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Traffic Jams
updated: Aug 07, 2012, 10:22 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

Traffic starts getting bad on the 101 South at 4pm. It doenst clear until after 6:30. Getting home to Summerland/Montecito has become a real chore. It takes upwards of 40min to make the trek - and its getting worse.

I'd like to know what percentage of SB workers actually live in Ventura Co. ?

Since the traffic occurs every day, same time, same direction one can only assume that all these people work here but live south.

Are there more jobs in SB than in Ventura? Do we not have enough local employees to fill all these positions? Is it due to the cost of housing in SB? Or do we really need to import that many people to service our community?

EdHatters, what's the real story behind our traffic nightmares? Where do all these people work?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 305383	2012-08-07 10:32 AM
Cottage Hospital
COMMENT 305387P	2012-08-07 10:35 AM
The paths to paradise, no matter how much more they are built, will be crowded until Santa Barbara becomes more like everywhere else. Even then traffic clogging seems world wide as a problem. If only there were as much money and thought channeled into alternate methods of transit.
COMMENT 305388P	2012-08-07 10:37 AM
The purchase of and closing of St. Francis Hospital was in part to provide affordable housing to Cottage employees and lessen the commuting. Well....
COMMENT 305389	2012-08-07 10:38 AM
I work downtown and I am one of the few in the office that doesn't commute. Santa Barbara jobs pay better, although I don't see how it balances out to be more money in your pocket with the cost of gas, insurance, eating out when you forget to bring lunch and the time involved in commuting. People in my office drive as far north as Lompoc and as far south as Moorpark... The city jobs and county jobs in SB have lots of commuters and I've heard that the majority of police officers, firefighters and medical staff at the hospitals & Dr. offices commute. With all of these out of town employees it makes for less jobs for locals and more traffic on the highways.
COMMENT 305390	2012-08-07 10:38 AM
As long as there are only two lanes there is going to be a backup.
COMMENT 305391P	2012-08-07 10:38 AM
Unfortunately, with all the pressure of freeway traffic comes all the pressure on alternative roads like Jamison, Lilly Ave, Via Real, Carp Ave, E Valley, 192, Padero, and the on and off ramp jumpers all along the way. It really sucks if you're riding a bicycle and are now going mano-a-mano with frenzied car commuters. I'm sure it will be better by 2026.
COMMENT 305393	2012-08-07 10:40 AM
If I lived in Summerland I would take the back mountain roads. Much more scenic. Will probably take the same amount of time but you will have more fun getting there.
COMMENT 305395	2012-08-07 10:44 AM
I've noticed it too, it's so much worse than it used to be...I've wondered if it was the time of year (you know those glorious 2 weeks after UCSB and CC leave, before the tourist season begins and the town feels like it did in 1983? sigh). I seem to notice the bottleneck on the 101 is still there, it's just a little over a mile further down the 101 now - could it be that the widening really did simply kick the can down the road, so to speak? Looking for honest, contemplative thought, not knee-jerk reactions to how spoiled and entitled we all are...thanks!
COMMENT 305396	2012-08-07 10:44 AM
Have you talked with your co-workers? Every place I've ever worked (and I work in software), I've had plenty of co-workers from Ventucky or the 'Nard.
COMMENT 305397	2012-08-07 10:48 AM
I bike to work...I cannot relate to your problem.
COMMENT 305398	2012-08-07 10:51 AM
The 3-lane to 2-lane back to 3-lane between Montecito and the Rincon will keep drivers cranky until all three lanes completed and those bottlenecks are eliminated. Then we'll get a small measure of relief for a few months until it is realized we need 4 or 5 lanes in each direction. Alt. transportation just ain't-a-gonna be big around these here parts.
COMMENT 305399	2012-08-07 10:53 AM
When schools are in session- SBCC,UCSB, high school and all the others-congestion really worsens. How much is due to teachers and students coming up from the south? It also seems like every parent drives their kids to and from school which extends and adds to commute time traffic. The answer-fewer people. Don't hold your breath...
COMMENT 305401	2012-08-07 10:55 AM
It's not just a "Santa Barbara" issue...It's called too many people in California.
