SF Commute compared to Atlanta (San Jose, San Francisco: middle school, to live, airport)

[bbh42]

I have been contacted about a job that would require me to eventually relocate to San Francisco. The position would require a fair amount of travel so I'd need access to the airport. Would Walnut Creek be a bad choice due to the location and distance to the airport? Also, I lived in Atlanta for over 10 years so I'm used to bad commutes. I know the traffic is bad in the Bay Area, but any idea how it compares to the ATL? It used to take me around 1h 20min for a 30 mile commute in Atlanta.

I have two kids ages 10 & 13 so getting ready to hit the middle school and highschool ages. Schools are the main driver for finding a location to live.

[clongirl]

The Walnut Creek Bart takes you directly to the airport terminal (about an hour and 15 min. ride). Driving times are unpredictable depending on traffic. I've actually made it to the airport in 25 minutes with zero traffic from the Walnut Creek area (but that was at 5 in the morning).

[ippi76]

If you take BART, there's no worries. Walnut Creek to SFO is not a good drive during commute times, however.

Basically from 7 AM-930 AM is pretty bad, even going late afternoon (4-6 PM) wouldn't be fun due to the way the 24 freeway tunnel is structured (there'd be only 2 lanes going to SFO at 5 PM weekdays).

I remember Atlanta traffic from having spent a month there last summer, it's probably the same or worse over there since everything was sooooo spread out from what I remember.

[jade408]

If you mainly need to go to SFO off-peak, it is not a big deal at all.

Originally Posted by clongirl

I've actually made it to the airport in 25 minutes with zero traffic from the Walnut Creek area (but that was at 5 in the morning).

How fast were you going? My record is about 18 minutes, and I live 2 miles from the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza.

[sonarrat]

East Bay traffic is pretty awful. We in the South Bay like to complain about the congestion, but we don't have anything ridiculous like the reverse-commute backups in the Caldecott Tunnel or mod editthe Bay Bridge toll plaza. It's also completely unpredictable, because SF is such a dynamic city. One day the roads can be completely packed and the next you breeze in with no problems.

[ccm123]

But, the traffic here is a breeze compared with LA/Southern California, in general.

[04kL4nD]

I think the traffic is much worse in Atlanta.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by ccm123

But, the traffic here is a breeze compared with LA/Southern California, in general.

In the East Bay it can be just as bad.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

East Bay traffic is pretty awful. We in the South Bay like to complain about the congestion, but we don't have anything ridiculous like the reverse-commute backups in the Caldecott Tunnel or mod editthe Bay Bridge toll plaza. It's also completely unpredictable, because SF is such a dynamic city. One day the roads can be completely packed and the next you breeze in with no problems.

I disagree. There are pockets of supreme traffic in the east bay, largely limited to commute times. And they aren't very long.

But in the south bay, the pockets of traffic during the commute are more like 10-20 miles. Or pretty much the entire 50 miles from Oakland to downtown San Jose, if you leave around 630a or 7a. Or after 4 from over there heading north. And there is always that pesky backup on 880 at Winchester where Valley Fair is. The last 4 miles of 880 are always full of congestion over there.

Besides the Caldecott, around Hayward, the 80 interchange and the Bay Bridge toll plaza, things are pretty free and clear. And these backups are only 2-4 miles at most.

[Trinitybaby]

BBH - being from Atlanta myself and looking at a potential move to the Bay Area - I think we're comparing 2 different commutes. Remember, the Bay Area has a very structured mass transit system where virtually none exists in Atlanta. When the last time you actually rode MARTA other than to go to a Falcons or Braves game?? I am looking forward to moving back to a city that has a mass transit system and not having to fight traffic with idiotic drivers who panic when it rains or there is an overturned cone on the highway.