By Jess
Hi edhatters! I have to travel to Ventura tomorrow (Thursday) from Santa Barbara for an extended lunch meeting and I’m curious when the traffic kicks up and slows down? I was hoping to leave SB around noon but what time should I leave Ventura by to avoid traffic?
Thank you!
best time to drive – midnight. Worst time- any time other than midnight
That is not helpful. Unfortunately I rarely make this drive so I don’t know for certain. I’d assume leave Ventura before 3:30 pm
The problem with WAZE is that there’s only one way of getting from Ventura to SB, so there’s no easy way around. Of course, if traffic is bad on 101, you could always go via 150/33 through Ojai, but that is (a) miles out of the way; and (b) likely to also be congested, due to locals thinking they can detour around 101. That said, I’ve found the easiest daytime travel between SB and Ventura to be between 9 am and 3 pm Monday through Thursday. You DO NOT want to travel on a Friday, regardless of the time. On one recent Friday afternoon it took me an hour and 15 minutes to get from Mussel Shoals to downtown SB. No accidents, roadwork or other distractions, just very heavy Friday afternoon traffic.
You should leave SB at 4:45 pm
Get over it. It takes as long as it takes. Enjoy your luncheon and the drive.