COMMENT 305402	2012-08-07 10:55 AM
Housing's a huge chunk of it; I'd say half (at least) of my coworkers commute in from as far as Lompoc, Santa Maria, or Camarillo. For what you pay to rent here in SB, you can potentially afford to buy in those areas. A lot of companies subsidise mass transit alternatives as well, like the Clean Air Express; here, we have quite a few people who carpool or who ride motorcycles, which also saves money. Widening the 101 would definitely make a difference, but it'd take much more drastic changes to alter the commuter percentage.
COMMENT 305403	2012-08-07 10:56 AM
The major problem is three lanes feeding into two going "south"--really east. When the freeway expansion is complete it should be less of a problem. On the other hand I've heard someone calling for expansion of the freeway through Santa Barbara and Goleta to expand to four lanes each way. If that is done it will recreate the problem all over again.
COMMENT 305404	2012-08-07 10:57 AM
More people, more car's, more traffic. Keep that in mind when the city talks about the need for more affordable housing. After many generations my family can't deal with the crowds anymore. It's nothing like it used to be. We've held onto our commercial property's for the rental income and sold our houses and moved. Not telling where but it's VERY similar to how SB was maybe 80 years ago. It's nice to visit occasionally but also sad to see poor SB deteriorate into an overcrowded mess.
COMMENT 305405P	2012-08-07 11:00 AM
Bottleneck (3 to 2 lanes)+tourists+rush hour. Like 398 said, as long as the bottleneck exists and until we have 3 lanes in each direction, this problem isn't going anywhere.
COMMENT 305406	2012-08-07 11:06 AM
504...I'm assuming out of the country?
COMMENT 305408	2012-08-07 11:10 AM
Work close to where you live, or live close to where you work. Maybe sell the car and get a bike. Be healthy, happy, and unfamiliar with "traffic". If you think you can't, realize: it's actually that you don't want to. And if you don't want to, then be happy with your choice, or make a new one. Traffic only happens to those who are in it.
COMMENT 305410	2012-08-07 11:17 AM
A big southbound problem is Ortega Hill. The fast lane onramp confuses some folks. (that will be removed) What will stay, however, will be the fact that too many drivers don't keep up speed as they come up the rise. Some Caltrans signage might help.
COMMENT 305412	2012-08-07 11:18 AM
390 Bingo ! More buses, more bike lanes, more tolls, more road taxes more blah blah blah - It will not change the fact California is a car culture - I think most people (those who want to) are trying their best to leave a smaller energy footprint but I doubt the number of vehicles will ever decrease - indeed they will forever increase or at least maintain current levels. That being the case - if traffic jams matter to you; we need more lanes. I remember back in the early 80's caltrans wanted to add additional to the 101 through Montecito all the way to Rincon - It got thrown back in their face by locals. Reasoning it was unnecessary. Maybe HOV lanes are the answer.
COMMENT 305413	2012-08-07 11:18 AM
Coming back to SB from Ventura this summer, it seems like the construction starting in Carp and parts south has slowed the cars down, even on days that shouldn't be affected by tourist traffic. Not sure why this is, all they have done so far is make the lanes a little narrower and decrease the limit to 55, which is not how fast the commuter traffic is going, anyway. I'm a reverse commuter so unless it is Friday afternoon or an accident occurs, I am usually moving freely through the system in my carpool.
COMMENT 305414	2012-08-07 11:21 AM
A few of the problems.... 1) Those 2 lanes were built long ago before we had so many commuters. We need at least 3 lanes the entire route! 2) Many more people living outside of their work area and having to commute daily! 3) SB has no shopping...so we all get in our cars and head south!
EDHATBARBARA	2012-08-07 11:29 AM
Our traffic problem can't be solved by freeway lane widening alone. We need reliable, scheduled mass transit by rail and aren't addressing it. In Northern California, there is the BART system. Why we haven't developed something similar here is completely irresponsible. An affordably priced, regularly scheduled monorail on the freeway median (like in Sacramento) between Ventura and Santa Barbara would take many, many commuters off the highways and roadways. Rocket science? Hardly. Too costly? Please! Just lobbying interests preventing it.
COMMENT 305418	2012-08-07 11:36 AM
No shopping in Santa Barbara, I have lived here for many years and don't ever see the need to go out of town to shop. If i can't get it local, i get it online.
