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ALL SOCAL ROADS LEAD TO CHAOS
By Chris Barnett
January 17, 2013 -- Late-night comics always get a laugh when they suggest Southern California is a giant parking lot with palm trees. But business travelers with appointments stretching from San Diego to Los Angeles know that there's very little to laugh about. And, when it rains, getting around is holy hell.

Last week, for example, I spent more than three hours inching along the freeways between West Hollywood and Orange County's John Wayne International Airport (SNA), a trip that should take an hour in "regular" traffic. On a recent rainy day, it took me three hours to motor from a meeting in Carlsbad in North San Diego County up to Huntington Beach in Orange County, a ride that should have taken 45 minutes in "normal" freeway traffic.

But "normal" or "regular" traffic is now a myth in most of Southern California. Los Angeles and Orange counties are home to four of the 10 worst traffic bottlenecks in the country, according the American Highway Users Alliance. Plus, Los Angeles had seven of the 10 most congested freeway corridors in America in 2010, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. (New York's Van Wyck Expressway, which essentially terminates at Kennedy Airport, is the only non-California corridor to make the list).

TIPS FOR FIRST-TIMERS
Unless you have a private car and driver at your disposal or a co-worker to chauffeur you around, it's best to add an extra hour to the times usually factored in between appointments. Here are some tips for navigating the Southern California terrain without having to call a client or prospect and apologize that you're "running late."

For starters, fly into SNA, which is adjacent to the always-crowded Interstate 405, known locally as the San Diego freeway. Although the 405 is usually chockablock with congestion, you can get quick in/quick out airport access. Besides, airfares are usually lower at John Wayne/Orange County than at LAX or San Diego. Best of all, the airport is practically the geographical midpoint between the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego and it rarely has fog or weather delays.

First-timers will generally find the airport convenient to use. SNA has one long-terminal for all carriers, lots of TSA checkpoints and plenty of tanned, mostly friendly staffers. It's also a short, easy hike from the front doors to the gates. It offers free WiFi access throughout and there's no shortage of power outlets. The airport is also known for its fast luggage recovery. On one recent flight, my garment bag popped up on the baggage carousel about 10 minutes after landing.

From that point on, however, SNA can be frustrating.

For instance, John Wayne/Orange County does not have rental-car shuttle buses circling the airport or a consolidated car-rental center. The major rental firms do have in-terminal counters, of course, and a subterranean Ground Transportation Center, but I didn't find the signage either ubiquitous or helpful. And there was construction outside Terminal C's baggage carousel that blocked off the sidewalk. An airport spokeswoman says the construction is part of a seismic retrofit project, but claimed that the sidewalks outside terminal C were not blocked when she checked.

Two rental tips: If you're unfamiliar with SoCal roads, rent a car with an on-board navigation system. And never rent a car without a sizable trunk. California's major cities are plagued by a surge in auto burglaries; thieves smash car windows and grab anything that looks valuable. Visible luggage in the passenger compartment is a tempting target for these smash-and-grab thugs.

THE UNOFFICIAL RULES OF THE ROAD
Southern California has only one toll road between Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. By all means, take it. For just a few bucks, California State Road 73 starts south of SNA and goes south past San Juan Capistrano well into San Diego County. Since SoCal motorists are not used to paying for the privilege of driving, SR73 has comparatively little traffic, even at peak hours. I'd guesstimate the toll road can knock around 45 minutes off San Diego to Orange County trips in either direction.

Southern California's vehicle-choked freeways are a byproduct of the subdivision boom that's been a fact of life in Orange and San Diego counties since the late 50s and early 60s. Commuters, one to a car, rule the roads and apparently always will, even though Los Angeles County finally has a rapid transit system. The only way to beat the commute is to be on the freeways by 5:30 a.m. or after 10 a.m. Even then, there's no guarantee of smooth sailing. The nightly rush hour starts as early as 2:30 p.m.

If you're not used to driving roads that knife through urban jungles, steer clear of Interstate 710 (the Long Beach Freeway) and Interstate 110 (the Harbor Freeway). And then there's Interstate 10, the Santa Monica Freeway, which should be avoided at all times for all reasons. The 710 and the 110, for some reason, are like NASCAR straightaways. I was on the 710 at 6 p.m. on a Friday night and the traffic, surprisingly, was moving very fast, around 80 mph. Where, I wondered, was the California Highway Patrol?

My off-ramp was five miles ahead, but a local passenger warned me to start changing lanes immediately.

Why now? I asked.

"Because these drivers will not let you into their lane and they will even block you."

I tested his theory and he wasn't kidding. Cars on the right wouldn't budge and it took me nearly five miles to move over three lanes and get off the asphalt.

I'm not sure what's worse. Being gridlocked and moving at 5 mph or being boxed in doing 80 mph.

In crisscrossing Southern California today for business, be prepared for both.

Research assistance by Rebecca Graulich.

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines.

THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett.

This column is Copyright © 2013 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2013 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.