Commute Time - Palos Verdes (Torrance, Hawthorne: home, high school, living in)

[bmh10]

I'm considering relocating to the PV area for a job in downtown LA. I'm sure there are lots that make this commute out there so want to get an idea of what I'm looking at. I'm guessing it is 1hr or a little more depending on time of day. I'll likely leave early 6 to 6:30am and be coming back at around 5 to 6pm. Any input is greatly appreciated from those that make this commute or did previously.

Thanks!

[JTGJR]

Your morning trip will likely be an hour or more depending on how bad traffic is getting off of the hill but also depends on which side of the hill you're coming from. Return time, you're likely looking at 90 minutes.
If you're coming from the eastern side (RPV) of the hill, then it's a quicker route since you jump right on to the 110.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by bmh10

I'm considering relocating to the PV area for a job in downtown LA. I'm sure there are lots that make this commute out there so want to get an idea of what I'm looking at. I'm guessing it is 1hr or a little more depending on time of day. I'll likely leave early 6 to 6:30am and be coming back at around 5 to 6pm. Any input is greatly appreciated from those that make this commute or did previously.

Thanks!

Your life will be a love/hate relationship - you will love living in PV, my favorite part of LA County. You will hate sitting in stop & go traffic while commuting into downtown LA. The AM will be a little better because you plan to leave early. Every 15 minutes earlier makes a difference. But on the way home there will be no rest for the wicked or anyone else for that matter. I am estimating at least 1.5+ hours of constant stop & go traffic amoung a sea of tired, grumpy, furstrated ppl just wanting to be home. And those are on the good days when there is no accident along the 110 stretch which unfortunately occurs all too often. On those days you will contemplate why you ever wanted to work in downtown LA to begin with.

Another option which might be more livable is to look into vanpools. There is a big parking lot near Alpine Village (near 110 FWY and Sepulveda) where many carpoolers/vanpoolers meet. Not sure on other forms of mass transit. But there may be something else into downtown.

Any chance arranging more off peak commuter hours or doing some telecommuting? Traffic starts backing up ~ 3:00PM and gets progressively worse until it pretty much stops until ~7:00PM when it starts improving again.

Derek

[NaplesRes]

I thought they were making the 110 a toll road. If so, your drive would be much better.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by NaplesRes

I thought they were making the 110 a toll road. If so, your drive would be much better.

Hmm... May help some. Although it looks like they are converting the carpool lane into a toll lane. So for carpoolers that means more traffic. And the fee is pretty steep at $1.40 a mile durnig peak rush hour. 110 Toll Lane

[bmh10]

Thanks for the input, very helpful (and discouraging that it is so bad in the evenings). Is Manhattan Beach any better of a commute to downtown or roughly the same?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by bmh10

Thanks for the input, very helpful (and discouraging that it is so bad in the evenings). Is Manhattan Beach any better of a commute to downtown or roughly the same?

Not much unfortunately. I grew up in Manhattan/Hermosa area and did that downtown commute 20 years ago. And it was even bad back then. Now there are a lot more ppl on the FWYs. The one difference now is that you have the 405/105/110 option. But at that time of the day I don't think it will help much as the worst part of the traffic is closer to LA (the belly of the beast).

I love the South Bay beach communities. But if working in downtown you should explore carpooling. I think there is some kind of blue line near Manhattan into downtown which might work for you.

See this post: Manhattan to LA.

Derek

[JTGJR]

Actually Derek, there's a pretty significant difference. Half of the commute from PV to downtown is getting off the hill and down Hawthorne or Crenshaw Blvds which creeps along almost as badly as the 110 or 405. Far worse if he's coming from PV Blvd on the western side of PV. Surface streets are largely gone with a commute from Manhattan Beach whether he takes the 405N to 105E to 110N or picks up the 105 off Imperial Hwy. My wife's typical commute, leaving downtown anytime between 6-6:30pm is about 45 mins to El Segundo. So I would guestimate a difference of about 15-20mins to MB vs PV in the evening. Maybe a bit less in the morning. I've been going down to Torrance with my son a couple times a week for the past month and it takes us about 35-40mins to get down around Sepulveda via the 105E-405S-Hawthorne Blvd. at about 6pm.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by JTGJR

Actually MtnSurfer, there's a pretty significant difference. Half of the commute from PV to downtown is getting off the hill and down Hawthorne or Crenshaw Blvds which creeps along almost as badly as the 110. Far worse if he's coming from PV Blvd on the western side of PV. Surface streets are largely gone with a commute from Manhattan Beach whether he takes the 405N to 105E to 110N or picks up the 105 off Imperial Hwy. My wife's typical commute, leaving downtown anytime between 6-6:30pm is about 45 mins to El Segundo. So I would guestimate a difference of about 15-20mins to MB vs PV in the evening. Maybe a bit less in the morning.

Yeah,

Thats always been one of the big disadvantages of living on the Hill. It is more remote and further from the any freeway. But that is also one of the things that adds to its charm.

However the LA traffic once on the freeway is not a pretty site. I'm really surprised your wife can make it in under an hour even to El Segundo. Of course I'm sure that varies depending on accidents, sig alerts, etc... along each of those freeways daily. Although she could skip the 405 section and take surface streets since El Segundo is right next to the interchange.

As for Manhattan it also depends how close to the beach you are. Closer to Rosecrans would be best. I used to live blocks from the beach. And just getting to the freeway can take a long time. Everyone is going in the same direction. Either way though the freeway is still the worst part.

Derek

[JTGJR]

Easy for her- no 405, just 110S to 105W and she rarely get's caught up in any sigalerts, fortunately. I spent my Jr. and high school years in PV and always dreaded having to leave the hill, during rush hour, because of traffic- and that was 30-yrs ago. Absolutely agree re close to Sepulveda in MB, but east isn't horrible if you don't mind heading east to the 110. I'd advise skipping the 405N after 6:30 a.m. and 405S after 3pm at all costs.