COMMENT 305419	2012-08-07 11:38 AM
OP here. Its not a case of the bottleneck - its a case of too many cars on the road. There are just more cars commuting now than in years past. I am just curious as to why we need to import so many workers? Are there that many more jobs up here than in Ventura Co? I cannot imagine that they pay better since most jobs have the SB Sunshine Tax What do all these people do for a living? Where do they work? Are there really that many more jobs here than closer to Ventura that people are willing to spend 2hours a day commuting? The costs are high when you calculate the gas, wear and tear and of course time... I know we have a ton of retirees and students and wealthy people who dont work - but we also have 8% unemployment.
COMMENT 305420	2012-08-07 11:38 AM
Glad I started biking to work, it is much more enjoyable. It seems people fail to see the root of the problem.. Cars. Driving with one other person takes one more car off the road. If everyone did that, the traffic would be cut in half. Now imagine if you found 2 or 3 people to commute with. Have to agree with the sentiment of 408 here, its really a personal choice to endure with the issue rather than not be a part of it. We have been spoiled with cheap gas and availability to personal transport for so long, that we don't know how to do anything else.
COMMENT 305424	2012-08-07 11:47 AM
@OP: How can you say that it's not a problem of a bottleneck, but is a problem of too many cars. Those two together. Bottlenecks only happen when there are too many things trying to get through a tight space.
EDHATBARBARA	2012-08-07 12:06 PM
UCSB is a huge employer and many people travel through SB to get to it. Additionally, we have Lynda.com up here and it is the second largest employer in the area. In the Goleta area we have Raytheon and several other large manufacturing employers whose workers travel from Oxnard and Ventura. When SBCC and UCSB are in session, the drive is much, much worse.
COMMENT 305438	2012-08-07 12:12 PM
OP here again - The bottleneck has been around for years (there have always been 2 lanes through Montecito and Summerland. However the traffic has gotten worse in the last couple of years. It now takes upwards of 30min to go the 6miles if you hit it between 4-6pm. There are more people commuting - to where and for what is what I'd like to know. Have we increased our workforce needs in the last couple of years or do we just have more commuters?
DILLYDALLY	2012-08-07 12:13 PM
OP is trolling for some specific debate, not sure what, but they are not getting it. Yes, there are a lot of jobs here, people live elsewhere to try to minimize cost of living, the commute has gotten worse as more jobs are created. Companies have incentive to hire the best workers, regardless of how long it takes them to get to work. Who knows if it actually saves money, sometimes yes and sometimes not is my guess. It is not your choice, it is theirs. In my experience about 30%-50% of my coworkers (software industry) have always lived outside SB or Goleta and made the commute.
COMMENT 305441	2012-08-07 12:14 PM
EDHATBARBARA - You partially answered your own question when you said "affordably priced." Google up the history of BART and you'll find that it serves a much larger population base over three counties - thus cost per user is much lower than something that could now be built here in today's inflated costs. Add on the environmental delays and hearings if a salamander is found in the right-of-way and you can see your vision is but a well-placed pipe dream to be realized by your great-grandkids if lucky. BART, for example, began as a concept in 1946 and officially opened passenger service on Sept. 11, 1972.
COMMENT 305445	2012-08-07 12:22 PM
@401 "It's not just a 'Santa Barbara' issue...It's called too many people in California. " That's for sure and more coming everyday. We need a toll booth on 101(SB county residents exempt). Forget the $8 beach parking fee--put in a toll booth-- $5 a car. If you have smart pass you can fly (or crawl) right through. If not, you have to go in the "special lane" and pay with cash.
COMMENT 305446	2012-08-07 12:30 PM
A couple of points... EDHATBARBARA - As 398 points out, there are not enough people to justify a whole new rail system. Plus, the reason BART works so well in SF is because of the myriad of connecting transportation options/destinations. You can get ANYWHERE in SF using public transport. Neither SB nor Ventura have a good public transportation infrastructure. So that slices down the number of people who would even consider using rail between the two cities. Biking is simply NOT an option for a huge chunk of people, and I'm getting a little tired of bike weenies espousing their mode of transport as the solution.
COMMENT 305447	2012-08-07 12:32 PM
Be mindful of the maxim "BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME'... L.A. freeway is the perfect example... 6 + lanes in each direction and still bumper to bumper most often (adding now 1 more in each direction on the 405 between 101 cut through to Getty for "improvement".... ... and this is with no "bottleneck"... trust me, after the "miracle HOV" lane additions through the montecito corridor etc.,just give it a few years, and it will be back to just the way it is now during the commute... and on sat and sun peak times..more and more will commute, more and more to enjoy the beaches...be careful what you wish for... and all of the unintended consequences... and of course,beware of CALTRANS....
