Depending on where you’re driving and when, Bay Area traffic may seem like it is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.
John Goodwin with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission says traffic on the Bay Bridge is nearing pre-pandemic levels. The MTC compared traffic from the first Wednesday in April for the last three years.
"Traffic on the Bay Bridge - by far the busiest bridge in the Bay Area - was still 10% below where it had been on the first Wednesday back in 2019. But it was 68% higher than it was on April 1 of 2020."
The busiest hour is once again the 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. hour, as it was before the pandemic, and indicates that commute hours are lengthening back to what they used to be.
One of the most congested spots is on ramps to the lower deck of the Bay Bridge for the evening commute as workers leave San Francisco.
And with the Giants welcoming fans back to the stands, it is likely to stay that way.
“Depending on what time the Giants are playing and what time the game is over, that can stretch the afternoon commute or the evening commute well into the nighttime hours,” said Goodwin.
For now, capacity at Oracle Park is far below normal.
“Whether a crowd of 9,000 has the impact that a crowd of 40,000 remains to be seen," he said.
But traffic to other parts of the Bay Area is still far below normal.
"Traffic at the Dumbarton Bridge, for instance, is still 38% below where it was in April of 2019. San Mateo, Hayward bridge down 25% from where it was April of 2019,” said Goodman.
This could be because most office and tech workers still working from home, creating less traffic to the Peninsula and Silicon Valley.
Goodman also notes that people are more likely now to drive than take public transit because of the pandemic. It remains to be seen when the expense and aggravation of driving in traffic outweighs people’s apprehension of riding with strangers.
