Commute to Sequoyah: How LA Traffic Affects Student Life
If there’s one thing Los Angeles is known for (besides Hollywood), it must be its traffic. Like many other metropolitan areas, L.A. has a robust transportation system—buses, subways, and trains—but Angelenos consistently favor car culture and freeways over public options. The resulting traffic makes for a unique L.A. experience.
Sequoyah’s high school is located west of Interstate 210, close to the historic Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History. Nestled comfortably in a shaded, secluded neighborhood close to Old Town Pasadena and next to the famous Rose Bowl, Sequoyah’s location has many benefits. And yet, with all these perks, how do the high school students fare in reaching Sequoyah? School time at Sequoyah starts at 8:15 a.m. sharp, and with “rush hour” for work being around 7:00-9:00 a.m., how does LA traffic factor into students reaching their campus?
A quick Google Maps survey shows the three major ways of getting to Sequoyah are the 210 freeway (notorious for being packed during rush hour), the 134 freeway, and Orange Grove Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in Pasadena.
For some students, avoiding the freeway and driving locally has helped them stay out of traffic. This is the case for Shepard Williams ’27, a freshman who lives in Pasadena. As he explains, “[I] don’t go on freeways. The traffic [on the street] isn’t too terrible. There's just a higher chance of you meeting an awful driver and getting…derailed from your journey…but that’s beside the point, as traffic doesn’t really impact my day-to-day routine now.”
Alternatively, other students are severely impacted by LA traffic, having to wake up and leave the house earlier just to combat it. “There is a lot of traffic,” said Owen Hauxhurst ‘27. “It [is] probably the worst part of the whole drive…generally the traffic is what makes the whole thing an inconvenience.” Hauxhurst typically wakes up around 6:45 a.m. to get to school on time: “I could get to school in 10-15 minutes easily without traffic. It doubles the length of the drive.”
Jenna Nouri ’27, another freshman who lived in Pasadena, agreed, having to wake up “[around] 6:50-7:00 a.m. for school.” When prompted further, Nouri said, “I think there is a lot of traffic. It makes me kind of grouchy because I’m already tired. And now I have to sit in traffic, wondering ‘Oh my god, am I going to be late to my next class?’ It’s just really annoying and kind of a damper on my day.”
This article is far from conclusive. However, the general consensus among the students interviewed is that even though traffic can be bad in the morning, it does not drastically affect their sleep schedule.