I've heard the rush hour can be a nightmare in LA but was wondering what time it starts and ends both in the morning and evening, can think of better things to do with my holiday then sit in traffic!

What part(s) of the LA basin are you talking about? The worst of the commute generally runs from about 6:00-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m. But basically the traffic can be nasty any time of day due to local construction, wrecks, breakdowns etc.

I'm happy not to commute anymore and therefore try to avoid "rush hour traffic". For me, that means leaving the house before 6:30 am or after 9:30 am. In the evening, I generally wait until after 7pm. There are exceptions such as "Friday morning light" which seems to be balanced out by Thursday and Friday afternoon traffic which can start to build at 1:30 pm!

Janis is totally right! It all depends on where you are headed from/to and when you want to go. Some roads can be totally empty on one side (well, almost) while the traffic going the other direction is completely stopped. Give specifics and I'm sure she'll know which roads to avoid and when.

Thanks all, not got any specifics as on holiday and just wondering times to avoid of being out and about.

I'm looking out my window now in West L.A. at the 405. Northbound (towards the Getty & the Valley) is really trotting along quite well, but southbound (to the 10 interchange and LAX) is a crawl, and this is Friday at 1:44 p.m. I'm writing this.

And it's generally like this, at least on the 405, whether there are issues at LAX like they are having today, or not.

The traffic in Los Angeles is the worst I've ever encountered in any one of the fifty states.

405 south was stop and go at 10 P.M. on a Sunday night a week ago when I was there. Yes, SUNDAY night, not a commuting weekday. Basically, no matter what time of day or day of the week I attempted to travel in L.A., I encountered gridlock on the freeways.

And I still don't know how people travel north from San Diego to L.A. in two hours. I was with two friends and attempted this on a Thursday afternoon, and it took a solid four hours, taking I-5 to I-405 to I-10. This was with using the HOV lanes, mind you.

Good luck.

budget4me: There must have been an accident ahead of you on the 405. Sundays are generally full-speed (with certain slowdowns possible around LAX) on the freeways. And I know; I drive them pretty much daily.

The Rush Hour times posted by janisj and mlgb are basically right. I've had commutes from my office in Santa Monica to my house in Long Beach take anywhere between 60 minutes and 2 hours during Rush Hour (it really is a luck of the draw); if I leave at 8 PM I can usually be home in 40 minutes!

Natives will also tell you that our daily driving entails choosing a route and always having three to four alternates spinning in our heads in case we find traffic.

Traffic in the southbay right now heading south into Long Beach is looking very good . Usually picks up around 3pm, you just never know. Before you hit the road in la and are near a computer, always check out the local 24 news radio station www.kfwb.com , they have real time traffic update and maps that show where accidents are.

No matter when I have gone on the 91 it just creeps along. I have been in the morning, afternoon and even at night and it is bumper to bumper (no accidents), just a little stroll along the ole 91. The last time we came back from San Diego we were driving north on the 15 and about 3-5 miles south of the 91, the 15 starting doing the creep. Then as we got closer to the little spaghetti bowl to enter the 91 from the 15, I realize the back up is for cars trying to get onto the lovely 91, and this was Sunday afternoon! For some reason it is always the 91 heading west, heading east has never been to bad.
Moral of the story...avoid the 91, opt for the 10 or 210.

Sunday afternoon on the 91 is when all the people are on the road heading west coming home from the river and Vegas. Try driving eastbound at about 5 pm from Orange County going towards Riverside. I used to work in Anaheim Hills and it literally took me 1/2 hour just to get from the freeway entrance to being on the freeway, then another hour and 1/2 to get home to Riverside. The 91 just plain is crummy all the time. Sometimes you get lucky, but have to plan for the worst.