The 5 Carpool Lane Effect on Commute Time (Carlsbad, Encinitas: house, buying)

[DaCounselor]

Does anyone use the 5 carpool/HOV lane during rush hour - southbound in the a.m. and northbound in the p.m.?

I currently work downtown and am considering relocating to the La Costa area, but I think the only way I could tolerate the commute is if the carpool lane moves along well. I have experienced the northbound 5 p.m. traffic from the merge up into Carlsbad on a few occasions and it is just too ugly to handle on a regular basis. I am going to go on a few test runs with my wife to get access to the lane and see how it goes, but I am hoping some of you have more regular experience on this commute and can provide some insight.

If the lane really cuts the commute time down significantly I would consider relocating up that way and buying an HOV-permitted vehicle for single occupant.

Thanks for any help!

[Axxlrod]

The northbound carpool lane ends around the Manchester exit, which backs the carpool lane up at least to the Lomas Sante Fe exit during the afternoon commute. So you'd still have to slog thru gridlock to get to the la costa exit.

I know many people from the la costa area take the coaster to downtown for work.

[The Flying Dutchman]

Yeah, I was going to ask, why not take the Coaster if (I assume) Carlsbad is your primary, sole destination? Appearances can be expensive.

[Encinitan]

Let me share my experience, even though I drive alone (no carpool) since I live in inland Encinitas (Village Park) only a couple miles from La Costa and I've been driving south for work for the past 7 years. I'll say this ... it's all in the timing. If you can leave early and get out early, it's not a bad commute. I currently work in UTC (right off the 805). I leave my house at 7 am and it takes me 25-30 minutes to get to my desk. At night, I leave work at 4 and I'm home in 30-40 minutes. If I leave later (in morning or evening) it's much worse, but those times seem to work ok. During the Fair and on summer Friday nights, it's worse. But the longest it ever took me to get home even on the Labor Day weekend, opening day at Fair type days was 1 hour.
That said, my company is likely moving to Little Italy by the end of this year, so I'm already researching Coaster times.

[DaCounselor]

Thanks guys, timing is definitely everything! I have been watching Google Maps and Caltrans Real-Time Traffic and it seems like if you get going before 7 a.m. it's usually pretty smooth. On the way north in the p.m. it seems like once you get in the 3:30-4:00 range it is slowing down. Unfortunately heading south that early on most days will be problem due to dropping the kids off at school, and in the p.m. I am never sure when I can get things wrapped up and head north.

The carpool lane data on the Caltrans and Sigalert websites has shown that even in the heart of rush hour the HOV lanes move 2-3 times faster than the regular lanes and based on my back-of-napkin calcs I can probably save 10-15 minutes on the p.m. commute in the HOV lane, and just get off at Manchester and go up El Camino Real. Seems like with an HOV lane the rush hour commute might be doable and not much worse than non-peak travel time.

I think Caltrans is starting a major project this year to take the HOV lanes all the way up to the 78, so in a few years I could avoid El Camino and just go HOV all the way up to Leucadia Blvd. and get off there.

As for the Coaster, it would be at least a 10 minute drive to get to the Encinitas Station, and then I would build in time to be safe so right off the bat I am sinking 20-25 minutes into the commute before the train gets rolling. Then it's 45 minutes to get downtown, and a 10 minute walk to my office, so I am looking at 1:15 to 1:30 commute time each way, whereas in a car with HOV access I am looking at half that.

Also not sure what "appearances can be expensive" means.

Thanks for the input, much appreciated!

[fannasster]

: I study at sdsu and lives near it. I have year long internship in clasbad and I need a ride back and forth.
I am willing to pay ard 200-250$ a month.My timings are flexible. It has to be 8 hours in the company.
I need ride from M-Friday.
Email me or call me at [email]kirtigupta.infotech@gmail.com[/email]