Vera Jimenez's TimeSaver Tips

Marek Fire

Please keep in mind that the situation with emergencies like fires, is very fluid. These closures will be updated as they're added or substracted.

The fire is effecting communites in the northeast San Fernanado Valley.

Here's what's closed:

210 East and West between the 5 and 118.

118 East closed between the 5 and 210 including the connector from East 118 to South 5.

5 North and South connectors to East 118 and East 210.

5 and 14 South connectors to 210 East.

2 North connector to West 210 closed, you'll be diverted on to East 210.

210 West will be diverted to South 2.

If you travel west out of Pasadena or La Canada via the 210 into the Northeast San Fernando Valley, you'll have to use the 134 to the 101 to the 405. If t you use the 210 out of Sylmar toward Lake View Terrace into the San Gabriel Valley, today you'll have to use the 405 South to 101 East to the 134 through Glendale. The 134 will connect you the 210 into the San Gabriel Valley.

The canyon closures are: Kagel and Lopez

Porter Ranch Area: The 118 East and West is closed between Yosemite Avenue and Reseda Boulevard. Tampa is also closed both directions between 118 and Sesnon. Both until further notice.

The 14 South at Via Princess, all lanes are now open, only the on and off ramps remain closed.

Look two fingers! ;)

Gosh Nicky!

I had no idea that my gesturing would offend anyone. But as you know, everyone has idiosyncrasies and that happens to be one of mine. What are yours?

This is LA, and traffic does suck. It's too bad that you don't like the name Time Saver Traffic; I'll let the News Director know.

And since you pay such close attention, I know you know that if I have the news chopper up, I have Alex show us the alternate, so that you the viewer, and essentially the commuter will know the conditions of the alternate before you take it.

Haven't you ever heard me say, "the freeway's horrible and so is the alternate, so call work and tell them you're going to be late?" 

Come on Nicky, I'm sure you have. If you're paying such close attention as to how many fingers I'm holding up, I'm sure you've heard me say it. I say it all the time, afterall, this is LA. And as you have so aptly alluded, traffic always sucks.   

P.S. I'll see about that name change, ;)

Carpool

Okay no excuses, you have all week to do it. Come on, think of it as a little adventure. It might be fun.  Who knows? You'll never know unless you try. And here's the deal, if you try it, and it's horrible, you can choose never to carpool again. But at least you can say you tried it. You've made the effort.

I'm not going to tell you it'll be a piece of cake, because I know, first hand that it's not. For a metropolitan city the size of Los Angeles, we have an effecient transportation system. The good news however is, that improvements are coming.

At our bi-monthly Traffic meeting last week, we were informed that the goal is to make the system symbiotic so that park and rides, bus lines, metrolines and carpool lanes all work together more efficiently, especially for commuters who live out of the county like in the Inland Empire and work in L.A.

Even though our system isn't great yet, there are other ways of supporting the cause. Walking and bike riding are ways you can make a difference without having to get into a vehicle with someone else. 

Here are some links to help you Rideshare.

Los Angeles MTA, Orange County TA, Riverside TA, San Bernardino Omnitrans, Ventura County TC, Ridematch.info

It's early in the week, so make sure you plan for it this weekend, especially if you have kids and you like cars!

CHP hosting it's annual open house for Emergency Services Day, which includes a car show.  

The family event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Satuday the 11th. There will be a lot to see and do, including taking pictures with Chipper. There will also be a bounce house for the kids and last year's K-9 demostration was very popular, so if you missed, make sure you check out this year.

The event takes place at the CHP Office at 31230 Hwy 18, Running Springs. For Show Car Reservations contact Gary Fernandez, 909-867-279.

Share the Ride!

There's a new Park and Ride location for Inland Empire Commuters. The new spot in now available off the 210/15 interchange. The lot is accessible from the 210 using the Cherry Avenue off-ramp or from the 15 via the Baseline off-ramp.

The address is 13850 Victoria Street in Fontana the zip code is 92336. The lot has 116 parking stalls available, but as of yet, a sign has not been posted. Look for it on the north side of Victoria Avenue, next to the Sevaine Channel, east of the 15 in north Fontana.

Please take advantage of the new location, remember this one million dollar project was funded by your tax dollars. And please, remember to slow down when you see orange cones. The men and women working on our roads, keep them clean and safe for commuters.

