I've ridden Lida and Chevy Chase as early as 5:30pm. There is a little more traffic at that time for sure, and it really lightens up after 7:00pm. But still, it isn't awful.
However, Brian, keep an eye out for deer when descending. I have come across deer in the middle of Chevy Chase on descents twice! I descend very slowly down that canyon at night, so I was able to slow down, but if you were going really fast, you could hit one.
