have evolved my own driving – and Southern Californians are traversing rain-soaked freeways better than ever – I have tremendous hope that I will be able to do LAX in under 20 minutes from my Woodland Hills home; one-of-these-days.
P.S.
And Metro Rail hasn’t helped out the L.A. traffic one bit either. I have never seen such empty trains in my life…