Los Angeles is a city built around freeways, and most of them carry some of the heaviest traffic in the country. The 405 runs north-south along the Westside and through the Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley. The 101 cuts from downtown through Hollywood and the Cahuenga Pass into the Valley, the 10 runs from Santa Monica through downtown toward the Inland Empire, and the 5 runs north-south through downtown and the east Valley. The 110 heads south from downtown toward San Pedro, the 134 crosses the Valley's east side, and the 105 runs along the airport corridor.
The interchanges are where the city locks up. The 405 through the Sepulveda Pass, the 101 at the downtown four-level interchange, the 10 and 405 junction and the 5 through the east side are slow almost all day. Surface streets like Sunset, Wilshire, Olympic, Ventura, Sepulveda and Figueroa are often just as jammed. A breakdown on a freeway shoulder or a busy boulevard is dangerous, and once the car is moved to safety, an on-site repair saves a second trip through traffic to a shop.
LAX sits on the Westside near Westchester, with massive parking structures and economy lots, and Van Nuys Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport serve the Valley. Metro rail lines reach Santa Monica, Hollywood, North Hollywood, Long Beach and the airport area, but most Angelenos still drive. Parking is the hardest part of car ownership here, with permit zones, street sweeping days and tight apartment garages shaping where and when a mechanic can work.