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Old 02-22-2013, 01:17 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, CA
23,271 posts, read 23,633,734 times
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Any weekday morning or afternoon is a good time, but not the days before or after a holiday.
When I drive, I usually drive Tues-Thursday, leaving around 9:00 AM and arriving Southern California (Pasadena area) around 3:00-3:30 PM.
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Old 02-22-2013, 09:29 PM
 
Location: in a galaxy far far away
19,104 posts, read 16,474,037 times
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I don't know if it's still the same way today but Sunday used to be a good day to drive anywhere on the freeways. Semi trucks were at a minimum on Sunday. The rest of the week was just nuts! Maybe things have changed now and trucks are on the freeway seven days a week.
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Old 03-24-2013, 11:44 AM
zdg zdg started this thread
 
Location: Sonoma County
845 posts, read 1,965,679 times
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Just wanted to thank everyone who posted in my thread here.

We just got back from our trip and the advice from the forum made the trip as enjoyable as possible. Proof the internet might be good for something.

We left Santa Rosa at 8:30am on a Monday. Had no traffic whatsoever until Novato, and that was pretty light to the bridge. No starting/stopping, just slowed down to about 40 MPH. Got over the bridge and through Oakland with zero traffic except at the interchanges (like any time of day). Hit I-5 right at 10:40am just outside of Tracy and booked it to LA with literally no traffic the rest of the way. No problems in the grapevine, no traffic on the 405 in LA. Got to my parents place in Westwood right at 3:20pm without slowing below 40 MPH except at the interchange in Oakland the entire way. 98% of the drive we were going 70-80 MPH.

Coming back, we left on a Saturday at 7:40am. Literally zero traffic in LA or through the grapevine. Lots of cars on I-5 between Grapevine and around the turn off for Fresno. We were all driving 70-80 MPH but in a solid line of cars. Hit our first traffic of the entire trip in Livermore on the 580 at 1:00pm on Saturday. Total parking lot. Sat in start/stop/start traffic for about 30 minutes between Livermore and the 580/680 interchange, when things cleared up. Then some predictable traffic in Oakland at the major interchanges, but nothing else. Got through the bridge and North Bay with zero traffic and got home at about 3:00pm.

If you don't account for us having to stop to drop off and pick up our dogs at the kennel, it took almost exactly 7 hours each direction. Honestly if I hadn't gotten the advice on this forum, I would have certainly been sitting in parking lots in both directions.
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Old 03-24-2013, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,420,217 times
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Mondays are usually the best afternoons for traffic during the week. Time it so you hit the San Fernando Valley no later than 2PM.
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Old 03-24-2013, 03:45 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,095 posts, read 25,886,809 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zdg View Post
Westwood, right off the 405.

So you really think weekDAY would be that much better than weekEND? I know that if we leave Sonoma to start heading toward I-5 (through/around Oakland), we'd be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic from 7am until at least 9am -- and most of that is just in North Bay up to the bridge. That's what we want to avoid as much as we can.
Well, you have to realize that you are going to be dealing with traffic in the metro areas during the week regardless.

The weekend is when people will be traveling I-5 more heavily out in farm country.

So would you rather fight traffic for a couple hours in SF and LA area on a weekday, or fight it all day trying to drive I-5 on a Saturday?

(Edit - looks like the OP got some good advice, took it, and had a good trip. Glad to hear it!)
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Old 03-24-2013, 04:11 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,059 posts, read 106,870,458 times
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OP, wasn't the whole point of driving, to take the coast route on the way back, and enjoy the scenery? When did the itinerary change? I must've missed something
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Old 03-24-2013, 05:35 PM
zdg zdg started this thread
 
Location: Sonoma County
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After the week we had helping my parents we just wanted to get home and go to sleep.
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Old 03-24-2013, 09:14 PM
 
Location: Chandler, AZ
5,800 posts, read 6,535,494 times
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The Pleasanton Hilton, which is located at the junction of I-680 & I-580, is 345 miles from the UCLA campus, so figure on a nice 5-6 hour drive depending on your driving habits.

Once you approach Bakersfield, some 110 miles north of UCLA, tune your radio to KNX Newsradio 1070 to monitor freeway conditions; their 'traffic on the fives' (:05/:15, etc.) reports are indispensable to millions of us on a daily basis.

If you can get to Pleasanton between 6 and 7 AM, you'll reach UCLA sometime between noon & 1PM.

Have a safe trip.
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Old 03-25-2013, 11:09 AM
 
7,280 posts, read 10,886,396 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zdg View Post
We live in Sonoma County and will be driving to LA to visit my parents in March. For the first time we'll just be taking I-5 instead of taking a more scenic route or flying.

Because we are retired and have flexibility on timing, I was wondering what the best days of the week and times of day we should plan our road trip to avoid as much traffic (ha, I know) as possible.

We'll be jumping on the 5 just south of Stockton and taking it all the way to LA. Much appreciated.
Way better off leaving around 5am, go through the city and hit 280. The connect to I5 past SJ. LA by 11am no sweat. Avoid Monday and Friday if you can.
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Old 03-25-2013, 11:14 AM
zdg zdg started this thread
 
Location: Sonoma County
845 posts, read 1,965,679 times
Reputation: 1144
Thank you everyone, the trip is over. We're good.
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