Ricardo Cano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.By Danielle T. “The new normal appears not to have come into focus yet,” Goodwin said. Goodwin said it’s too soon to tell whether traffic will worsen or alleviate in the long run, citing previous twists and turns during the pandemic. John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which operates most Bay Area toll bridges, said traffic on the Bay Bridge has stayed in a “pattern of stasis” since spring, similar to BART’s ridership - which has generally held flat since reaching pandemic record highs this past spring. Saturday, the second busiest day before the pandemic, has been pushed out of the top three by Thursday and Wednesday. The most popular days on the Bay Bridge have also shifted slightly.
#BAY AREA TRAFFIC PLUS#
Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts. Overall, traffic patterns in July were similar to pre-COVID patterns. hours on Fridays eclipsed 2019 levels, but was quicker to subside. hour has also dropped significantly with fewer early bird commuters trying to beat the morning traffic rush.īay Bridge traffic during the 6 and 7 a.m. Still, hourly traffic data shows changes in peak congestion times as many of the region’s employers settle into their long-term office schedules.įor example, the Bay Bridge, the bellwether for the region’s traffic patterns, has actually seen worse peak morning congestion on Fridays - the most trafficked day before and during the pandemic - than it did in 2019, even with fewer cars passing its tolls. Morning traffic commutes on the Golden Gate Bridge, in particular, are down 30%. Though comparable data for the Golden Gate Bridge was not immediately available, a spokesperson for the transportation district that manages the bridge said traffic remains about 20% below pre-pandemic figures. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge has recovered about 88% of its pre-pandemic traffic levels. Traffic on three bridges - Benicia-Martinez and the South Bay’s Dumbarton and San Mateo-Hayward bridges - sat at 80% of 2019 levels or lower. Three of the Bay Area’s toll bridges - the Bay, Carquinez and Antioch bridges - saw more than 90% of pre-COVID traffic levels passing through toll plazas in July compared with the same month in 2019. Meanwhile, traffic on other Bay Area bridges remains far below pre-pandemic levels.Īnd the historic rise in gas prices appears to have not had any measurable impact on driving activity in the region, as Bay Bridge traffic has notably risen since March, even as the region’s gas prices began climbing sharply in late February - signaling that Bay Area motorists endured prices at the pump rather than scale back their driving activity. More than two years since the start of the pandemic, traffic on the Bay Bridge has nearly rebounded to 2019 levels with slight changes to its busiest days and peak congestion times, according to a Chronicle analysis of traffic data. Traffic on bridges nose-dived in April 2020 after shelter-in-place orders and tanked again during winter case surges. If you want to see the ebbs and flows of activity in the Bay Area during the pandemic, look no further than the region’s bridges. Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less During peak morning commute hours on Friday, traffic surpasses 2019 levels. Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of3Ĭars and trucks approach the Bay Bridge metering lights in Oakland. Traffic on the bridge has recovered to nearly 2019 levels. Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of3Ĭars and trucks approach the Bay Bridge in Oakland. The Bay Bridge’s peak hours have surpassed 2019 levels, and the busiest days have shifted.
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