Orange County Blog

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead.  ~Mac McCleary

Yes, patience is a necessity to drive in Orange County.  Also a necessity is the new 511 Motorist Aid and Travelers’ Information System.  Have you heard about this yet? 

511 is a free traveler information service that provides information about traffic, transit and commuter service information in Southern California via a toll-free phone number and website. By calling 511 or visiting Go511.com, all the information you need to make smart traveling decisions is readily available.

Take a look at www.WelcomeToOC.com to get the scoop on the new 511 system!

Seriously, it’s time to fill the gas tank again?  Prices are on the rise and there’s not much we can do about it.  Right?  Well, the answer to that is both no and yes.  No, we can’t do much to lower the price of gas, but yes, we can take steps to reduce the number of times we visit the cost consuming gas station.

Here are a few helpful hints to reduce the frequency of the Needle on Empty Syndrome:

1.  Take care of your car!  Besides the issue with gas prices, a car is a huge investment.  Checking the tire pressure and replacing the air filter on a regular basis will do wonders for improving your car’s efficiency and therefore it’s MPG.

2. Remember that when the traffic light turns green, it’s not a green light to jump on the accelerator – settle down Speed Racer.  Accelerate moderately so as not to waste fuel.  A perfect partner to this hint is to take a tip from the truck drivers on crowded freeways.  They keep their speed constant as they know it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving.

3. Try roughing it and turn off your air conditioner.  At lower speeds, you will save fuel.  But on the flip side, at higher speeds the A/C will be more efficient than the open windows because of wind resistance.

4. Resist the urge to “pimp your ride”.  If your tires are wider than the stock tires, chances are they'll create more rolling resistance and decrease fuel economy

5. So many of us fall into the category of being cleanliness impaired when it comes to our cars.  It takes little to acquire an extra 40-50 lbs. of stuff in our trunks.  Extra weight equals more fuel to burn to get from point A to point B.

6. One last tip for the carpool parent: Avoid Long Idles - The bottom line is idling burns more gas than restarting an engine. If you wait in line at the kids’ school, you know what a long idle means!

Now that you know how to stretch your tank of gas, stretch your gas dollars by learning where the cheapest gas stations are in your area http://bit.ly/47pekN

Traffic Blues?  Help Arrives from Measure M & OrangeCountyResourceGuide.com

In spite of having the state divert many transportation dollars (intended for local road improvement) to the general fund, OC is in better shape due to Measure M assuring those dollars stay here. Mission Viejo puts its portion of the Measure M funds to great use:   Crown Valley Parkway, a major east-west arterial route, has been widened by one additional lane in each direction.  Additional turn lanes were constructed at 3 intersections.  These improvements were essential as Crown Valley’s current vehicle usage of 78,000 vehicles a day is expected to grow to 89,000 a day as more people are choosing to make South OC their home.  Additional traffic projects include traffic signal coordination on Oso Parkway. 

Whether heading off to a productive day of work, or a productive day of play, traffic flow is always an issue for South County residents. To check on "real time" traffic conditions, visit http://www.OrangeCountyResourceGuide.com/oc-traffic-conditions.html and make your travel time more efficient. 

To optimize your gas purchases, look for the lowest gas prices in your area at http://www.OrangeCountyResourceGuide.com/gas-prices.html