We get further confirmation today that traffic on Bay Area freeways has jumped a staggering 70 percent since 2010. A report released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission brings us the unwelcome truth, along with the revelation that traffic now is as bad as it's ever been since 1981 — the year the MTC began keeping track.
This report only reiterates the findings of a national traffic study released in March covering 2015 that put San Francisco third in the country for congestion, behind only LA and DC. And it confirms why morning rush hour heading to the Bay Bridge has only gotten earlier and earlier in the last few years.
The Chronicle picked up the report, and explained that at the heart of the matter is what's called “congested delay” — when drivers are moving at speeds at or below 35 miles per hour.
You see, that happens quite a bit around these parts.
“The congestion data really underscore both the robust job growth we’ve seen in the South Bay and San Francisco, and the persistent imbalance between where those jobs are located and where comparatively affordable housing can be found,” Santa Clara County Supervisor and MTC Chair Dave Cortese said in a press release. “Routes leading into or out of Silicon Valley and San Francisco dominate the Top 10 [worst commutes], and they account for almost half of all congestion in the region.”
According to MTC data, which covers 2015, when it comes to traffic the single worst stretch of freeway is the afternoon drive on the 101/I-80 from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island (check the map below for the full list of the top ten worst Bay Area commutes).
“We all feel the impacts of traffic congestion in our daily commutes,” San Jose Mayor and MTC Commissioner Sam Liccardo explained in a press release. “But today’s data starkly demonstrates how quickly we need to invest in real solutions that can provide congestion relief expanding mass transit, improving our roads and highways, and more.”
Related: Early Bird Gets The Smog: Traffic Now Worst On Bay Bridge Between 5 And 6 AM
