101 Freeway: safety and driving conditions at night? (Pasadena, Simi Valley: credit card, living in)

[bkkm]

First of all, I'd like to thank all the helpful people in this forum who have patiently answered my endless questions about LA.

I have got one last question, and this time it has to do with the 101 freeway, which I will be often taking if I am living in and commuting from Pasadena. How safe / drivable is it at night? Looking at my schedule, I might have to commute from Westlake Village to Pasadena after 10pm once (thankfully!) a week. Is it okay to drive it at night? (is it well-lit, well-maintained, safe?) Or is there anything I should be aware of? Any help and tip would be greatly appreciated.


I hope you all have a great day!

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Not to bad at night, at least on the Westlake end of the 101. I have never had too many problems anywhere on the 101 at night anytime I have been on it between Santa Barbars and on out into the LA area.

As far as lights. You shouldn't be driving a car at night that doesn't have them. What I am saying is that some parts of the 101 may not have lights. When you pass Westlake Village heading East their are some parts between Westlake and into the Van Nuys area that may not have lights.

[BRinSM]

you'll be fine. there is decent sized hill that you have to get over between calabasas and agoura, but as long as you don't have a total junker for a car you shouldn't have any issues.

[streetscenes]

There are lots of cars on the freeways most hours of the day. You shouldn't have any problems driving from Pasadena to Westlake Village at 10pm, actually would be a nice drive with minor traffic. The 134 out of Pasadena is a little dark through Eagle Rock. After that it's well lit all the way into the west Valley.

[apollyoncruiser]

The 101 at that time of night is fine. There are a few stops that would look dark if you were driving it alone but at that time of night you should have plenty of company. I've found the 134 gets very fast at times so be prepared for that.

One tip I will give you is, if you don't have AAA or a gas credit card or something with towing privileges, get one. I can't tell you how glad I was I had AAA when I had car trouble a few times.

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by apollyoncruiser

The 101 at that time of night is fine. There are a few stops that would look dark if you were driving it alone but at that time of night you should have plenty of company. I've found the 134 gets very fast at times so be prepared for that.

One tip I will give you is, if you don't have AAA or a gas credit card or something with towing privileges, get one. I can't tell you how glad I was I had AAA when I had car trouble a few times.

No kidding, I drive it regularly. Between North Hollywood and the 5, I've seen traffic FLOW at 85+

[LABornandRaised]

When you're driving on the 101 heading South East near the 405 interchange, watch out for highway patrol. They are sticklers for getting people there. You may be enticed to go 80 MPH, but trust me, they will catch you.

[Winston Smith]

Drive on the correct side of the freeway and watch out for those who don't. There have been a few instances of wrong-way drivers clobbering and killing unsuspecting travelers on the 101 (at White Oak, Lost Hills and most recently at Fairview in Santa Barbara). Wasn't it the 101 where Nicole Richie was arrested for driving drunk on the wrong side a while back? Oh, and the three instance I'm thinking of, all were caused by drunks, during the evening or night, and each time the drunk survived. Wrong-way driving seems to happen more on the 101 than other L.A. area freeways. Stay safe and alive out there.

[HarryKerry]

All LA freeways are quite drivable and well lit and even exceeded federal standards for several decades because the state standards are so high. Also, the only really poorly lit streets--utterly NO streetlights at all--are some of the most affluent areas because that's the way they like it. You know you are in a wealthy area when it is pitch-black.

I say this having been around the US and having met MANY people who have moved here, and hands down, in general they say California freeways and streets are far better maintained and better lit, better engineered and have better signage and signaling than just about anywhere in the U.S. I would not worry in the least about your commute. CA standards have been adopted by many states, but some states are moving forward with left lane exits from HOV lanes on their freeways, while CA is trying to get rid of all left lane exits and transitions (except for HOV transition to HOV on connection freeway) because they are counter-intuitive and present a greater danger than exiting an HOV lane to move to the right lane to exit freeway.

[Charles]

Watch out for illegally parked big rigs on the south side of the eastbound 101, just east of Las Virgenes. There's a huge pull off there where these guys sleep (I guess to record a minimum number of rest hours before proceeding). This practice isn't an emergency but that's where they park. CHP lets them do it. Also on the 118 between Moorpark and Simi Valley.