Travel times during peak hours in Los Angeles

Question

Traffic patterns repeat themselves. I've tried getting driving directions with Google Maps, but it seems like they only provide the estimate with either no traffic being on the way, or with only the current traffic situation being accounted for.

What if I need to arrive at time X to place Y from place Z? What time do I depart, taking the prior traffic patterns in consideration (which I'm unfamiliar with, since it's my first time being in the area)?

In other words, where do I get the information about the average traffic congestion between two given points at a given time window on a given day of the week? (I'm currently in need of such information for travelling from Riverside to LA, but it would also be useful for directions between San Jose and San Francisco etc.)

Answer 1

In addition to the usual maps.google, an alternative is http://livetraffic.tomtom.com.

On the left, you can enter the time you are leaving and it figures out when you'll arrive, or enter the time you want to arrive and it figures out when you should leave.

It is based on many different data points, so it is pretty accurate.

It's a good alternative to maps.google, for the specific case of estimating times (including traffic variations during the day/week).