LA Freeway

I was slightly nervous to drive the first time I was behind the wheel learning how to drive.  I was very nervous when I was taking my driving test--well, mainly because I was told the person who tested me never lets people pass driving tests the first time. (I must've really done well since she passed me the first time!) Then I've been nervous a few times when I was too close to another car or the usual unusuals happened on the road while driving.

But, never have I ever felt afraid or life-threatened to be on the road... until I drove on the LA freeways and highways.

I always get car sick when I sit in the back seats and most times in the passenger seat.  So since I learned to drive, I always volunteered to drive whenever I had the chance.  And I liked and still like driving! (This is one of very few moments when I am decisive.)  But now, I'm a bit hesitant to be glad to drive to downtown LA or anywhere near downtown LA.  Fast cars, narrow lanes, horrible traffics, all kinds of drivers--these are all factors that contribute to the typical LA road condition.

Just to provide an idea: Imagine a 5-lane major freeway packed with cars, buses, and semis. There's barely any room between cars. People are constantly changing lanes and honking at each other. To top it all, these cars are driving at 70+ miles per hour in this heavy traffic.  It probably sounds crazy; it is. It probably doesn't seem possible to have cars packed on the road, all driving at a fast speed; well, it's possible in LA. The worst part is that this is a very typical scene in LA.

This weekend, as if there's not enough trouble on the road, one of the busiest freeways in LA, 405 closed down for construction.  We called it...Carmageddon.  Luckily, most people decided to stay away from this craziness, the roads were nearly empty today.  Because this doesn't happen often--it probably won't happen again in maybe 100 years--there were apparently some spectators out near the closed 405 taking pictures, documenting this "once-in-a-lifetime" moment.  This almost sounds like a joke, but this is how serious us LA residents took this year's Carmageddon.

I guess that didn't provide enough news or entertainment for LA...because I just watched the news for 3 hours as 6 CHP cars and a helicopter chased a car that refused to pull over. This guy drove all over LA and visited all (except the closed 405) major freeways and highways in LA area.  I could not believe what I was watching. How often do things like this happen?  Does this give enough explanations as to why I would hesitate to drive in LA?)

I never pictured myself blogging about freeways or highways, but the LA traffic craziness certainly deserves a fully-covered entry.