mike the commute is pretty grueling. However I would say that the difference between Oceanside and Encinitas is at least the easy part of the drive. Funny because this summer at the height of the oil bubble many of my engineer friends who commute from Carlsbad to Sorrento Valley all remarked a drop in traffic. However they all are reporting more traffic now. I would say that to make the bell at 8 am from downtown to Oceanside I would be leaving home at 7 depending on where in Oceanside you are at and what your parking situation is downtown. Also don’t underestimate southbound traffic for the 6 pm arrival times either. I would leave at 5 to make that time.
