Traffic Predict

Best Time to Drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara

Right now (5:48 am PDT): about 45 minutes via US-101 North, usually 46 at this time.

Only 32% 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.

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Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Ventura to Santa Barbara by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave5am6am7am8am9am10am11am12pm1pm2pm3pm4pm5pm6pm7pm8pm9pm
Mon4547555149484949494849494746454545
Tue4546565651484747474748494746454545
Wed4547575753484848474749504746454545
Thu4547575751484948484951514846454545
Fri4546525048505153535558564947464545
Sat4545454646484950505050484646464645
Sun4545454546464748484848474646464645

About this drive

On weekdays the 34-mile drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 45 minutes and up to 60 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 4:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 49 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (51 minutes).

About 12 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 22 miles surface streets (34 to 38 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Ventura to central Santa Barbara (Anacapa Street) 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 Ventura to Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 4:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 45 minutes then, versus up to 60 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara?

The 34-mile drive usually takes 45 to 60 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 49 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Ventura to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 60 minutes.

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