Escaping San Marino and South Pasadena at Rush Hour

If you live on the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley there is certainly much to love; I'm betting part of what brought you here is the mix of the peaceful rolling hills and tall trees on one block of South Pasadena with the urban feel of streets like Fair Oaks and Colorado just a stone's throw away.

If you are fortunate enough to be in , you have a quiet place to raise a family, but the convenience of world class shopping is also right at your finger tips.

Of course neither area is immune to the traffic congestion that turns so many people off to Los Angeles. You didn't think you were the only one who could have it all, right?

Heading south is as easy an option for South Pas as it is for San Marino; Fremont Street straight south, a right on Valley Boulevard and then an easy pick up for the 710 south. Headed for Downtown LA, my money is always on Huntington Drive south. By the time it turns into Mission Road you are practically into Downtown LA while your neighbors are nursing migraines on the 110 because of that nasty wreck in the left two lanes.

Huntington will also take you Northeast to Arcadia and past at least half of the congestion on the 210 freeway. Headed due west, California Street will usually serve you well into Pasadena, and further west of there you can pick up the 210 and 134 practically right off of California. Headed due south at rush hour you may encounter some brake lights on Fremont Street, but it's still your best bet to get to the 710 freeway via Valley Boulevard. Headed south east, Del Mar works well but Rosemead can work even better as the lights on that street tend to be timed very well towards the 10 freeway. Tree-lined neighborhoods, destination shopping, world class restaurants and an easier commute? Have your cake and eat it too!

Less than 25-thousand people live in South Pasadena, but many thousands use Fair Oaks Avenue and Huntington drive everyday to get from point A to point B.

While San Marino has a simple, flat layout, South Pasadena can be a bit more tricky; geography certainly influenced the layout of the area. While those big rolling hills on the western edge of the city may be great to gaze upon at sunset, they aren't very practical to drive over. Then of course there's the historic Arroyo Seco waterway and an antiquated, narrow freeway of the same name that slice right through the city. Fortunately there are alternatives!

If you're leaving South Pasadena at 7 a.m. or 5 p.m. and trying to go west to Glendale and beyond, Fair Oaks Avenue would normally be a prudent choice to get to the 210 but, for the near future, it has become a with lane closures on both sides of the street. Instead, consider taking Monterey Road west. You'll veer right onto Pasadena Avenue which will then turn into York Boulevard. York will hastily get you to the 2 freeway where you can easily connect with the 134 or 210 to the North, or the 5 freeway and Silverlake to the south while avoiding the potential congestion of the winding 110 freeway or the aforementioned nightmare on Fair Oaks.

If you must go north to get to some of that great shopping on Colorado Boulevard, fear not--you can get around Fair Oaks as well. Of course there is Arroyo Parkway to the east, but that's what everyone else is using to avoid Fair Oaks, so why not try Fremont and Orange Grove just to the west? Fremont will turn into Pasadena Avenue (a one way street!) and you'll be zooming past everyone who's lurching along on Fair Oaks.

Desmond Shaw is a Southern California traffic expert for CBS radio. He can be heard giving "eye in the sky" traffic and news reports on KFWB News-Talk 980 Monday through Friday noon to 6:30 and on KNX 1070 News Radio.