Driving across L.A.

[the_rock401]

Question for those of you who know the LA rush hour. How long is it going to take me to go northbound I-5 from Beach Blvd (Knott's) out to the Santa Clarita Valley? After Knott's on Friday afternoon (4-5 PM), I'm contemplating heading north from KBF, and I was wondering how long it's going to take to slog through the LA basin during prime rush hour. Also, does the traffic usually thin out by the time you start climbing the mountains past Santa Clarita?

 

Paul "Trip planning mode" Miller

[georgeriley15]

Normally, I would say 1-1/2 hours, but it being a Friday afternoon, I would say that you should allow at least 2-1/2 hours unless it's for catching a flight or something... maybe even 3-1/2 hrs in that case... It's all pretty random and depends on accidents (if you have a full moon, statistics are even worse). I've never had it take more than 1-1/2 hours, but I wouldn't bet my airfare on it... Whatever you do, don't try the 605 nor the 405... Bad experiences there... Maybe the locals can elaborate on this (I don't think the locals run that particular route too much though... Most I've met Downtown take public transportation.)

[georgeriley15]

Oh yeah, and it really thins out as soon as you pass downtown LA (you should really be safe after the 134)

[Wes]

Honestly, I would try to do something to occupy some time until around 7:30pm. Traffic is literally going to be hell if you get on the freeway between 4 and 6. Might as well spend time doing something productive.

[gisco]

I used to have a meeting a couple of times a year and it would end about 4:00 P.M. on a Friday. The location was right by Disneyland and I had to travel North. What I did was head over to the 57 and go North to the 210. Then take the 210 West until it ended back at the 5. The 57 would be a little crowded but when you got to the 210 all the traffic was headed out of LA and your headed in.

[scooterdoug]

I grew up in LA and absolutely LOATHE the traffic there. Unfortunately, I have to agree that you should probably leave somewhere in the vicinity of 3 hours for the trip you are talking about. Normally, things do get pretty good after you pass downtown LA. However, since it will be Friday, then you also have to take into account people going out of town. Las Vegas, Big Bear, Mammoth Mountain...they all require one to drive east of downtown. So, it is entirely possible to experience traffic from the moment you get on the freeway until you exit in Santa Clarita.

Also, the advice to wait until 7:30 is good, but traffic has a nasty habit of popping up at all hours. My advice is to simply be prepared for a multi-hour commute in heavy traffic. Oh yeah, like georgeriley15 said, avoid the 405 parking lot...avoid it as if it were a Vekoma SLC.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I've lived in Santa Clarita all my life & done your route many times. My first response would be to find a better time to get on the road then because if you leave 2-3 hours earlier or 2-3 hours later, the traffic is much easier to deal with.

 

But if you insist on starting to head north around 4-5pm on Friday afternoon, your best bet is to take the 91 East to North 57 to West 210. West 210 will dump you out on the North 5 right at the incline to the Newhall Pass, in which case you can stay to the right, get on the 14 freeway, exit San Fernando, and follow that road all the way to Magic Mtn. Parkway if you're going to SFMM. Any other point in Santa Clarita can be accessed by the first few exits on the 14. So if the 5's backed up going up the hill, chances are the 14 won't be, and it does fine as a bypass.

 

-- PMM

[Corkscrewed]

This is more out of curiosity, but is traffic on the I-5 really that bad even past the 14? I ask because Magic Mountain Parkway isn't *that* far north of the 14, which makes me wonder why you don't just stay with the I-5 once you get on it from the 210.

 

I can only assume it really is that bad. Which in that case... WOW.

[scooterdoug]

^When you get close to the 14, most of the traffic that you are dealing with is people who live in the Antelope Valley (Palmdale, Lancaster) and work in LA. The most direct route between the two is the 14. I would guess that, once you pass the 14, traffic moves quicker than before the 14. However, bear in mind that I used to live in the San Fernando Valley and drove to SFMM in the morning...when all the traffic is coming the other way. However, whenever I leave SFMM in the evening, traffic seems fine coming the other way (north on the 5)...until you reach the 14/210 madness, that is.

