Commuting from San Jose to Santa Cruz (Oakland, Scotts Valley: how much, house)

[kittie7]

Hi

Does anyone drive or have experience commuting from SJ to SC around 8am and leaving work at 5:30pm.

[dogandcat]

It is crazy but some people do it.

[simboticus]

Its a lot better than going the other direction. SJ to SC is counter-commute so there shouldn't be too much traffic.

[Chuck5000]

On your computer (not phone) go to maps.google.com, select 'directions' and then look for how you can input times and places to see how it is at different hours

[ccm123]

I call on customer accounts in the Santa Cruz area and drive in from the East Bay, typically for 9:00 AM meetings. The traffic is usually going in the other direction: SC-SJ, so you should face minimal traffic

[blueskywalker]

Not too bad. You'll be going against the heavy traffic. By 9am the traffic in and around Santa Cruz isn't too bad. When you return in the evening, HWY1 in S.C. county will be congested but flowing nicely ... generally speaking. An accident will slow things down needless to say. Same for HWY17. But do take care on that road. It's a roller coaster. Keep both hands on the road and don't compete, etc..
Much of the county of Santa Cruz is (freeway and side roads) is rather crazy from about 3:30 or so p.m. into the early evening but again, you'll be going against the really heavy commute. So patience and a nice "live and let live" attitude will serve you well. And when you're on the road you'll just feel really grateful that you're doing the commuter "backward" and aren't stuck in the incredibly heavy commuter traffic going the other way.

[dogandcat]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

It is crazy but some people do it.

Oops wrong answer. I didn't notice it was a question on reverse traffic, not SC-SJ. So, I agree with other people who responded above.

[Wintermomma]

Not bad on the rare times I have done it. I 2nd a PPer who suggested using google maps. But, why do it? Housing is cheaper on the coast, and then you live - on the coast!

[tr831]

I commute from Santa Cruz-San Jose (the reverse of what you are asking, and the more typical commute direction) almost every day, leaving Santa Cruz between 8 and 8:30 am and returning to Santa Cruz between 4 and 5:30 pm.

Although I travel in the opposite direction, I observe the commute traffic going to Santa Cruz. One thing I have noticed is that it is not uncommon for there to be significant road work/projects underway in that direction. This road work often results in one of the two traffic lanes being closed. For example, yesterday, there was significant roadwork in that direction and there was a traffic back up from around the Summit to around Scotts Valley that must have added at least 30-40 minutes to people's drive.

Another thing I have observed, especially when it's rainy, is that accidents do not discriminate based on commute direction. Both sides of 17 experience serious accidents, and the back up when that happens easily adds 30-60 minutes.

If I worked in Santa Cruz, I would definitely live in Santa Cruz. Heck, I don't work in Santa Cruz and I live in Santa Cruz!

On last point is that, once you get in to Santa Cruz, it can be another 20-30 minutes to get to wherever you might be going in Santa Cruz, depending on traffic. We moved from one part of Santa Cruz to another because of my commute and shaved 30-60 minutes driving off of my daily commute to San Jose (round trip).

[mossly]

San Jose to Santa Cruz is my daily commute. It's....okay.

As others have mentioned, it's far less traffic-soaked than many commutes in the area. If I leave my house before 8am, I don't hit any traffic at all, usually. And if I leave later and do hit traffic, it tends to just be during the first part of my commute where I'm still in San Jose. So that's all on the plus side of things.

But, it's still an hour door to door - and that's with living very near to Rt. 17 in San Jose. So it's still 2 hours total out of your day - even if you're not sitting in traffic, that's a lot of time in the car. How well you cope with that is a matter of personal preference. For me, right now, it has proven to be a little much, and I'm going to be looking for a new job soon. But I have young children. Maybe when I was young and childless, it would have been less of a burden. And I'm certainly not the only person in my organization who commutes "over the hill." One person I know commutes from Oakland, and has done this for years (!) So it's hard to generalize.

It also depends on if your job allows you to work from home now and then. That can help a lot. I don't have the option in my role every week, but I do get a day at home now and then, and it makes a positive difference. Also a factor is how much you like the job itself. I am not super crazy about my job, but if I loved it, maybe it would be worth the commute.

Previous posters are also wise to mention the rain and accidents. Rt. 17 can be kind of an intense drive - narrow, hilly, twisty. During the rainiest part of the winter, I encountered accidents all the time. These accidents would not necessarily tie up traffic for long periods - sometimes they would, sometimes they wouldn't - but it takes it out on a person to see smashed up cars literally every day. It doesn't help that in the winter, you're doing the drive home in the dark.

I guess I'm just saying overall that the commute is not fun, but it's not sooooo bad that I'd immediately recoil in horror from it. (I would recoil in horror for the same commute in the opposite direction!)