Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Northridge to Santa Barbara
Right now (7:05 pm PDT): about 80 minutes via US-101 North, usually 76 at this time.
Only 24% 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 | 74 | 82 | 91 | 87 | 81 | 81 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 74 |
| Tue | 74 | 84 | 94 | 92 | 84 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| Wed | 74 | 84 | 95 | 92 | 85 | 81 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 75 |
| Thu | 75 | 85 | 95 | 93 | 83 | 81 | 84 | 85 | 84 | 85 | 90 | 88 | 81 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 75 |
| Fri | 75 | 82 | 89 | 84 | 83 | 84 | 91 | 93 | 94 | 98 | 100 | 89 | 81 | 78 | 76 | 75 | 74 |
| Sat | 75 | 77 | 79 | 78 | 82 | 85 | 94 | 95 | 90 | 86 | 83 | 80 | 79 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 75 |
| Sun | 75 | 75 | 76 | 75 | 76 | 80 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 74 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 79-mile drive from Northridge to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 101 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 5 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 85 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (95 minutes).
About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 13 miles surface streets (11 to 16 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Northridge to central Santa Barbara 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 Northridge to Santa Barbara?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 5 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 101 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Northridge to Santa Barbara?
The 79-mile drive usually takes 74 to 101 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 85 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Northridge to Santa Barbara?
Leaving around 2:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 101 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Los Angeles (54 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Barbara to Northridge (return trip) · Northridge to Los Angeles · Northridge to Rancho Cucamonga · Northridge to Long Beach · Northridge to Anaheim · Northridge to Riverside · Northridge to Santa Ana · Northridge to Irvine · Northridge to Fontana · Northridge to Oxnard · Northridge to Huntington Beach · Northridge to Glendale