SoCal housing crisis makes commute times worse. But the rich get a traffic break
LA TimesTraffic stacks up at Wardlow Road and the 405 Freeway near Long Beach. “With the way California freeways are designed,” she said, “it basically doesn’t give you a choice but to use them.” Long commutes are nothing new to Southern California. For the years of 2016 to 2020, census data show worsening commute times coming into Los Angeles County, especially compared with the much lighter drive from L.A. into places such as the Inland Empire and Antelope Valley. When people are pushed out because of high housing costs, generally “they’re not commuting back to their service-sector job in L.A.” Far-flung suburbs offer significantly cheaper housing than core areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties, but they have far fewer jobs. A Times review of Los Angeles County commute data from the census highlights two areas where commutes are especially long: the San Fernando Valley and South L.A.
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