Too many people, road construction, decades of the worst traffic in the nation; Los Angeles has a bad reputation when it comes to traffic and it’s rightfully deserved. Heck, being located on Burbank Boulevard in Sherman Oaks makes it nearly impossible to get to our shop sometimes, but we still love L.A. here at Boulevard Auto Repair. You can survive your commutes and even the traffic midday because let’s be honest, there’s always LA traffic. Here are some tips to keep you calm, cool, and collected while you sit on the freeway or surface streets.
Carpool or Vanpool
Most Los Angeles businesses offer carpool or vanpool perks to their employees. This is supported by L.A. City and County officials to help control the traffic. Sign up for a carpool or vanpool and enjoy company while you sit in traffic. You can also see if your company offers to pay for Metrolink commuting and take the train to and from work. This allows you to read a book or watch a movie on your handheld device.
Audio Entertainment
If taking Metrolink isn’t feasible, enjoy audio entertainment in your car or crossover. Obviously, you can’t watch a movie while you’re driving but you can listen to one. Choose a favorite movie you’ve seen a few times; you’ll visualize the scenes as you hear the dialog. Listen to music or an audiobook, or enjoy a comedy routine on satellite radio. Choose audio entertainment that you thoroughly enjoy.
Change Your Work Schedule
Another way city and county officials combat gridlock in Los Angeles is to encourage businesses to adopt 4/10 work schedules. Ask your boss if you can work four days a week at 10 hours a day rather than the traditional 5/8 schedule. This allows you to adjust your commute time to hours when there is less traffic. You can also see about adjusting your start and finish hours to hit the road earlier or later.
Keep Your Automobile Maintained
Finally, the word “sigalert” is a very bad word to Los Angelinos. This means traffic is stopped or nearly stopped on a major thoroughfare and, frankly, all thoroughfares in L.A. are major. Don’t become a sigalert yourself. Keep your automobile maintained by sticking to the service schedule in your owner’s manual. This decreases your risk of breaking down on the freeway and, yep, being a sig alert.
If you drive a European automobile or a Smart car in LA traffic, Boulevard Auto Repair in Sherman Oaks, CA, is your one-stop shop.