Driving my own car through LA, north to south

[Oh2B@C]

Hi all,

 

I'll be driving my own car through Los Angeles, arriving from the North on I-5 and heading to San Pedro. I am doing this on Friday, January 6 and staying at a hotel. My cruise leaves the next day, so I can arrive in San Pedro on the 6th whenever I want. I don't mind arriving earlier in the day to avoid afternoon rush hour.

 

Looking for recommends on the best way to negotiate the LA traffic. Best routes to take, worst to avoid, best times to drive through etc...

 

Thanks very much:)

[Astro Flyer]

Approaching LA from the north on I-5, I would check navigation apps & KNX News Rado (1070) for traffic conditions before the I-5 & I-405 split just past Hwy 14 in Santa Clarita.

 

Traffic congestion would be my deciding factor but if there were no major traffic delays, my 1st option would be the 405 (San Diego Fwy) to the s/b 110 (Harbor Fwy). If you'll have a minimum of 2 people in the car the 405 has a carpool lane which is usually helpful.

 

Traffic through the Sepulveda Pass (called poop-out hill because inattentive drivers don't push their accelerator to climb the hill at the same speed resulting in traffic backing up...even without an accident) from the San Fernando Valley to WLA is nearly always bad even after the recently completed freeway expansion.

 

I would recommend driving this area between 11:00 & 1:00 to possibly have the best conditions. After WLA it generally isn't too bad on the 405/110 and arriving in San Pedro for your overnight hotel stay.

 

If the 405/110 route had incidents & most of the route was red then I'd check the I-5 to 110 route. In normal traffic conditions that might be slower as the 110 does not have free carpool lanes. It does have paid carpool lanes (AKA "Lexus Lanes") but requires a transponder device which you won't have in your car.

 

Obviously these are just generalizations & why I check traffic before deciding my best route from home to SP. I'm about an hour n/w of San Pedro and driving there in January for an overnight hotel stay before our cruise. We have a park & sail package at the Crown Plaza which will be less stressful that driving to SP early on embarkation day. It's also less expensive than the $270 ($18/day beginning 1/1/17) port parking fee for our 15 night cruise.

 

I'll check traffic conditions & we'll leave home sometime after 10:00 whenever the traffic looks best. When we've arrived at the port on sailing day at about 10:30 we got a shuttle service & left the driving to them. ;) But in January we'll drive to SP and enjoy a relaxing day, have a cocktail before our overnight stay and breakfast & shuttle to the ship only 0.8 mile from the CP to arrive by 10:30 to begin the boarding process! :D

Edited November 16, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Cruisin' Chick]

there will be some traffic in the Santa Clarita area. We did some road trips to northern Cal. last year and just about each time, took I-5 for much of the way (until we can cross to or from the Bay area) and this was one area that can bog down easier. and if it's raining, it'll be slower (we SoCal people are terrible driving in inclement weather).

 

going up Mulholland as Astroflyer says is another slow area...even around noon. (I used to work in West LA and could see bumper to bumper traffic on the 405 whenever going for a 7-11 jaunt).

 

But it'll probably be your best bet.

[SadieN]

You'll be able to hear AM1070 just before Castaic. This will get be you a few more minutes to decide which route to take.

 

If you are watching the freeway maps on your smart phone, horrible traffic areas show up as yellow or red. Cell service will cut out in a few places along your route in the Central Valley.

[Oh2B@C]

Thanks for your help folks :)

 

I don't have a smart phone, but I'll have AM 1070 on in the car for sure.

 

It's 12 noon PST right now and I am checking traffic on abc7; looks like the 405 is doing OK. I'd rather take the 405 to the 110 actually as it seems to be the most direct route, I've just had a lot of people tell me it's always a parking lot... Hope they were exaggerating: :rolleyes:

 

So Sadie, are you driving to San Pedro for the Ruby Jan 7 cruise? Got room for one more (I am sailing solo)? We could split the parking costs in SP. Let me know on our roll call if that might work.

[BritinSoCal]

We live north-west of LA and driving to San Pedro we use the 405 (from the 101) and 110. It's about 60 miles and even (I say "even" - tbh there's no real difference between week and weekend travel times) on a Saturday can take anywhere from about an hour to 1 3/4 hours +.

 

If you're travelling down the I-5 on a Friday, aim to hit the I-5 / I-405 split around noon and you should be reasonably OK.

[Bruin Steve]

Hi all,

 

I'll be driving my own car through Los Angeles, arriving from the North on I-5 and heading to San Pedro. I am doing this on Friday, January 6 and staying at a hotel. My cruise leaves the next day, so I can arrive in San Pedro on the 6th whenever I want. I don't mind arriving earlier in the day to avoid afternoon rush hour.

 

Looking for recommends on the best way to negotiate the LA traffic. Best routes to take, worst to avoid, best times to drive through etc...

 

Thanks very much:)

 

DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE IT...

 

5 South to 405 South to 110 South to Harbor Blvd exit...

There is almost NO time when any other route will be quicker. (other routes take you through places like Downtown LA)

 

On a Friday, there will be traffic...later in the day, the worse it gets, so, since you can leave any time, look at going through "midday"...try to aim at arriving before 3:00 pm...check into your hotel, head over to San Pedro Brewing Company (my choice) or Acapulco or Green Onion or 22nd Street Landing or wherever for a relaxing dinner and settle into your hotel knowing you can sleep in and get to the port with minimal stress...

 

But, don't overthink it...You are not going to find a better route. If you have more than yourself in the car, you can use the Diamond Lane for a lot of the distance on the 405--though, often, it doesn't seem to go much faster than the regular lanes. Whatever traffic you do hit, just smile and remember that YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO A CRUISE!!!

 

PS: I see you are on the Ruby January 7...We will try to leave it in good shape for you...but can't guarantee anything :)

Edited November 16, 2016 by Bruin Steve

[Husky61]

Steve,

 

Depending on the traffic on the 405, they can always cut over on the 105 or the 91 to the 110. Sometimes the 405 is a parking lot and those alternatives can be quicker. Not all the time, but it depends on the 405. I have done that several times when the 405 is backed up.:)

[Bruin Steve]

Steve,

 

Depending on the traffic on the 405, they can always cut over on the 105 or the 91 to the 110. Sometimes the 405 is a parking lot and those alternatives can be quicker. Not all the time, but it depends on the 405. I have done that several times when the 405 is backed up.:)

 

All I am saying is that for the little bit of time you might save, it's not really worth worrying about...especially for one not overly familiar with the area...better chance at getting confused and lost than of picking up time...The 105 just takes you on a longer detour that might pick up more traffic on the 110...and the 91 doesn't even connect to the 405--you'd be going on Artesia Boulevard almost to the 110...and, at that point, unless you are absolutely sure, you might as well stay on the 405--that's only about 3 more miles to the 110...

[Husky61]

All I am saying is that for the little bit of time you might save, it's not really worth worrying about...especially for one not overly familiar with the area...better chance at getting confused and lost than of picking up time...The 105 just takes you on a longer detour that might pick up more traffic on the 110...and the 91 doesn't even connect to the 405--you'd be going on Artesia Boulevard almost to the 110...and, at that point, unless you are absolutely sure, you might as well stay on the 405--that's only about 3 more miles to the 110...

 

I guess after working those areas for many years in a radio car, I am quite familiar with what routes to take if traffic is a factor. There were times when the 405 was totally stopped before the South Bay curve, so I took the 91 and made better time. To me the bottom line is Los Angeles freeways are difficult to predict any time of the day, and any route can be a mess.:)