COMMENT 305448	2012-08-07 12:34 PM
The slowdown in Montecito is easily explained by the reduction in lanes, but I never could understand why it is that there is always a huge bottleneck as you are leaving Carp heading towards Ventura. Right where you can first see the ocean and the 101 bends to the left going downhill.
COMMENT 305449	2012-08-07 12:34 PM
OP: I think a lot of commuters are people who have a job here in SB, but then buy a home in Ventura because you get more bang for your buck. I could buy in Ventura, and get a home (not a condo) with a yard and nice upgrades, or a terrible condition condo here that's too small, doesn't have a yard, and has a million issues. Or I could save for 2-3 times as long, and buy here. Some people aren't willing to wait 5-10 years to save for a house here when they can manage it in a few years there. I think DillyDally hit the nail on the head. And there is NO WAY that the bottleneck doesn't make traffic worse - it did when I moved here (and commuted!) 10 years ago, and I know people were complaining about how it was so awful before then. There are just more people in those same 2/3 lanes now, so of course it's worse.
COMMENT 305453	2012-08-07 12:45 PM
1342292 is exactly right. 393 - Driving is simply not an option for a huge chunk of people, in this country and in the rest of the world. Be thankful that you have the luxury to limit your walking to a couple dozen feet to and from a car everyday. It seems so many drivers fail to realize that the ones who get the negative impact of cars are most often the pedestrians and cyclists.
COMMENT 305455	2012-08-07 12:58 PM
This is a lovely area - there is no disputing that but SB is still a small town and it has small town transportation systems. Most people drive to work. Most people drive themselves and no one else to work. That's how it is. It can change but there is no real impetus to make it so. Most of it is just talk and research fees. I live in the real world of a 70 hour work week - I'm grateful to be employed and be able to pay my bills. I will not waste one second of could be's and should be's.
COMMENT 305457	2012-08-07 01:05 PM
This problem will never go away but will continue to get worse as long as the population grows. All that's left to know how it used to be are the photographs and memories. The future will be left to the imagination.
COMMENT 305458	2012-08-07 01:05 PM
correct 305455 the HOV lane in this corridor will be not be used to the capacity they are "anticipating'... i.e., how many trades persons can have the option of car pooling with all the equipment they have to bring with their individual trade categories; different shifts require different hours etc... the HOV lanes will convert to normal traffic lanes, then the flow will eventually clog because of volume over capacity... just like now...
COMMENT 305460	2012-08-07 01:12 PM
305390 When the waves are large, people slow down to look at the surfers.
COMMENT 305479	2012-08-07 02:16 PM
Fake planners, more density, pro-growthers getting their way.
COMMENT 305482P	2012-08-07 02:24 PM
...and too many people driving their pets around. Get out and walk, and make them doggies walk too!
COMMENT 305489	2012-08-07 02:50 PM
Simple. People who get a new job in SB, start making more money, and if its enough to actually ditch rent for owning.. then shopping for a house begins.. many people continue to rent here, or choose buying property out of town. I enjoying riding my bike and not having traffic, but I am still a loser who throws away everything they make to the hole called rent. Do you want to work hard and have something to show for it....or work hard and enjoy living in town? Many people choose having something to show for their work.
COMMENT 305498P	2012-08-07 03:20 PM
$10 gasoline will have an impact.
COMMENT 305502	2012-08-07 03:26 PM
305498P If gasoline gets to $10 / gallon we're all screwed regardless of whether you commute or not.
COMMENT 305503	2012-08-07 03:28 PM
Public transportation like commuter rail exists where density of population occurs. (Manhattan, San Francisco, San Diego, beginning in Los Angeles). Santa Barbara may be approaching the density or the recurring headaches by those who travel by car needed to support a commuter rail to Ventura. You can build three lanes of freeway in each direction, and then after that, as traffic increases, do you forget the 880 freeway that collapsed in Oakland and install double-decker freeways along the narrow La Conchita corridor between the sea and the mountains? Car traffic is gonna back up again, even with three lanes. It's time to spend some cash on commuter rail, give folks reliable and timely public transportation options, and then see the smiles on their faces as they ride the train home reading their books and newspapers....
EDHATBARBARA	2012-08-07 03:39 PM
Thank you, 503! I am not a lone voice in the wilderness any longer. Now they will sling mud on us BOTH!
