Travel Times: Is the traffic in LA like it is in NY???

[back2disney]

While looking at my small AAA maps of California/SoCal/LA..
Everything looks close by that I could drive from one end of the city to the other in less than an hour.
However from many of the posts here traffic seems to be a major hindrance to this.
Does anyone know my approximate travel time if I leave to arrive at the open and come back at the close during a week day at the following attractions while staying across the street from DL.

1)Knotts Berry Farm
2)Universal Hollywood
3)6 Flags Magic Mtn
4)Legoland
5)Big Bear Lake
6)Palm Springs

Thank you

 

[iceskatejen]

Knott's doesn't take long at all--maybe 10-15 minutes depending on the traffic. I have a friend who lives near there and I took her home from DL one night and it took 10 minutes or less.

Universal--45 minutes to an hour.

Magic Mountain--at least an hour, and probably a bit longer I would think--never driven there from the DL area.

Legoland--probably an hour to an hour 15 minutes.

Big Bear--no idea on that one--I haven't been up there in years.

Palm Springs--also haven't been in years, but I'd think at least 90 minutes, probably 2 hours. It's further away than you're thinking I think.

 

[blackjackdelta]

The traffic is different than NY. More people own cars in LA than they do in NYC or surrounding. The basin is a major gridlock most of the time. Rush hour is nasty, nasty. Nothing is very well marked and no one cares if you need to move over or not. I can see why there is alot of road rage. If you need to go more than 10 miles you will have to be patient. One thing you will never see is a cop.

Have fun.

Jack

 

[back2disney]

Rush hour is nasty, nasty.

When is rush hour - I will do my best to have fun and avoid the chaos

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I have about the same times as iceskatejen ..

1)Knotts Berry Farm - 10 minutes or so
2)Universal Hollywood - about an hour
3)6 Flags Magic Mtn - about an hour & a half
4)Legoland - about an hour or a little over
5)Big Bear Lake - about an hour & a half to the lake
6)Palm Springs - about an hour and a half to two hours

... I live in the South Bay & I always see cops around, especially on the freeways

 

[Pir8girl]

Big Bear is at least two hours from Disneyland depending on traffic. I'd also leave 2 hours for Palm Springs/Palm Desert as well.
Unbelieveably many people commute from these two places into Orange County so traffic can be heavy.
My advice is never, never try to get to Big Bear or the desert and back to DL on a Friday. You'll also want to enjoy these places. Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead are beautifull and you may feel rushed if you're worried about a long drive back.
Rush hour can begin as early as 3 p.m. and last until 7 p.m. depending on the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be good days to travel.
Be sure and take carpool lanes and I always pay and use toll roads if that is an option. It cuts your drive down substantially. I'd rather pay a few bucks than sit in traffic any day.
Good luck.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

When is rush hour - I will do my best to have fun and avoid the chaos

Usually from 3pm to 7 or 7:30...but keep in mind if you are going south on the I5, once you get to the Echo Park area, its gonna be bumper to bumper all the way into anaheim...

 

[undertheradar]

Rush Hour is CONSTANT. We have traffic here 24 hours a day.

As an example: we arrived at DL on Sunday, leaving Ventura County at 1:00pm. This is a 72 mile drive to DL and we arrived at 2:35pm. This was great time for a Sunday afternoon.

We exited DL on Monday at 3:00pm, the return 72 mile drive took us 2 1/2 hours- this was pre-rush hour.

No matter what time you calculate, add 45 minutes to pad your time. The only easy drive will be the drive to Knotts.

 

[dis-happy]

Will you be driving by yourself? If you can access the carpool lanes, you can save some time (maybe a lot of time depending on the direction and time of day).

 

[Az Pirates]

Question:

I love being able to jump in the car pool lanes when we're driving in the LA area, but last trip I noticed some places where it appeared that the HOV lanes had been converted to toll only.
Do you have to have some type of pre-paid card to use those lanes?
The sinage was not very clear. I guess if you live in the area, you understand how it works without all the details being posted.

I'm also never sure if there will be an exit from the car pool lane when I need it, or how soon I need to start working my way over. Like someone else mentioned, oftentimes that can be a real chore!

Mary Jo posted GREAT car pool instructions to/from LAX and the DL area that we used last trip.
Thanks again!

Next trip we're going to be all over the place though... so not sure how we'll fare. May just have to pad the travel times a bunch and hope for the best.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I also use in car GPS that reports traffic conditions and alternate routes if need be. If you drive around the big cities much, this is invaluable. LA also has an unique law that lets motorcycles weave in and out of traffic at leasure.
I left the oregon border into California and down I-5 last August, I saw a San Mateo county mountie and that was it for the two weeks we were in California. Drove back into Oregon and saw 3 within the 1st 10 miles and back home to Wa state. Just my observations.

Jack