I leave MM for La Jolla over those tracks daily and return in the afternoon. I try to avoid the 8:25 train wreck of cars and either go earlier (8:10 am isnt too bad) or later, (8:55). I go back over the RR between 4-6 and I often just wait till about 6pm cause aiming for 4:30-5:30 sucks. I have had times when I have breezed to work in minutes, I have had times when it took me 45 minutes to cross the tracks. It all depends on the 5 freeway and the train.
The biggest pain is that the coaster crosses the tracks, stoping traffic, and then comes back the other direction (prob a different train) 2-3 minutes later. Well, the lights are programed to let the freeway over first, so just as soon as the freeway left turn signal goes yellow, here comes the train again. No one else gets to move. They really need a bridge or a tunnel or something around that intersection, but I suppose it is way too costly to do that, especially considering the amount of space available.
Also, I want to scream at all the people who get on the freeway there (I dont use the freeway). They are the most clueless people and since that third lane to the right became a shoulder, I am suprised we dont see more people get in accidents there.
