To help celebrate the 75th birthday of the Arroyo Parkway, we reach into the Off-Ramp archives for this gem: in 2008, we drove with then-LA Times automobile columnist Ralph Vartabedian up and down the venerable highway to prove a point.
The reason traffic can be so frustrating on the 100 is that it was not meant to be a expressway; it was designed as a parkway ... a pleasant way to get from downtown LA to Pasadena that was somewhat faster than surface streets.
So Ralph and I drove North, angrily. Then back South, slowly in the slow lane, happily.
Give it a try! You'll lose about two minutes, and gain peace of mind.