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Disneyland California and West Coast Trip Planning Disneyland California and West Coast Holiday Planning Questions, Suggestions and Tips. |
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11 Sep 16, 02:06 PM |
#1
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Apprentice Imagineer
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Driving in California for the nervous!?
Hi, I am currently planning for next year. My husband is only able to come with us for 2 weeks, so I will be driving for the last 2 . We will be doing Disneyland and San Diego plus a few days in LA.
I was insured to drive for this years trip to Orlando but didn't as i found it quite nerve wracking just being a passenger! What are the driving conditions like in CA? Im a very confident driver at home and wouldn't have any problems driving anywhere here but feel incredibly nervous about driving overseas. Any experiences good or bad appreciated |
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11 Sep 16, 02:37 PM |
#2
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 09
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Not as bad as some people say ! Roads are very wide, drivers always give way to pedestrians, you can turn right on red unless there is a sign telling you not to. When the traffic is busy it's frustrating , but it's not difficult - just like a jam at home you crawl along. Always leave plenty of time , then if you miss a junction you don't panic, get off at the next & find your way back. Car parking spaces tend to be larger than at home
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11 Sep 16, 02:39 PM |
#3
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 09
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Ps - might seem obvious, but when you first get in the car, before you set off make sure you know where lights, window wipers, hand / foot brake is. Also check how to open the petrol cap and check that it is s petrol (gas) rather than diesel car - the majority as petrol there
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11 Sep 16, 07:54 PM |
#4
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Thread Starter
Apprentice Imagineer
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Thankyou for that x
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11 Sep 16, 08:00 PM |
#5
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Imagineer
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i would say keep away from LA if you are not confident .The 6 lane highways made my husband nervous and he is a super confident driver anywhere else in USA
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11 Sep 16, 08:51 PM |
#6
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Imagineer
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Tbh the traffic can be that slow moving its not scary because you are literally crawling along.
It can be busy and in parts is 6 lanes wide but as long as your in the correct lane its not a problem. I'd leave LA till last if you can, get used to driving in Anaheim where its not as busy and then venture to LA. |
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11 Sep 16, 08:54 PM |
#7
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Imagineer
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If you are confident driver here you will have no problems... Cars are go carts... Put it in drive and go. LA and San Fran can be interesting... But just take it easy and all good
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11 Sep 16, 09:01 PM |
#8
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Imagineer
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You will have 2 weeks with your husband, so can get some practice in with him by your side.
When we were in Anaheim last year, we set the sat nav not to use interstate and used the normal streets to head to the airport - it was quite easy. 40 mph limit and lots of intersections with lights - easy peasy.
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2016 SoCal Road Trip (Trip Report), 2017 Crystal Cove Villa, 2018 US East Coast Road Trip 2011 Highgrove Villa 2014 Calabria Villa 2015 West Coast Road Trip (Trip Report) 2006 West Stoneridge Villa, 2007 Windwood Bay Villa 1997 Airtours, 1999 BA Best Western LBV, 2001 Westridge Villa, 2005 Westridge Villa (Trip Report) |
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11 Sep 16, 09:27 PM |
#9
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Guest
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I moved to Houston a couple of years ago (we have the widest freeway in the world at 26 lanes ) from the UK with very little driving experience under my belt but I have managed to adjust pretty quickly. I was dreading having to drive here but I had no choice and I found that the thought of the driving is worse than actually doing it. Try not to over think it and you will be fine.
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11 Sep 16, 09:43 PM |
#10
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 04
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It's fine but a couple of pointers...signage can be terrible so a good sat Nav will REALLY help with your confidence. On normal roads it's very stop start - Sunset, Santa Monica and Hollywood boulevards have traffic lights every few blocks so you will never get up much speed - i love to cruise along with the radio on!
The freeways are huge and horrible but you can program your Sat Nav to avoid them if you want. I will use a freeway for a journey over 20m but under that I'd rather poodle along the boulevards and streets. The main issue with freeways is getting used to the 'race car over and undertaking' and the kamikazi exit swerves. Know what lane you should be in - move over to another lane when approaching an exit you aren't taking and use your mirrors constantly. Rush hour when the traffic is moving is the worst time to be on a freeway in my experience- avoid between 4.30-7.30pm. In general - The roads are big and quite forgiving. Lots of places to uturn if you make a wrong turn and wide lanes. Parking is permitted at most times of the day on most of the roads so if you do feel nervous, you can pull over almost anywhere. It's not as bad as I was expecting and I've driven thousands of miles in Cali (mostly LA) now. My friend even made me drive to Vegas 'for the day' once |
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