Commute hassle from Walnut Creek to Berkeley/Oakland (Concord, Richmond: home, transferring to)

[lcca2018]

We are looking to relocate from Berkeley to Walnut Creek for more space and lower rent. However, we are concerned that BART is going to be a nightmare for the daily commute - I've heard it gets very crowded by the time it reaches Walnut Creek so that it's tight standing room only. Can anyone comment on whether this is true? If so, is it at least tolerable for a ride of that distance?

[Ruth4Truth]

From Walnut Creek to Berkeley? What part of Berkeley? There's only 2 stops between WC and Rockridge/Elmwood. Would you need to transfer to the Richmond line, or to a bus going north in Berkeley?

[artemis78]

It is certainly true that it's standing room only by the time it gets to the Oakland stations at peak commute hours. I can't speak to how many of those people get on in WC versus Lafayette or Orinda, though. It is a long ride to stand for if you're going to downtown Oakland, but plenty of people do it every day. I'd test it out and see how it is at the hour you would need to commute (being mindful of the fact that ridership is lower in the summer months so if you try it in the next month, you are getting a best case scenario).

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I'd probably drive instead of taking BART. It would't cost you that much more, would probably take the same amount of time, and you'd be in your car and in control of your own space, and comfortable.

Honestly, even if it cost more, including parking, I'd rather drive from WC to Berkeley. It's not that far and BART is a pain, and parking in their lots is sketchy as far as getting broken into, etc.

And my brother used to be a BART cop, so I'm not just blowing hot air here.

[artemis78]

It takes considerably longer to drive from Berkeley/Oakland to WC during the afternoon rush hour than to take BART; mornings aren't quite so bad but it's still not fast, and you have to have a high tolerance for stop-and-go traffic. You would also need to have parking, which is hard to come by and extremely expensive in both downtown Oakland and downtown Berkeley. If you're commuting somewhere with parking available and can shift your hours to come in and go home later, though, it would be a reasonable option.

[sav858]

I board BART at North Concord usually between 645-810 and the seats are filled up by Concord (next stop) most trips. BUT if you board at trains that begin at PH you should be good for a seat in WC. Try the trains that start at PH BART:

https://www.bart.gov/schedules/bylin...ate=06/19/2018

[lcca2018]

I don't mind standing in general - I just wouldn't want to stand if it's wall-to-wall people where you have no personal space at all. My husband would be getting off at Rockridge and I would most likely be transferring to get to downtown Oakland (applying for new jobs in the area now). He could drive to his workplace, but I had heard that car traffic is even worse than BART traffic going in that direction.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by lcca2018

We are looking to relocate from Berkeley to Walnut Creek for more space and lower rent. However, we are concerned that BART is going to be a nightmare for the daily commute - I've heard it gets very crowded by the time it reaches Walnut Creek so that it's tight standing room only. Can anyone comment on whether this is true? If so, is it at least tolerable for a ride of that distance?

Since you already live in the area just try a test commute at rush hour. You could also relocate to Union City for lower rent. There is a Bart line that runs from Union City to Richmond that is probably less crowded than the lines to/from SF.

[davdaven]

You could relocate to El Cerrito for lower rent. Not sure why you'd want to hassle with the commute from Walnut Creek, which is pretty terrible.

BART - Morning trains are full by Walnut Creek, unless you board a trip that starts in Pleasant Hill. Those will still be crowded. Afternoon trains will be very, very difficult to board at MacArthur or Rockridge.

I had a friend who commuted from Walnut Creek to Berkeley for years, and she drove. Considering travel time to/from BART stations on both ends, it was not any faster to take BART. Plus she got a seat both ways.

Another friend of mine commuted from Concord to SF for about a year. He hated it so much he switched jobs and works in Concord now.

A friend's wife commuted from Walnut Creek to the Oakland area. She suffered through the commute for years until getting a job in Berkeley. Now they carpool to Berkeley together. Again, not worth it on BART--especially because of the awkward transfer at MacArthur.