question on morning traffic on 405N and 101N (Torrance, Lancaster: real estate, rental)

[fashionablecowboy]

Originally Posted by RobE

Didn't they just widen that 405/101 interchange? I remember it when I was still living in California and it was packed to the gills a lot of the time.

Is the flow of illegals greator than the added space from the lanes?

(*just a guess!)

[SoCalMomma]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents

I live in Thousand Oaks. I dont commute to LA, but we do drive to the Home Depot Center (Carson) for soccer games. We leave TO area about 5pm-ish and take the 101 East to the 405 South. The traffic is pretty thick, and there are spots where you are pretty much stopped. However, The 101 doesn't get bad until Tampa/Reseda, stays slow until the 405 and then the 405 is slow all the way until past the 10. On a normal day, without major accidents or anything, it would take you probably an hour to get from TO to 405 & Wilshire (just to give you an idea).

[morefromcali]

Hi SoCalMama,

You are so right that that interchange backs up in the afternoon! When I said it wasn't terrible, I meant at 5:30 in the morning. I HATE the 405 in the afternoon

[Paula Lynn]

Reading this thread, I'm so glad I walk 4 blocks to work and 2 blocks to the local Albertons

[jonjacko]

Originally Posted by SoCalMomma

Just wanted to add my 2 cents

I live in Thousand Oaks. I dont commute to LA, but we do drive to the Home Depot Center (Carson) for soccer games. We leave TO area about 5pm-ish and take the 101 East to the 405 South. The traffic is pretty thick, and there are spots where you are pretty much stopped. However, The 101 doesn't get bad until Tampa/Reseda, stays slow until the 405 and then the 405 is slow all the way until past the 10. On a normal day, without major accidents or anything, it would take you probably an hour to get from TO to 405 & Wilshire (just to give you an idea).

Oh wow, thanks for the info. I imagined the afternoon will be much worse because everyone will be getting off work at around the same time. For the morning, I can at least "control" it by leaving home earlier and getting to work early (and take a nap in the car )

But I'm a little confused to your response. From what it sounds, you're saying it only takes an hour to get from Thousand Oaks to 405/Wilshire in the afternoon, while everyone else says the morning commute takes about 2 hours to go from 405/Wilshire to Thousand Oaks. That doesn't sound too bad, considering an hour drive for a distance of 35 miles and LA's reputation of bad traffic. Perhaps I misunderstood you. But thanks for letting me know.

***EDIT***
Sorry, I re-read your post and I realized I missed the important keywords "ON A NORMAL DAY". Oh, how I wish it were true that it only takes an hour to get back home.

Totally off topic from my original post, but since you live in Thousand Oaks, how much does rent cost for a small one bedroom apartment? I can imagine myself moving there soon because I know I won't be able to stand traveling 2 hours each day just to get to work for a very long time.

[jonjacko]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

Reading this thread, I'm so glad I walk 4 blocks to work and 2 blocks to the local Albertons

Oh, how I miss the days when everything was within walking distance, or a short 10-15 minute car ride.

[SoCalMomma]

Originally Posted by jonjacko

Totally off topic from my original post, but since you live in Thousand Oaks, how much does rent cost for a small one bedroom apartment? I can imagine myself moving there soon because I know I won't be able to stand traveling 2 hours each day just to get to work for a very long time.

Rents here are high, you are correct. I'd say probably $1200-$1400 for a 1 bedroom in Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park/Westlake/Agoura, maybe more. But there are areas that are closer than where you are now that are more reasonable. Moorpark, Simi Valley, Camarillo, all would be closer for you (maybe 30 min drive) and you'd save a couple hundred dollars.

OR you could rent a room for much less. $500-$700 seems to be the approx prices for them in the area.

Check out: The Acorn - Front Page for a small, weekly local paper
or VenturaCountyStar.com : Ventura County, California, News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information for the larger, daily paper

Thousand Oaks is a beautiful area, I am sure you'd love living here.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by jonjacko

Oh wow, thanks for the info. I imagined the afternoon will be much worse because everyone will be getting off work at around the same time. For the morning, I can at least "control" it by leaving home earlier and getting to work early (and take a nap in the car )

But I'm a little confused to your response. From what it sounds, you're saying it only takes an hour to get from Thousand Oaks to 405/Wilshire in the afternoon, while everyone else says the morning commute takes about 2 hours to go from 405/Wilshire to Thousand Oaks. That doesn't sound too bad, considering an hour drive for a distance of 35 miles and LA's reputation of bad traffic. Perhaps I misunderstood you. But thanks for letting me know.

***EDIT***
Sorry, I re-read your post and I realized I missed the important keywords "ON A NORMAL DAY". Oh, how I wish it were true that it only takes an hour to get back home.

Totally off topic from my original post, but since you live in Thousand Oaks, how much does rent cost for a small one bedroom apartment? I can imagine myself moving there soon because I know I won't be able to stand traveling 2 hours each day just to get to work for a very long time.

Another great source of rentals is Craigslist.com. There are lots of listings for rooms for rent in nice homes. The homes here can be very large so that might be a good option and give you time to get the feel for T.O. I don't know what time you are done with work in T.O. but from where I live, which is Westlake Village, it can take up to an hour to get to DeSoto leaving at 6 p.m. I needed to go to the emergency room in W.H. and left at 6p.m....didn't get there until 7. It really bottle necks around Calabasas where traffic comes to a complete stop. This isn't just weekdays by the way. Trying to get out of here on the 101 going south on the weekend is tricky (I say that kindly?) unless you leave for your destination early in the am. Good luck.

[janettelabella]

I drive from Lancaster to Torrance, on the 14 and 405 and it takes me 2-3 hrs in the morning!

[cynwldkat]

In and around LA no one goes by miles to a destination but by the amount time it takes to get there. Any time you are heading into LA in the morning and out of LA in the afternoon you are going to be in traffic. There is a great need for bigger freeways (amazing, huh?) in and around the whole LA area. And by the time they finally do build larger freeways there will be a need for even bigger freeways. There is no way around it...you will be in some kind of traffic!!