Best Time to Drive from Rancho Santa Margarita to Van Nuys

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 87 minutes via I-5 North, usually 109 at this time.

Only 6% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 73-mile drive from Rancho Santa Margarita to Van Nuys (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 121 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 101 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (109 minutes).

About 70 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Rancho Santa Margarita to central Van Nuys 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 Rancho Santa Margarita to Van Nuys?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 121 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Rancho Santa Margarita to Van Nuys?

The 73-mile drive usually takes 64 to 121 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 101 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Rancho Santa Margarita to Van Nuys?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 121 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Orange County (28 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (19 miles) · SR-241 North in Orange County (10 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (6 miles) · US-101 North in Los Angeles (3 miles) · SR-133 South in Orange County (3 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Van Nuys to Rancho Santa Margarita (return trip) · Rancho Santa Margarita to Los Angeles · Rancho Santa Margarita to San Diego · Rancho Santa Margarita to Long Beach · Rancho Santa Margarita to Anaheim · Rancho Santa Margarita to Riverside · Rancho Santa Margarita to Santa Ana · Rancho Santa Margarita to Irvine · Rancho Santa Margarita to San Bernardino · Rancho Santa Margarita to Fontana · Rancho Santa Margarita to Moreno Valley · Rancho Santa Margarita to Huntington Beach

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