Commuting to downtown LA from Santa Barbara area?

New member here! Recently got an Army Green 2021 Off Road.

I went to school in Santa Barbara a while ago and may be getting a job downtown LA. I dont really want to live around LA and love/miss SB and the central coast. I would only have to be in the office half the week. Whats the commute looking like these days into downtown LA?

I wouldnt mind a long commute 2-3 days a week, but am unsure what its like nowadays? the pandemic slowed traffic up here in the Bay Area but that has seemed to return to normal somewhat.

TLDR: Whats the traffic like from SB area to downtown LA in the mornings? Does anyone here do that ever?

 

90+ miles each way, with the 101 improvements in SB, Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria under construction for several more years? Fuuuuuck that.

 

I’d recommend checking google or Apple Maps at the time that you’d be commuting. It’ll give you an accurate estimate on travel time with traffic taken into account. Statistically you can get a better (more accurate) average time with a larger sample size.

I’m no stranger to long commutes and used to do 2 hour, one-way commutes 5 days a week, but everyone has their limits for what’s acceptable/tolerable.

 

Are you new to LA? Theres always traffic and thr always will be.

 

Pretty much sums it up. That’s a suicide commute.

 

I havent been living in that area or made that drive for a number of years. I dont really remember there being much construction down 101...

But i knew it could be bad but I used to do a 3 hour round trip every day. I may only have to go down twice a week and could also just spend the night.

But it sounds like the traffic there is as bad as it used to be.

 

I think you can take the train as well .... save some mileage

 

I have looked at google maps arriving at work at 8am from SB and it says 1.5 - 2 hours which isnt horrible. Im worried about any variation in times on a daily basis so i wanted to check to see if anyone here does it. I could also live Ventura/Oxnard which could cut about 30 minutes out.

 

Slit your wrists now and get it over with.

 

TRAFFIC gunna suck!

 

Google tracks that stuff (because what dont they track or know).

If you enter your route and then select either Depart At or Arrive By it should give you a range times at any point in the day

 

The consensus seems positive and that I should do it.

 

I know this isn't LA, but commuting from San Diego north county into San Diego (only 40 miles) there is a distinct pattern of traffic flow. On Monday mornings traffic is "slow". Monday after work is really fast. This scenario shifts incrementally to just the opposite by the end of the week. Fast in SLOW out on Friday. So bad on Friday I just started working from home. A forty minute commute becomes a two hour commute on Friday afternoons.

If you can identify the days and times that work best, maybe you can have some flexibility on days and times you work. If so, the commute could be tolerable. Say, leave at 9am and work until late.

 

This is true, but it would be hard for me to move north of LA relying on figuring out these patterns. I also have the ability to work in carslbad and may move there instead of SB. But never even been to carlsbad.

 

I live next to Carlsbad in Vista. I would encourage you to check out the SD north county area. We are north of the hustle and bustle of San Diego, rush hour is one to 1.5 hours long (as opposed to 2pm to 7pm!), quick to hit the 5 or 15 north to get out of town, easy to find some "country" without driving an hour. LAX is 2 hours north, SAN airport is 40 minutes south. Camp Pendleton acts as a "growth barricade" to prevent Orange County/LA area from encroaching. To the north is San Clemente to Laguna Niguel which could also be good choices, but you do have to deal with the I5 traffic. The important part is they call this area the "Napa Valley of beer breweries" - 25 within ~5 miles of my place.

 

^werd

 

Commuting from SB to DTLA 2-3 a week, may work if your hours aren't the typical 9-5. If so, good luck with that as you're going to burn yourself out. I did a commute from Burbank to Thousand Oaks for work and hated it. Loved my job, hated my commute. I would be energetic and ready to tackle the world after work. However the car ride home would wipe me out. I ended up just going to the gym after work to just beat traffic.

Took me 40 min in the morning and 1hr and 15 min going home. I couldn't imagine doing your commute.

 

Motorcycle, balls, and lane splitting at 75 mph

 

I've done many thousands of miles doing that - but not at 75mph. That, IMO, is stupid, not ballsy. (no offense meant). Hit a few mirrors, but that is another story...

 

Word. I’ve moto commuted in LA for over a decade now. It’s sooooo much nicer than being in a car. SB to DTLA is some shitty tight freeways though. I’d just move personally. Seal Beach isn’t super far and has a laid back beach vibe.