Holiday Forecast Calls for Dense Traffic All Over

More than 2 million residents of Los Angeles and surrounding counties are expected to hit the road this Labor Day weekend, experts say--fully justifying the region’s reputation as home to sun-loving road warriors.

More than 90% of an estimated 2.5 million Southern Californian travelers are driving this weekend, to such destinations as the Grand Canyon, San Francisco and Monterey, according a survey by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Despite a sluggish economy, the number of travelers is expected to be about the same as last year. But based on the most popular destinations, Auto Club officials say it appears Southern Californians will drive farther this weekend.

Last year’s most popular Labor Day vacation spots were all in California, with San Diego leading the list. This year, the Grand Canyon tops the list, with Anaheim, home to Disneyland, coming in second.

California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Katrina Lundgren said roads started to get congested early Friday, a condition that will last through the weekend.

“This really is the last hurrah for summer, and the incoming and outgoing traffic will be bad,” Lundgren said.

Lower gasoline prices could be one reason.

Statewide, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded is $1.62, compared to $1.74 last year. In Southern California, motorists are paying nearly 50 cents a gallon less today than the May record high price of $2.01 a gallon.

RVs and People Flock to Beaches

Along Ventura’s Rincon Highway, it was the warm weather and clear blue skies on Friday that attracted early holiday throngs. About 125 RVs lined up nose-to-tail along the strip, sandwiched between the railroad tracks and the sun-brightened sea.

Maria Pink, who drove over from landlocked Glendora, set up a card table and saved a spot for her brother. She played a game of Uno with her kids, Brandon and Riley, and a friend, and planned a laid-back weekend.

“It’s so easy,” she said. “You don’t have to fish. You don’t have to hike. Here, you can just veg out.”

In Orange County, the last gasp of summer began traditionally: with clogged highways, bustling beaches and thick crowds at Disneyland.

Lt. Kyle Lindo, a Huntington Beach lifeguard supervisor, said beach attendance could reach 100,000 during the weekend. A regular summer day crowd tops out at about 45,000.

“For a lot of people, this is their last opportunity,” he said. “The surf is going to be good, and we expect this to be the busiest beach weekend of the year.”

As the three-day weekend began, law enforcement officials issued warnings to travelers about leaving children unattended in cars during hot weather.

Throughout the nation, 32 children have died in the last nine months--a dozen of them in California--as a result of being left alone in motor vehicles on hot days.

Even on a mild day of 73 degrees, a vehicle can heat up to 100 degrees in 10 minutes and to an unbearable 120 degrees in just 30 minutes, officials said.

The Auto Club also warned about another potentially deadly summer hazard: boating accidents. Accidents on beaches, lakes and rivers are on the rise in California and Auto Club officials warned Labor Day vacationers to take safety precautions while on the water.

Boating accidents in California killed 51 people and injured 524 last year, an 8% increase over 1999, according to the California Department of Boating and Waterways.

To reduce freeway tie-ups this weekend, the California Department of Transportation has canceled all major freeway construction work until Tuesday.

But not everyone leaving town this weekend plans to drive.

About 800,000 passengers are expected to travel through Los Angeles International Airport from Friday through Monday, matching last year’s record numbers, said Nancy Castles, an airport spokeswoman.

With about 120,000 vehicles circling the airport’s crowded central terminal area on the holiday weekend, Castles suggests travelers leave their cars at home and use the Van Nuys FlyAway, the Metro Rail Green Line, or a shuttle bus or limousine service to get to LAX.

According to John Wayne Airport spokeswoman Yolanda Perez, Orange County’s airport expects to see 10% more travelers than on a normal weekend.

“This is a concentrated travel weekend. Not like Christmas where people travel over an extended period of time,” she said. “The three-day weekend makes it very, very busy.”

Airport Travelers Urged to Arrive Early

Officials at both airports warned travelers to arrive early for their flights because of long lines to check their bags, pass through security and board the airplane.

Airlines anticipate that most of their planes will be 90% full this weekend, compared to 65% to 70% full on a typical weekend.

Drivers headed to LAX to pick up passengers should park in short-term parking rather than waiting at the curb, Castles said. About half of the spaces in the facility’s parking garages are now set aside for short-term parking in an effort to ease traffic circling the horseshoe, she said.

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Times staff writers Matt Surman and Matthew Ebnet contributed to this report.