[Corkscrewed]

Yeah, that's why I thought it'd actually be better to just stay with the I-5 all the way to SFMM, rather than take the 14.

 

On a side note, I seriously cannot imagine how people can make the commute from places like Riverside and Palmdale into LA every day. That's two hours each way!! I'd go crazy. Is the lower cost of living really worth losing four hours each day?

[scooterdoug]

^Yeah, for alot of people, that horrid commute is worth it. For what it costs to rent a little apartment in Los Angeles, you can pay mortgage on a 2 story house with a yard in the Antelope Valley. I had a friend in high school who lived there, still does. It was such drama to simply go and visit him on his turf. Too much car time. But, people are willing to suffer in their cars for 4-6 hours daily just for a piece of the American dream...in this case, owning a large house.

My advice would be to just stick to the 5 and be sure to have plenty of music on hand to get you through the slow haul.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

This is more out of curiosity, but is traffic on the I-5 really that bad even past the 14? I ask because Magic Mountain Parkway isn't *that* far north of the 14, which makes me wonder why you don't just stay with the I-5 once you get on it from the 210.

 

I can only assume it really is that bad. Which in that case... WOW.

 

For some reason people lose all concept of the location of the gas pedal going up that hill from either side. So going north, what usually happens is the left 3 lanes (staying on the 5 going uphill) are all pretty much dead stopped while the right 3 lanes (going on the 14) are at least moving. The further to the right you go, usually the quicker the pace in that lane is. That's why I suggested taking the 14, then exiting San Fernando, which is the first exit. Then stay on San Fernando until you hit Magic Mountain Parkway, turn left, go about 2 miles & you're there.

 

Yes SFMM isn't too much farther north of the 14. However, going about 5mph, could still take a good long while to get there. In fact it's 5 exits north of the 14. Once you're over the hill, which could take as long as 30-45mins depending on how slow the traffic is, and how the merge point when the trucks rejoin the main freeway at the top of the hill goes, you'll pass Calgrove, Lyons, McBean, Valencia and then can exit Magic Mountain Pkwy on the right. That could take a while if it's very slow over the hill. Once you're over the hill you're fine, but the crawl over the hill will start in Burbank that time of day and I'm NOT exaggerating.

 

From Burbank on over the hill past the 14 will be nothing but solid backup, which is why you'll be on the 210 avoiding all that. Once the 210 ends though, unless you want to sit in the back up over the hill, I'd suggest taking the 14/San Fernando bypass. Personally, I hate sitting in traffic, so I'd go for any bypass possible.

 

-- PMM

[the_rock401]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I got on the 91 east after the I-5 junction and followed the recommendation of going to the 57, then up to the 210. Had no problems anywhere along the way. I must say that driving across L.A. was exciting in a hair-raising sort of way. One minute everyone across 4 lanes is doing 55, then a few minutes later you're wound up to 80+ in the slow lane with cars blowing your doors off. Like I said, I found it sort of fun, but I wouldn't want to do that every day.

 

Paul "I can't drive 55" Miller

[georgeriley15]

Glad it worked out for you!

 

If you ever do it again, expect the unexpected. Allow 2 hours of buffer before any appointments or airport arrival times. Many internet sites, (G**gle E*rth, not to promote any specifically), have provided me with an invaluable amount of info on traffic and alternate routes to get around any anticipated hot spots... Also, for anyone else browsing this thread, before you visit LA, plan out your anticipated driving times and then 1 or 2 weeks (or both) prior to your visit, on the same day of the week as you will be driving, at the same time as you will be driving, log into http://www.sigalert.com and study the traffic speeds on the various freeways. I have found this to be an indispensible part of my trip planning when selecting hotel locations and commute routes. You can save hours upon hours if you plan ahead and gain insight into the traffic patterns for the specific time and day you are planning to visit sunny Southern California.