Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Lancaster to Santa Monica
Right now (7:09 pm PDT): about 80 minutes via SR-14 South and I-405 South, usually 75 at this time.
Only 12% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 84 | 109 | 101 | 87 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 73 |
| Tue | 106 | 121 | 117 | 98 | 81 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 75 |
| Wed | 102 | 85 | 85 | 87 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 73 |
| Thu | 120 | 133 | 114 | 81 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 74 |
| Fri | 79 | 83 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 78 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 73 |
| Sat | 75 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 77 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 73 |
| Sun | 73 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 74 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 75-mile drive from Lancaster to Santa Monica (via SR-14 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 145 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are after 9 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 76 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (81 minutes).
About 62 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 13 miles surface streets (10 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Lancaster to downtown Santa Monica along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.
Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.
Questions
What is the best time to drive from Lancaster to Santa Monica?
On weekdays, leave after 9 am. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 145 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Lancaster to Santa Monica?
The 75-mile drive usually takes 73 to 145 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 76 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Lancaster to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 5:30 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 145 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-14 South in Los Angeles (37 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (19 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (3 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Monica to Lancaster (return trip) · Lancaster to Los Angeles · Lancaster to Long Beach · Lancaster to Anaheim · Lancaster to Riverside · Lancaster to Santa Ana · Lancaster to Oxnard · Lancaster to Glendale · Lancaster to Santa Clarita · Lancaster to Garden Grove · Lancaster to Hollywood · Lancaster to Corona