Most people assume that driving is the same no matter where you are. After all, you simply sit behind the wheel and navigate through traffic, how different can it be? Wrong. It can be very different depending on where you live which can account for different road conditions, parking availability, traffic and numerous other factors. For one, there major differences versus city driving and driving in the suburbs.

Yes, traffic can be bad everywhere and as a matter of fact it can get quite nasty in the suburbs too. It is much worse in a big city though. In the suburbs the 405 seem to be busy during rush hour but it’s generally clear most of the time. However, the freeways in L.A, especially the 101 seems to always be congested no matter what time it is. I have gotten on that freeway on weekday at midnight and it was still congested.

You would think that L.A would have bigger roads since there are more people living there and driving around but no, that would be too easy. Many roads there only have two lanes which are always at a standstill. Suburban folks are spoiled with tons of lanes; major streets have around 5 lanes and the lanes are nice and wide too. City streets can be extremely narrow and it can be scary driving there if you aren’t used to it.

Parking is a nightmare in the city. Many apartments don’t even come with designated parking; you have to park in the street and walk to your abode. It’s hard to find a spot plus when you do it’s so narrow that you won’t even be able to park in the spot. Park in the wrong spot and you can expect your car to be towed right away. If you park by a meter they have two hour limits so you have to feed the meter constantly unless you want to get a ticket. The key is to find free street parking which are usually any spots that don\’t have a meter and without signs prohibiting parking. They are few and far in between and can be difficult to locate.

It’s almost near impossible to make a u-turn in the city. You either have to make one illegally (which I don’t recommend) or you have to go around the block which takes forever due to the traffic. It is much easier in the suburbs because you can u-turn just about anywhere without having to drive around the block.

The quality of the roads is also another big difference. Cities tend to have streets that are of horrible quality, old with millions of potholes and rough edges. Roads like this can really put a lot of wear and tire on your tires and even damage your alignment.

Living in the city can be exciting and lots of fun but there is definitely a price to pay. Some residents have even stopped driving together and prefer to use public transit and walk.

Written by Mercedes James – Car Repair Bay Area offers repair in Corte Madera and San Francisco. Roswell Acura Dealer offers Acura and Honda cars at low prices. Orange County Toyota dealer South Coast Toyota has great deals in Irvine and Costa Mesa.

Written by Mercedes James –
http://www.carservicemarin.com/j/i/36742/MarinServiceInformation.html
http://www.southcoasttoyota.com/
http://www.shopcarland.com/

Author Bio: Written by Mercedes James – Car Repair Bay Area offers repair in Corte Madera and San Francisco. Roswell Acura Dealer offers Acura and Honda cars at low prices. Orange County Toyota dealer South Coast Toyota has great deals in Irvine and Costa Mesa.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: driving in the city, how to drive in the city, city driving, driving the city versus suburbs