I briefly had a mental lapse in judgement and moved to So Cal in 2010 for a year. Had a class which started at 6pm in Fountain Valley and I lived in Newport Beach on the peninsula. The 405 would be a parking lot. On the bike, with lane splitting, I'd make it there in 25 minutes. In my truck, it would take an hour.

The key, as fitz notes, is not blasting up the opening but going a cautious speed which allows for reaction.