Commuting

I was only trying to do what millions of Angelenos do every day: commute home from work. But even when things are good here, they can quickly turn bad. First, I made the mistake of talking on my cellphone as my bus passed through an Iraqi army checkpoint. A soldier stopped the bus and ordered me to get off. He threatened to detain me. I smiled and apologized, pleading forgiveness and explaining that I had received an urgent call. He let me get back on the bus, and my journey continued.

The motorcycle business, traditionally driven by enthusiasts who ride for fun, is experiencing a dramatic shift as big, expensive cruisers give way to cheaper, commuter-oriented models and more women hit the road on two wheels, a new survey shows. Though fun is still the No. 1 reason motorcyclists cite for riding, according to preliminary results of the Motorcycle Industry Council's 2008 owner survey, "utility/business/chores" has increased 42% in importance since the last survey, in 2003.

The 28th annual International Motorcycle Show, rolling into the Long Beach Convention Center today, caters to the crowd that wants its bikes bigger, better and faster. But, in a nod to changing times, there's a new feature this year: a scooter pavilion. The three-day event is putting a focus on riders who want to commute on two wheels -- new and returning riders who couldn't care less about the flash and power that have dominated the industry for the past decade.

It's 2 in the morning, and the lines of cars waiting to cross the border have already grown so long that they are snarling the streets of this city's downtown nearly half a mile away. The cars keep coming, clogging ramps and overpasses, snaking around tamale vendors, traffic-circle monuments and the plaza outside City Hall. But most of the lines at the border crossing aren't moving. Car engines are turned off. Motorists are literally asleep at the wheel.

Two years of record-high gasoline prices have forced auto-crazed Americans to do something they haven't done in more than two decades: Drive less. Auto designer Jack Chen is one of them. Pricey gas made living in Pasadena and working in Ontario a $400-a-month grind. "I started to reexamine my life overall," said Chen, 35, who loves muscle cars and drives a Saab 9-2x sports wagon. "I summed up how much I spent on gas and I started having this idea of moving inland."

Coursing through rugged hills and bedroom communities, Interstate 15 from southwestern Riverside County to northern San Diego County isn't a hard road to travel -- at least not yet. At the county line, the traffic flow is 135,000 vehicles a day, anemic for a major Southern California highway. Unless there is an accident or road construction, the highway is usually free-flowing. But anxiety grows in both counties about the future of the 44-mile stretch from Lake Elsinore to Escondido.

As traffic congestion through the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys worsens, the promise of a quicker commute -- and amenities such as free wireless Internet service -- should lure some solo motorists onto the new Silver Streak rapid buses. But the success of the new service from Montclair to downtown Los Angeles, which started Sunday, rests on whether the 60-foot buses will be able to bypass traffic by racing down the San Bernardino Freeway carpool lanes.

Two or three mornings a week, I get the day started with a shot of adrenaline and vehicular aggression coursing through my veins. Who needs caffeine when you have vintage Volkswagens coming at you the wrong way? Cement trucks running red lights, unlicensed bus drivers and traffic circles where a Darwinian, survival-of-the-rudest logic prevails: I fight them all just to get my daughter to preschool, a harrowing drive of 1.3 miles. Last year, more new cars were sold in Mexico than ever before: 1.

For seven years, Gail Ennis has been spending as many as three hours a day behind the wheel of her Subaru, commuting between her law office in Washington and her home on Gibson Island, Md. What she's gotten out of the 100-mile daily round trip is sciatica -- a shooting pain down one leg -- and a lack of time for exercise. "It's just too much and getting worse every year," Ennis said. Besides taking time away from family, a long commute can be harmful to your health.

More people than ever are driving alone to work as the nation's commuters balk at carpools and mass transit. Regardless of fuel prices, housing and work patterns make it hard for suburban commuters to change their gas-guzzling ways. From 2000 to 2005, the share of people driving alone to work increased slightly to 77%, according to a Census Bureau report Wednesday. Carpooling dropped and the share of commuters using public transportation stayed the same.