It's 6:12 and one of my coworkers (who lives in my neighborhood and isn't James Riswick) calls to ask if I'm near the office. "I am," I say, "just about a mile from it on an errand and then right home. Probably 10 min until I hit the office and then home." They ask if I can stop to pick something up they'd left in the office. "Sure! NP. Home by 7." It was rush hour, sure, but it's only about 9 miles, that seemed reasonable.
At 6:32 I called them back. "I'm going to have to revise my time estimate. I've gone about 900 feet since we last talked."
Things only got worse from there...
Before I moved to LA I never thought that I'd advocate for more automatics. But five years of dealing with sub 5mph commutes and a knee surgery have me praising the new generation of fast, fully-controllable automatics.
Mike Magrath, Features Editor, Inside Line @ 13,316 miles
throwback says:
10:20 AM, 02/15/12
I hear you Mike. My arthritic shoulder has made me commute in an automatic. The pain of constantly shifting is too much on a daily basis.
bimmerjay says:
10:26 AM, 02/15/12
Traffic was absolutely horrendous last night. It took me 45 minutes to go the 7 miles to my house - even avoiding the jammed freeways. Still glad I have a manual transmission though.
gslippy says:
10:26 AM, 02/15/12
I developed left knee problems after driving a certain car with a stick for 12 years, so I was happy to get an automatic after that. My knee improved.
But then I bought a different car with a stick, and after 7 years of it my knee is still OK.
MM, I don't know if your commute had any hills, but here in western PA, a congested commute like that is a killer in a manual transmission.
leescott says:
10:33 AM, 02/15/12
This is why I love working from home!
brendan_m says:
10:50 AM, 02/15/12
A bicycle would have been faster.
fordson1 says:
11:21 AM, 02/15/12
"A bicycle would have been faster."
True...as a matter of fact, nine miles in over two hours...figure for a male in the prime of life, walking speed on pavement is a little over 4 mph, so that is not bicycling speed, that's WALKING speed.
God, that blows. I'll never live anywhere with traffic like that - it's just too big of a quality of life issue to me.
Why even have a nice car with traffic like that? Oh, yeah...there are so many nice canyon roads to drive when you are not actually having to GET anywhere.
Yeah, umm hmm...
yellowmiata says:
11:35 AM, 02/15/12
Since you're in CA, why not ride a motorcycle? Share Lanes and be home in easy time!
Kevin
ed124c says:
11:45 AM, 02/15/12
Used to be that the West Coast is where trends start, and finally wind up in the East. I hope that isn't true today. Unless it is just New York City that's affected.
ahightower says:
11:47 AM, 02/15/12
Most days I am glad I have a sorta fun, sporty-ish car with a stick. Even in normal traffic it's not bad. But there are some days I wish I had a big fat automatic cruiser with squishy seats. If I win the lotto, I'll need you guys to publish a new comparison test: Which lane keep assist system is best? Which laser cruise control systems can actually come to a complete stop and start up again without help? Which nav screens can be hacked to play movies while in Drive? :)
dinobot666 says:
11:55 AM, 02/15/12
I'm going to be in LA this May and I'm not looking forward to the traffic. It was horrific enough the first time I was there.
dscain says:
11:58 AM, 02/15/12
Maybe Edmunds should think about moving to someplace a bit more car friendly - like NC. (Then I could apply to work for you - no self-centered agendas here!)
montgom616 says:
12:28 PM, 02/15/12
I love LA, just not the traffic, taxes, crime and cost of living.
stovt001 says:
12:34 PM, 02/15/12
A good automatic for traffic has to have a well-calibrated creep. When I'm driving our Taurus in traffic I'm just modulating the brakes the whole time. Not much difference effort-wise than driving my MT Miata.
duck87 says:
12:47 PM, 02/15/12
I said this in another post and people didn't get it when I talked about traffic jams and clutches. Considering the speed you were going at (and with your knee in mind), maybe you should consider one of those electric bicycles that look like scooters.
But if that's what I can expect should I decide to move to LA... eh, no thanks.
mercedesfan says:
01:09 PM, 02/15/12
@bimmerjay,
I know traffic was atrocious last night! It's like every few weeks everyone here in the Bay Area decides to use all the roads at exactly the same time. I don't even want to tell you how long it took to get from Sunnyvale to Los Gatos.
I guess I'm more of a pansy than you are. I couldn't deal with my M3 in that commute. Whenever I start thinking about selling my old S550 and just using the M3 as a daily driver I hit a commute like last night and my unceasing love for the old girl comes rushing back. :)
jmk261 says:
01:19 PM, 02/15/12
I've never had a problem driving a stick in traffic. That may be due to the fact that I don't drive on people's a$$e$ while in traffic.
aspade says:
01:36 PM, 02/15/12
This is why discussions of mileage, gas guzzler taxes, etc. should focus on where people drive instead of what.
ptcdawg says:
02:31 PM, 02/15/12
I would move, somewhere else, anywhere else.
emajor says:
08:13 PM, 02/15/12
Now do you understand why some people couldn't care less about what they drive as long as it is comfortable? Someone want to tell me what difference the steering feel and suspension tuning of a 2006 Mazda6 makes over a Ford Taurus on a commute that averages 5mph?
We love to chide those that just want a comfortable wheeled appliance, but for many people this is the daily grind in which it will be used.
litewerk says:
01:41 AM, 02/16/12
I've been out to California more than a few times so I know I'd love the weather and the scenery. But I've long heard that the cost of living, especially housing, is unbelievable. And driving in traffic as you describe, Mike, to me is not really living. Big cities offer a lot, but small or medium town living really has it beat. Were I out there dealing with all that, I 'd have to have a car with a seat that felt just right. The 2003 Intrepid had a seat that was about the best of any car I've ever owned. (But I no longer have it as a niece borrowed it for a while and wrecked it.) The best and most comfortable seat I've set in in recent years is still the Suzuki Kizashi.
vvk says:
05:45 AM, 02/16/12
You guys need a subway.
blueguydotcom says:
07:48 AM, 02/16/12
Still aren't any good automatics made. Sorry, tried the BMW 8 speed last weekend. POS. Just phenomenal how good ATs are at transforming the drive into banality.
As for the knee problem, that blows. Got a leg issue too and when the pain flairs it's excruciating. Still think I'm going to struggle through with a manual. Each shift has felt like murder in the past when the leg reaches its zenith of pain but the other 95% of the time it's great. Could always steal the wife's DSG on those days.
My advice for socal rainy days: don't leave the office. Or leave early and work from home.
deagle13 says:
09:28 AM, 02/16/12
"You guys need a subway."
We have a subway. The problem is that L.A.'s meager subway system follows a traditional "hub and spoke" model centered on Downtown L.A. but only a small minority of LA's population actually works downtown.
FWIW - yesterday's traffic was horrible on the Westside because Obama was in town...