Expect delays on Century Boulevard heading west toward LAX because of a labor demonstration this evening from 4pm to 7pm. A Traffic Advisory has been issued for the area. West bound traffic is going to be rerouted onto north Aviation Boulevard, from there, motorists are going to be have to go west on Arbor Vitae then south to Airport Boulevard.

If you want to avoid it all together, use the westbound 105 to north Sepulveda Boulevard or west Imperial Highway to Sepulveda Boulevard.

Reduced Price!

For those of you who don’t use the 91 Express Lanes, the fact that the Orange County Transit Authority has dropped the cost of one trip by fifty cents, isn’t going to matter. However, for those of you who use it regularly, it certainly is great news.

The fifty cent savings, means one more Hami in your pocket at the end of the month that’s if you use the express lanes Monday through Friday, during peak hours all month.  Ten dollars a month doesn’t seem like much, but ten bucks is better than nothing. Depending on where you fill up and the grade of fuel, you could get about two and a half, almost three gallons of gas.

Wow, that really doesn’t sound like much. How about this? It’ll buy a movie ticket … if you go to a matinee, you’re a senior citizen, or a student. Otherwise, you’ll be a dollar short, and don’t even think about stopping for popcorn!

Back the real story …

As of today, the price of using the 10 mile, 91 Express Lanes will range between $1.25 to $9.55, depending on the time and direction of travel.

“Tolls need to reflect market and traffic realities. If that means toll reductions, that’s great,” said OCTA Chairman Chris Norby, also the Fourth District supervisor. “The goal is free flowing traffic at the least possible cost to commuters.”

The OCTA has reduced the cost of using the toll lanes because of increased unemployment in Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Rally Monkey!

Baseball fans and all, tomorrow night's big rivalry against the Boston Red Sox is going to cause serious delays at and around Angels Stadium. The game starts at 7pm, so unless you're going to the game head out or stay out of dodge by 5pm.

The 57, 5, and 22 are all going to be jammed. On surface streets you can also expect delays on Katella, State College, Ball Road, Orangewood, and Chapman Avenue.

If you want to wet your whistle before the game or you want to watch the game near the stadium, you can go to National Sports Bar at State College and Orangewood Avenue, El Torito Grill on the corner of State College and Katella, or JT Schmidt's on Katella across from The Honda Center. The old hot spot, The Catch has closed it's doors.

Enjoy the game, be safe and good luck with the traffic.

LA's Newest Station

I know you  think I'm a total traffic geek, and while I am, I do have other interests.

I don't usually blog about things that aren't related to the roads, transportation, or traffic in general but today, I want to write about something else.

The other day I was in my car flipping through the presets, when I landed on something called The Sound, 100.3. From what I remember, it used to be a sort of R&B station. Keep in mind, I'm a bit news hound, so it's almost always NPR or KNX, and so I can't exactly recall what it was before, especially because it was short lived.

Anyway, I really enjoyed The Sound. When I tuned in, BB King was guest DJ-ing and  playing some Stevie Ray Vaughn, I hadn't heard. It was very cool. I was so excited about  "The" new "Sound" I immediately called my brother, Abel, but to my chagrin, all I got was his voice mail.

I know satellite radio is supposed to be the best thing, but hey what can I say, I'm old school. I love the community sound and feel of local radio. I get the appeal of commercial free radio, but your satellite station isn't going to put on a KROQ Winnie Roast, a Star Lounge Concert, a KIIS FM Wango Tango, a Power 106 Annual Turkey Drop, or a  Mark and Brian Pet Adoption Day.  Like Mark and Brian, Big Boy, Kevin, Bean, Lisa May, and grouchy Ralph, these people and their station, step up when we, as a community are in trouble, bored, depressed, or in need of a freebie, like gas, concert tickets, t-shirts, or other useless junk. Whatever it is, it keeps us connected.

Don't get me wrong, I know the contests and freebies are marketing ploys, but so what, it's a win-win situation, they get ratings and hopefully you get a date, a tee shirt, or at least a laugh.

Okay enough of my ramblings, back to The Sound ...

They play really great stuff and this weekend's guest DJ was Gavin Rossdale. The next time you're in your car stuck in traffic, stop texting, it's almost illegal now, and flip around for "The Sound."

I welcome them into LA's mix and wish them success. Happy communiting all.