Which direction do you drive during the morning rush hour on the 405, the nation's most congested freeway? Do any of you see the same Prius everyday during your morning or night commute?
From Jamboree Road heading south on the I-405S to the I-5S and onto San Marcos. I usually lock the cruise control in at 75mph and sail on home. I work 11pm to 8am.
I avoid it at all costs. If I took it to get to work in the am, I would get on from either the 605 south (from Katella) or at Seal Beach Boulevard and exit at Magnolia Street. But in the am, I think that is the most congested section of the freeway and it would likely take me 45 minutes to an hour to go the ~10 miles. So I opt for surface streets instead (usually takes 25 min to go ~15 miles). I was actually able to take the fwy yesterday, there was no traffic whatsoever. I wish it was like that every day. When I lived in El Segundo, I took the 405 south from the 105 and exited somewhere in Long Beach or Seal Beach, depending on where the backup started and took surface streets the rest of the way (usually the same route I take now). It would take me a minimum of an hour to get to work in the am, and 1-2 hours to get home from work in the pm. Hated it.
I work in Torrance so take two different routes. I either go 5, 22, 405 route, or I go 5, 55, 405 (carpool lane the whole way) Although I figure the next two weeks will be nice. I have in the past went 110 S to PCH and I have taken PCH in Wilmington all way to Jamboree in Newport.
I drive from Oceanside to Rancho Dominguez in the AM. Usually take 5N to 405N, sometimes take 5N, 22W, 405N. Usually don't get into the carpool lane until Westminster/Seal Beach. The AM trip begins at 04:30. On the PM side of the trip I usually get into the carpool lane ASAP and stay there until it ends in San Juan Capistrano. I have noticed several Pri on both sides of my trip that I see often.
I don't drive the 405. Sounds like a Sammy Hagar song, but I digress. I see the same black Prius in the mornings perhaps 2 days per week. Also, there's a white HiHy that I see every once and a while. Isn't it funny how we sort of get to know the other people on the regular commute. I make a mental note of the bad drivers and when I see them again I intentionally am not nice to them. I'm not aggressive towards them. I just don't give them any favors. On the other hand, there are some drivers that I see all the time; they are polite, they allow mergers, maintain a constant speed and following distance, and they wave people in. When I see those poeple stuck behind a semi, for example, I back off, flash my lights, and let them into my lane to get around the truck.
How does the Prius do in the congested, big city traffic? What type of gas mileage are you getting? Do you feel "small" compared to all the other traffic around you? The reason I ask is because during the holidays I drove my Mom's Toyota Camry in heavy traffic and I felt uncomfortable not being able to see cars two or three spots ahead of me like I can in my truck. I also felt as if others were looking down inside of the car like I'm able to do in my truck. My family and I are moving to Los Angeles next August and I am still debating between getting a Prius or whether I should keep my Ford F150 SuperCrew. . . . but, I have to decide fast because I have someone looking at my truck and they are supposed to return tomorrow to buy it from me . . . if I decide to sale it!!!
Sell the truck and buy your Prius. In heavy traffic I was getting around 48 miles per gallon. Since the "holiday light" traffic has been happening I get around 44.
The 405 can get ugly, but since it's only a few miles long, it's not usually a problem. You're talking about I-405 in Portland OR, right?
Hello Bill, Nope, we're talking about the most congested freeway in the nation the 405 in Los Angeles County and Orange County.
You didn't specify that in the first post, and many of us think our 405 can get pretty congested. As you must know, there are many I-405 segments off of I-5 all up and down the west coast. I think there are 405s in San Francisco and Seattle. And I already mentioned the one in Portland. Oh wait, I forgot. SoCal is the center of the known universe... 'Nuff said!
Get the Prius, trust me! but you first must get the California HOV sticker before you can drive your Prius in the carpool lanes. Before you move to L.A. remember ....don't hold up the traffic behind you on the freeway because it causes long traffic jams behind you and people here are in a big hurry!
Thanks for clarifying Bill. It was Tony's post I used to try to figure out which 405 they were talking about and then I was trying to figure out how Chicago would have a 405. We do have a 405 in Seattle (area) too. Most of my L.A. driving was on a motorcycle. Very nice being able to ride between lanes. So, anyway, you probably don't want my opinion on how safe it would feel.
