Velia Amparo Rivas

Holiday Travel Promises to be a Bumpy Ride - Allow PLENTY of time & patience; stay off the phone & texting!

Hi everyone,

This article below is taken from SignonSanDiego and it is written by two authors: Bob Hawkins (the main article) and Gary Robbins (the weather prognosis). 

You will find a few links. Please make the best use of them for your convenience.

Please be careful and have a great Thanksgiving!

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Saludos,

Velia Amparo

Remember when traveling was fun, an adventure in the good sense of the word?

If you're heading over the river and through the woods (or airport) this week - and 3.25 million Southern Californians will be venturing beyond the 50-mile comfort zone - it can feel more like preparing for a hike up Mount Whitney than a trip to grandmother's house.

• Airports, including Lindbergh Field, are facing potential disruption from security scanner protesters on "Opt-Out Day" this Wednesday.
• Air passengers are facing intrusive body pat-downs from security officers.
• Thanks to recent campaigns, drivers are keenly aware that the other guy may well be texting on the freeway.
• Unsettling weather across the country promises to create havoc for air passengers and motorists alike.

And yet, grandma's beckons. So we find a way.

According to the Automobile Club of Southern California's annual survey, holiday travel here will see an 11.2 percent boost over last year, on par with the rest of the nation. In Southern California, that means 2.97 million will be driving; 187,000 will be flying; and 90,000 will board cruise ships, trains or buses.

According to Marie Montgomery of AAA, while the numbers are up, last year "was not a banner year for travel."

"We're still climbing back up from the hey-day of travel," she said, "which was in the mid-part of the last decade."

The most popular destinations for Southern Californians are familiar ones, according to the AAA survey: 1) Las Vegas, 2) San Diego, 3) San Francisco, 4) Central Coast (Santa Barbara to Monterey) and 5) Anaheim.

With most holiday travelers behind the wheel of a car - 91.5 percent - the California Highway Patrol expects to be busy. That's 12.1 percent more drivers on local roads for the holiday than a year ago, according to AAA.

Expect crowded highways, says Officer Ray Scheidnes of the CHP traffic management center. He expects the problem areas to be the same ones commuters experience on work days - anywhere on I-5, 1-15 near Escondido, the intersect of I-805 and 8.

Scheidnes urges drivers to leave early, expect delays and stay off the cell phone. "As heavy as fines and tickets are, people just don't stop texting," he said.

San Diegans who stay home are reminded that the day after Thanksgiving, popularly known as Black Friday, will see traffic to a standstill around the malls and shopping centers. Doors generally open for bargain hunters at 5 a.m.

Air traffic is on the rise, too, up 3.6 percent over last Thanksgiving. At Lindbergh Field, airport staff has been told to brace for as many as 50,000 passengers a day. That's as much as 10,000 more than a typical day. The two busiest days will be Tuesday and Sunday, according to Katie Jones, an airport spokeswoman.

Airport Authority staff will be vacating their desks to assist travelers stuck in long security lines, said Jones. Employees will be advising travelers of the steps they needs to undergo to get through security quickly and easily - shoes off, liquid containers in a plastic bag, computers out of bags.

The airport's volunteer ambassador staff of 300 will be out in force over the holiday to drive carts between terminals, direct passengers to flights, help with directions and ground transportation and answer questions, says Jones.

DRIVING

Anyone who has been to the gas pump this past week has probably noticed the climbing prices. In San Diego County they jumped an average 4.7 cents, to $3.162 for a gallon of regular gas, according to the weekly AAA survey. That's 21 cents more than motorists paid a year ago.

You can fill up before you leave but prices aren't much better around Southern California.

Regular gas in Los Angeles averages $3.153. In Bakersfield, it is $3.213. Look for prices around $3.199 between Santa Barbara and Lompoc and around $3.144 in the Riverside/San Bernardino area.

If you are driving around the county, avoid traffic hot spots by viewing the live traffic map at http://www.signonsandiego.com/mytraffic/ before heading out. Caltrans offers up to the minute traffic conditions across the state at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi.

