The city of Palm Springs is located 110 miles east-southeast of Los Angeles and 140 miles north-northeast of San Diego, in the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs sit at the west end of the valley, southerly and northerly, respectively. The other cities and communities of the valley are mostly laid out in a string heading toward the southeast along the foothills of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains. Moving east from Palm Springs, Highway 111 runs right through the middle of the cities of Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Indio. The city of Coachella and the communities of Thermal and Mecca are situated beyond Indio. Other unincorporated communities pinch in between the Indio Hills and Little Sen Bernardino mountains to the north. I–10 cuts through the center-line of the valley on its run to Arizona and eventually Jacksonville, FL.
Getting around the valley is a rather straightforward, if not at times time-consuming, proposition. As can happen anywhere, having multiple jurisdictions in charge, and with differing growth curves over time, the various parts of the desert have not always been in lock-step when it comes to traffic circulation. The result is that there are only two major arteries capable of moving cars from the west end of the valley all the way through to the east: I–10 and Highway 111. And because Highway 111 is really the main street in each of these cities, it comes complete with traffic signals and speed limits that work to slow traffic dramatically. I–10 sits relatively far to the north of each city center, so, even though you can drive faster on the Interstate than on Highway 111, the freeway way can only be considered a time-saver if going for a bit of distance, say, from Cathedral City to Indio. Then again, who wouldn’t rather keep moving even at the cost of extra miles travelled?
Locals have developed their own shortcuts from place to place, and the effectiveness of each is a function of where from, where to, and when. In recent years the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) cooked up a partial solution with its Mid-Valley Parkway, a strand of stitched-together, pre-existing, and constructed surface arterials that generally runs along the same axis as I–10 and Highway 111, and about halfway between each. It’s a decent solution to a problem that should’ve been diagnosed and treated years back. Like the rest of Southern California, the Palm Springs area is woefully lacking in modern public transportation, though the regional transit agency, SunLine, has multiple bus routes with connecting service throughout the valley. If you’re going to be here for any length of time, rent a car and be prepared to take around 45 minutes to drive from Palm Springs to Indian Wells—more if a major event is taking place or seemingly the entire upper part of the Northern Hemisphere seems to have spilled into the valley. Out here we call it the “high season,” most of you know it as winter. The best driving tip? Be patient. Remember, it’s vacation. Look around. Enjoy the sights. If you’re going to work, what’s the hurry?
The valley is thick with taxi companies, but unlike urbanized areas their practical affect is nominal, and they aren’t cheap. About the only place where you can hail a taxi is at the airport. Otherwise, you must call one of the companies and request a pick up.
Some other quirks: Highway 111 running through Palm Springs is named Palm Canyon Drive on street signs and maps, and a portion of it where the road splits to become one-way is known as Indian Canyon Drive. Some Cathedral City businesses use the Palm Canyon Drive name and others choose to use Highway 111. It’s all the same street.
Unless you’re really on the lookout, you won’t find yourself driving down Highway 111 and then suddenly exclaiming, “Oh, that’s where Cat City ends and Rancho Mirage begins” because of some watershed change in architecture or land-use, so it might all look like an urban blur. Some time back CVAG tried to ease the navigational angst by putting numeric signs at nearly 100 intersections along Highway 111, from the start of Palm Springs to the heart of Indio. It’s a bueno idea but the signs don’t exactly jump out at you. But if you know to look, and you print out a copy of the directory (www.cvag.org/Trans/pdffiles/SignsProject.pdf) you’ll be a step up on the guys in the next car over. The convention authority has the directory in its “Ultimate Guide,” as well.
Speed limits can vary a bit from spot to spot, so keep an eye on the needle as the locals can be quite vigilant in enforcement. If you’re driving slowly and trying to find a street address, stay to the far right and pay attention to your signaling and what’s ahead of you. Rush hours in the morning and evening can be particularly busy as local residents try to get to work. And let’s be honest here, the population of the valley explodes from the holidays into late spring, and that means a lot more people on the roads with, er, varying skill sets.
Bike lanes are becoming more common as the various cities work on alternative transportation modes. Bike lanes are always on the far right of the regular lanes. Stay out of these unless you are about to turn right. Never use them for passing or slowing down, and always keep your eyes open for bike riders who may be hard to spot in congested areas. In Palm Desert, golf carts are legally allowed on city streets, but only on very limited parts of Highway 111. In residential areas where golf cart crossings are marked, the carts have the right of way.