Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way to Ease Commute
Dear Readers:
With 1991 almost out the door, it’s time to adopt New Year’s resolutions. Street Smart has asked a variety of people who work in the traffic trenches for suggestions on how to ease the commute in 1992. If they sound sensible to you, pick one or two and give them a go.
Don’t forget, readers get to have their say in two weeks. Send in resolutions for traffic officials to adopt. For example, is there something that Caltrans should resolve to do in the New Year? Write in, and let us know.
Many thanks go to all those who participated in this column. On to the suggestions.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Daily, spokesman for the San Juan Capistrano office, said he wants a “kinder, gentler” freeway driver in the New Year.
Drivers increasingly threaten each other with their vehicles, gestures or weapons, Daily said. But such symptoms of freeway stress might drop off if just a portion of drivers had a change of attitude.
Motorists who get cut off tend to retaliate by cutting off others, Daily said. By the same token, if drivers yield to others, the goodwill will spread. “Courtesy is just as contagious as discourtesy,” Daily said.
Fellow officer Angel Johnson, spokeswoman for the Santa Ana office, also suggested that drivers adopt a better attitude.
“Because we have so much traffic, they need to be more patient and take their time. We won’t have so many wrecks. We’re not going to have so many angry people with high blood pressure, and we’re not going to have some of the freeway violence that we’ve had,” Johnson said.
One man who knows about relaxing is Sy Cohn, who calls himself “The Driving Therapist.” Cohn is a licensed psychotherapist who has worked the past 12 years helping clients with their fears about driving.
Cohn said motorists should resolve to better prepare themselves mentally for the task of driving, an act that many take for granted.
“Driving is a workout; don’t underestimate it,” he said.
Just as a runner warms up, then cools down after running a race, Cohn wants drivers to follow a similar routine.
“Getting into the car, relax for a moment,” Cohn said. “Let go, as much as you can, about whatever else is happening at work, or in the house, or whatever,” he explained. Drivers should close their eyes and relax again when they have finished driving, he said.
Cohn also that the stress of driving often makes motorists breathe improperly, which only makes them more stressed. “It’s very instinctive, to hold the breath and tighten up when we feel we’re being threatened,” Cohn said.
To breathe correctly, drivers should breathe deeply through the nose, count to six, then exhale out of the mouth to a count of eight, Cohn said.
Air traffic reporter Rudy Grande has a birds-eye perspective on what drivers ought to do in the New Year.
“Particularly for motorists leaving Orange County, I would highly recommend learning some surface streets around your most heavily traveled freeways,” said Grande, who is heard on radio stations KLSX, KLITE, KMPC and Power 106.
He also suggested arranging non-traditional work hours to help avoid the worst of commuter traffic.
“Work out a deal with your office mates or with your bosses to where you can stagger hours and come in a half an hour early or late,” Grande said. Leaving Orange County between 6 and 6:30 a.m. and leaving the office about 3:30 p.m. should make the commute a little easier, he said.
David Rizzo, a.k.a. “Dr. Roadmap,” is familiar with those alternate routes that Grande mentions. Rizzo’s book “Freeway Alternatives” maps out surface street paths around freeway trouble spots. He is also heard on KABC morning radio, offering alternative routes when there is a bad traffic jam.
So what does the guru of the map book think motorists should do for the New Year?
“Be open to options. At least one day a week, give something a try, like mass transit, or car-pooling. Even if it’s one day a week, you might find that you like it,” he said.
Rizzo also suggested that drivers use books on tape as a way to make constructive use of their time when trapped in commuter traffic.
“Nowadays, there are so many things being offered,” Rizzo said. “We’re all condemned to drive, so we might as well make use of that time.”
Also urging readers to car-pool or use alternate transportation are two Orange County Transportation Authority officials.
“As Californians, we demand a safe and healthy environment and a high quality of life. Our lives are directly impacted by our commute method. I would challenge each commuter to ride-share at least one day a week,” said OCTA’s ride-share coordinator Mary Fisher.
OCTA Director Dana W. Reed had the same request:
“If just one day a week Orange County commuters left their cars at home and took public transportation or participated in a ride-sharing program, weekday traffic volumes would be reduced by 20%. One day a week is all we need to virtually eliminate traffic congestion in Orange County. Is that too much to ask?”
One alternative to the car is the bus, and two foot soldiers from the busways offered resolutions that might make catching a coach a bit easier.
When calling for bus information, know the cross streets near your destination, says Danielle Kimble, an information operator for the Orange County Transportation Authority. It can be difficult to locate the appropriate bus stop with only an address, she says.
Callers should also know the city in which the streets are located. “There could be a street in one city and another city and another city,” Kimble said.
Out on the road, Orange County Transit District coach driver Jerry Castillo said it would be great if drivers would resolve to give him a little leeway, especially when the bus is trying to pull away from the curb and into traffic.
“Let us in, so we can do our job and stay on time,” Castillo said.
Drivers who are stopping to let a bus in can let the driver know by turning their headlights on and off quickly, Castillo said.
Giving bus drivers a break sounds like a good idea because if the coaches run late, people will take their cars instead.
Motorists might also resolve to give a break to those commuting under their own power: bicyclists.
“When he’s driving, the ordinary car commuter has to be--as most people are--considerate of bicyclists,” said Don Harvey, a McDonnell Douglas engineer who rides from Corona del Mar to Huntington Beach. It’s a 40-mile round-trip ride.
Harvey said commuters ought to give bikes a try. “You’d be surprised how much fun it is,” Harvey said.
Two Street Smart respondents suggested riding the trains in the New Year.
“Make a promise to try commuting by train,” said Adrienne Brooks, OCTA’s Commuter Rail manager. “For those headed toward Los Angeles, OCTA’s Commuter Rail is a great opportunity to trade what usually amounts to a stressful drive on the I-5 for a relaxing train ride. You owe it to yourself to add this to your 1992 resolutions.”
Jerry Belyeu, a conductor on the evening Commuter Rail from Los Angeles to Orange County, says existing riders should resolve to spread the word and encourage others. New riders tell him all the time that it’s something they should have tried earlier, he said.
Two traffic engineers want motorists to resolve to follow speed limits on surface streets in the New Year.
“I wish for folks to abide by the established speed limits. I think a lot of headaches would go away,” said Ignacio Ochoa, Orange County traffic engineer. “I think we’re all guilty. We all sort of go into autopilot and don’t even realize that we’re speeding.”
Newport Beach traffic engineer Rich Edmonston suggests the same.
“I would have drivers resolve to be more courteous every time they get behind the wheel, particularly by slowing down in residential neighborhoods and by yielding to pedestrians trying to cross the street.”
Both are among the biggest complaints Edmonston hears from the public. But the problems can only be controlled with the cooperation of motorists, he said. “It’s very difficult from an engineering or enforcement standpoint to be there all the time,” Edmonston said.
Sgt. Harold Parkison reviews all of Anaheim Police Department’s accident investigations. From that perspective, he offered two suggestions:
“If you give yourself the space and the time, then you have a much better chance of getting where you want in one piece,” Parkison said.
Drivers should resolve to leave more room between cars and drive defensively, he said. Drivers should also leave early enough to get where they want to go without rushing, he urged.
Finally, a note from Joe El-Harake, car-pool lane coordinator for the local Caltrans office. “I hope to see everybody using safety belts and safety chairs for the kids and to have safe and happy holidays.”