CHP Officer Ray Scheidnes notes that there are smart phone applications that give live traffic updates "but don't use them if you are driving."

A recent "zero tolerance" day across San Diego County was meant to send the message that "distracted driving" is a hot issue with local police and CHP. Results of that day will be released Wednesday, just in time for the holiday traffic surge.

FLYING

If you haven't being to Lindbergh Field lately, there have been some changes. Construction is underway on a huge addition at the western-most end of the complex and that has eliminated a lot of on-site parking. Airport officials are urging fliers to reserve off-site parking ahead of time or arrange to be dropped off.

If you don't mind paying $30 a day, there is valet parking at the two main terminals.

The route through Terminal 2 has been changed in order to tear down the parking lot skyway. It now curves through a now-empty section of the parking lot before returning traffic to Harbor Drive or the loop back into the airport.

Domestic travelers should check in two hours ahead of time and international travelers plan on three hours, according to airport officials. Even earlier is better on the busiest days. You can check your flight in real time here.

If you are flying out on Wednesday, the airport plans to put a little music in your life. Live performances are scheduled by vocal quartets, bell ringers and jazz groups during the early morning hours and evening in Terminal 2; and 8-10 am. in Terminal 1.

Picking up someone at the airport? Wait in the cell phone lot on Harbor Drive, just east of the airport. It has a live arrival board as well as beverage and snack vending machines. It is two minutes to the terminal curb from the time your party calls.

SECURITY

The Transportation Security Administration has recently added full-body scanners and a more aggressive pat-down procedure to its security repertoire.

And that has dismayed a lot of travelers.

Here's the wild card in holiday air-travel this year: Opt-Out Day. There has been a growing call on Internet sites for travelers to decline the full-body scanner on Wednesday. That is their right, according to the TSA. Travelers would still go through the traditional metal detector and be subject to a possible full-body pat-down.

TSA head John Pistole on Monday called on air travelers to boycott the boycott and promised to work to make screening "as minimally invasive as possible" - just not before the holiday.

If Opt-Out Day gains traction, it could delay security lines dramatically. Ironically, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll says two-thirds of Americans are OK with the scanners. It is the pat-downs that they say go too far.

Before travelers go through the scanners they must empty everything from their pockets - everything. Remove belt and shoes, too, and put it all in a plastic bin to be processed with carry-on luggage, computers and jackets.

TSA has a 3-1-1 rule that all passengers must follow for carry-on items: all liquids in 3-oz. containers only; all containers in a one-quart clear plastic bag; and one bag per passenger.

Airport staff will be walking up and down the security lines answering questions for travelers. If you are late for your plane, let them know.

bob.hawkins@uniontrib.com  (619) 718-5253

Weather in a word: Foul

If you're scheduled to travel by plane, train or automobile on Wednesday, check the weather forecast before you leave home. Forecasters say there will be a lot of foul weather across the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Close to home, things won't be too bad. It'll be cool and mostly dry east of the San Diego County mountains on Wednesday. But motorists can expect 30 mph gusts at the crest of the local mountains. They also can expect flurries if they travel above the 5,000 foot-level in the San Bernardino Mountains to reach ski resorts.

Forecasters say motorists heading to Las Vegas on Interstate 15 will experience 30 mph gusts, and there will be flurries in the upper reaches of the Cajon Pass.

The dicey conditions will play out farther from San Diego, say forecasters, and travelers would be wise to check weather conditions if their trip takes them through airports in these cities:

• Minneapolis. Back-to-back storms are expected to hit the region from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest through Wednesday. There will be frigid temperatures and blowing snow, especially in the Minneapolis area.
• Cincinnati. Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana will feel the one-two punch of severe storms, with the first playing out today and the second system hitting Wednesday night.
• Denver: Severe cold is in the forecast.

-- Gary Robbins

You can read the above complete article at: http://bit.ly/fMcsgn

Published Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:49 AM by Velia Amparo Rivas