11/27/2023 0 Comments Bay area traffic conditions![]() The company measures traffic congestion based on how much more time it takes for someone to complete a trip compared with uncongested conditions.Īcross the Bay Area, weekday traffic congestion had steadily risen over the past decade, leading up to the pandemic, according to a 2017 report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the region’s transportation planning agency. cities have not consistently seen traffic congestion levels reach 2019 pre-pandemic levels during the week but have exceeded traffic congestion levels on weekends this year.”įor this analysis, The Chronicle examined TomTom traffic congestion data that included San Francisco, Peninsula communities stretching south to Hillsborough, and parts of the East Bay that include Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond. ![]() Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Honolulu and Miami have all seen depressed congestion on weekdays “but have exceeded traffic congestion levels on weekends this year compared to 2019,” Carol Hansen, a TomTom public relations manager, said in an email. Other cities across the nation are seeing similar trends, according to TomTom. Still, the data raises the question: Is rising weekend congestion merely a product of the moment, or the beginning of a more permanent change in the region’s driving behaviors? The exact reasons for the rise in weekend congestion are unclear, but after nearly a year and a half of movement restrictions, the Bay Area’s long-awaited reopening arrived this summer with more people flocking to regional and national parks, dining in at restaurants and leaving their homes to recreate. In San Jose, daily average traffic congestion remains about 55% less than 2019 levels but has seen a 23% increase in average congestion on weekends. Whereas the average traffic congestion on weekdays in 2021 ranges anywhere from 64% to 81% of pre-pandemic levels, congestion on Saturdays (90%) and Sundays (93%) is much closer to reaching 2019 averages. Levels exceeded those seen in 2019 during the month’s first two weekends, according to the analysis, which looked at data through July 24. July has seen the most days this year so far - four out of the six days fell on Saturdays or Sundays - with higher-than-normal traffic congestion. But congestion on the weekends is much closer to reaching its 2019 levels, and in several instances exceeding it.įor example, 12 of the 15 days this year that experienced higher congestion levels than the same day in 2019 were on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekdays, which historically brought the region’s worst traffic congestion in morning and afternoon commute hours, still lag behind pre-pandemic normal. Traffic congestion is making a comeback in the Bay Area, but in an unfamiliar way, according to a Chronicle analysis of congestion data from location technology company TomTom. That Saturday afternoon previewed a new trend taking shape on the region’s roadways. ![]() “I really just hate sitting in congestion,” Lu said. Now, he’s counting the days to when more transit service is restored so he can once again avoid the frustrations that come with being stuck in traffic behind the wheel. When service throughout the region became infrequent and unreliable, he turned to his car and bike. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Show More Show LessĬhris Lu was stuck in stop-and-go Bay Bridge traffic entering San Francisco on a Saturday afternoon in early spring when he made the dreaded realization: The Bay Area’s notoriously horrendous traffic congestion had returned.īefore the pandemic, Lu sought to avoid traffic congestion at all costs by taking public transit to get around. Sunday traffic on the Bay Bridge is strong, but weekday numbers are below pre-pandemic levels. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 4 of4 Sunday traffic on the Bay Bridge is strong, but weekday numbers lag as many people continue to work from home. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of4 Weekend traffic on the Bay Bridge has been steadily increasing as the Bay Area lifts pandemic restrictions. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of4 Data shows that weekend traffic has been steadily increasing as the Bay Area reopens from the pandemic. Traffic backs up at the Bay Bridge tollbooths last Sunday.
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