COMMENT 305518P	2012-08-07 04:07 PM
One of the simple pleasures of riding the rail home from San Fran(cisco) to San Mateo was purchasing a traveler cocktail to sip on the train heading home. Then it was just a short walk home from the station. Those were the days when men carried briefcases, and a Burberry coat was a trenchcoat. Mad Men and Gal Fridays, all of us....No mas.
COMMENT 305522	2012-08-07 04:20 PM
The cause...NIMBY's, some of YOU reading this know who you are. 101 is a major N/S artery within our state highway system, but NIMBY's from SB, (especially Montecito) and Carp have refused to let reality sink in that California is a very motor vehicle dependant state. This is not just a commuter issue, there are simply too many people in CA. The irony is that about 30% don't have a valid drivers license, registration or INSURANCE.
COMMENT 305528	2012-08-07 04:39 PM
We need a train that floats and can deal with waves! kinda like that tourist mobile i always see at the marina.....but 100 times longer.....and 100 times faster!
COMMENT 305547P	2012-08-07 05:52 PM
We're a vehicle dependent state because we've allowed it to become that way. The auto, AAA and other industries have invested much in having us become addicted to the automobile. Let's have faith that the priorities, intelligence, imagination, and funding can change for there to be a future with more efficient transportation options.
COMMENT 305556	2012-08-07 06:10 PM
A man in China was interviewed on NPR news today ... he was complaining about how they didn't have subways in his fast-growing city and how only modern and civilized cities have excellent public transit. Food for thought.
COMMENT 305576	2012-08-07 06:38 PM
The summertime commute is really tough and the road construction in Carp hasn't helped at all. This causes a backup all the way through to Milpas. It is most definitely NOT from any one source of employment in SB (that's ridiculous actually) it's from the fact that we as a town have slowly but surely outgrown our local highway. Widening it probably will help a bit for a while, though. Until then, it's going to be bad. But some of the traffic will definitely taper off in fall. A lot of tourist traffic even during the week ends up on both sides of the 101 this time of year. If you live here long enough, you'll see the patterns of summer traffic in that area of the 101.
COMMENT 305584	2012-08-07 07:02 PM
It's:1) the landlords who charge outrageous amounts for teardown apartments that are health hazards and drive people out of the area to north or south to find something slightly less expensive and habitable to be able to make it on average salaries and 2) employers who think that hiring people from out of the area provides them with advantages over hiring people from here. In which case people stay where they are (Moorpark, T.O., Simi, Ventura, etc.) and commute to SB. We all know people who commute ridiculous distances. I know someone from here (multiple generations) who commutes from Las Vegas because it's really cheap to rent a home there for what you couldn't touch an apartment for here, and flies in for a job that's a seasonal job.
COMMENT 305593	2012-08-07 07:21 PM
When your relying on more lanes, public transit, bike riding, and walking to reduce traffic, then the DREAM IS LONG OVER in Santa Barbara.
COMMENT 305613P	2012-08-07 08:37 PM
@404 huh? Rural South Carolina might be better for you, no rush hour traffic. I think the DREAM is living somewhere so awesome that it cant even house all the people that want to live there. By your logic Detroit is the new it town, when you move there be sure to drop by edhat and tell us all know how happy you are.
COMMENT 305615	2012-08-07 08:57 PM
@613 I have found the new paradise! It took some time and research but I am HAPPY! Cost of living is maybe 30% of SB, population is equivalent to 1920's SB, climate is the same and it's on the coast. No day to day struggle, very comfortable and easy going. Like life should be, and how I remember it in Ca. I have a property management company maintain the commercial property in SB witch is great and gives me a reason to visit occasionally and catch up with the old timers that are still around. All's great. No talk of mass transit, affordable housing, or third of fourth lanes here.
COMMENT 305642	2012-08-08 06:47 AM
The commuter rail is ridiculous. How many people could the train possibly carry to make any noticeable improvement on 101? If it is the great numbers supporters claim, wouldn't the 101 traffic jam be replaced by the train station traffic jam which means those streets and parking would need to be expanded? Once they arrive in SB who is providing the busses? The drivers will only be needed twice a day How does that work for them? How long will it take to drive to the station, find a place to park, get to SB, board a bus, get driven around to various businesses until it's your stop? Wouldn't it be faster and more cost-effective if the people who all work at the same business simply car-pooled?
