The traffic fates are aligning to make San Francisco transit and traffic a real nightmare this afternoon. Let's face it, your productivity is nil at this point (otherwise, why are you reading this?). So just save yourself some misery, and go home now.

Here's why:

Critical Mass
The mass, free form bike ride is the last Friday of every month, departing from Justin Herman Plaza at 6 p.m. Sure, there's some overlap between the Critical Mass and the Burning Man crowds, so the ride's numbers might be lower, but do you want to base your ability to get home swiftly on that assumption? Since the route is unknown, traffic can get heavy and confusing. Leave now! (Unless you're hanging around to actually ride in Critical Mass, in which case, have fun!)

Northbound 280 Closure
A portion of 280 is closed this weekend to fix a bunch of stuff that should have been fixed ages ago, here's the deal with that. For our present purposes, though, you should know that the Alemany Boulevard, the U.S. 101 connector to northbound I-280, Indiana and 25th Streets, and 18th Street on-ramps are closed. Cesar Chavez Street, Mariposa Street, 6th Street, and King Street off-ramps are also closed. That means everyone would would have been on 280 is instead taking surface streets. Leave now!

SF Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers
The Giants will play three home games against the Milwaukee Brewers this holiday weekend, but the one we're concerned with right now is tonight's, which begins at 7:15 p.m. That's people packing area transit, crossing against the light, and driving around looking for parking. Leave now! (Unless you're hanging around to actually go to the game, in which case, have fun!)

I mean, think about it. We have Critical Mass folks riding around, people staggering to the game, and drivers who would have taken 280 filling the streets. This is a recipe for traffic and transit misery. Gather your possessions, close down your computer, and leave now!

Playing in traffic on 280: Jason Rodman