COMMENT 305690P	2012-08-08 08:39 AM
Edhat you are definitely not a lone voice. It is absolutely ridiculous that we have no rapid transit of any sort. We are so far behind the times. 40 years ago when I was in High school I wrote an essay on needing rapid transit. In 1973, I was travelling by train from Paris to the French riviera and watched the building of a high speed train. About 10 years ago, read an article about how many people commute to Ventura, Oxnard area and then I believe in was around 30,000(can't quite remember the number but it was high). Now it's probably even more. I live in Carpinteria and avoid going into SB in the morning and coming back late afternoon early evening as well as Sunday southbound as much as I can. Build more lanes and they'll just fill up too. We need rapid transit from San Diego to SF.
COMMENT 305712	2012-08-08 09:11 AM
You haven't experienced REAL traffic until you've lived in LA. Santa Barbara has no traffic in my opinion.
COMMENT 305802	2012-08-08 11:16 AM
Between the commuters and vacationers, summer traffic will keep increasing while the City and the County focus on affordable housing that isnt really affordable. Ironic that the busboys, dishwashers, gardeners, laborers, maids, etc. are the target for subsidized housing while the police, fire, nurses, teachers, etc. have to commute. Even more ironic is the conversion of the downtown to a tourist trap that encourages day trip tourists to come from L.A. on week ends and holidays so there is a traffic jam in the morning coming in from the South and a jam up going South in the late afternoon, sometimes all the way to Oxnard, Camarillo and even Thousand Oaks. More great planning to generate taxes and profits, orchestrated by the governments, chamber of commerce and downtown organization who benefit from this scenario!
COMMENT 305932	2012-08-08 02:39 PM
I used to ride BART when I lived in SF as it was the only way to get to my job in Berkeley without going crazy trying to get across the bay bridge. But it is not clear that commuter train will ever attract much ridership here as it takes too long to get the station in Ventura and to work in SB. Are people willing to add another 1/2 hour to their commute? The ridership on the commuter buses is very low and before we spend money on trains I think they should demonstrate that people will use it. Maybe the UCSB people would use it if the train went directly to the school.
COMMENT 306003P	2012-08-08 04:42 PM
The freeway expansion was supposed to happen about ten or twelve years ago, but didn't. I heard it didn't because too many people in Montecito complained. If that is true, the irony is omething else now because everyone goes on surface roads in Cito to escape the 101. They are now complaining that we don't need a diamond lane (only to be designated as such during "rush hours".) If we DON'T have a diamond lane, nobody from the south will get motivated to carpool and it will just become the "Orange Crush" down south (eight or ten lanes.....and still not enough....). The U S missed the boat decades ago in not building regular and/or "bullet" trains. We are way behind the rest of the world due to the viselike hold of the oil companies and the auto industry - wanting to keep us one to a car......
COMMENT 306007P	2012-08-08 04:49 PM
In addition to UCSB, hospital, city, county government - there's the post office - about 300 people in the daytime and about 200 people at night. There are a FEW businesses in Goleta with several hundred employees.
COMMENT 306058	2012-08-08 06:42 PM
Maybe back to the basics is better for some of you. All of you who complain about this, but have had children (and possibly grandchildren), please raise your hands. So, that's what's called population growth. It affects us all. In the Santa Barbara bubble, many people have taken great pains to bury their heads in the sand with respect to land use planning, and maintaining/modernizing our infrastructure. And look where it's gotten us. Perhaps now it's time for a new direction where we actually look at population demographics, infrastructure needs. You know, that great planning work people in the bubble seem to think we do so well here.
COMMENT 306507	2012-08-09 04:42 PM
As one who lives in Carp, I've observed that over the past week to ten days the afternoon traffic has been increasingly heavy and the backup often goes for miles. Perhaps it's the end-of-the-summer season crowd squeezing in their last chances to get away before school starts. More problematic is the construction zone from Casitas Pass down to Bates Road (and beyond) in which the barriers have been placed very close to the lanes, forcing drivers to slow down when the traffic gets heavy. After sometime, it can back up to Padaro Lane or to Ortega HIll in Summerland. The other day it was slow and go from Goleta all the way past Carp. Goin' south on the 101 in late afternoon/early evening or on weekends (especially Sunday) can be a real challenge.
COMMENT 306855	2012-08-10 11:51 AM
it would be interesting if employers would hire locals...instead of commuters. Might solve some of the issues.....

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