As the Bay Area economy begins to reopen, what about congestion on Bay Area freeways?
Even though the number of cars on Bay Area freeways have come close to the numbers pre-pandemic, traffic congestion is still below what would be “normal”. Congestion levels, measured by CalTrans as “vehicle hours of delay”, remain below what they were before the pandemic. The reason for this is that the “peak” commute hour(s) have changed. Morning and evening rush hours have seen the biggest shift.
The takeaway is that while the number of cars on Bay Area roads is increasing, the rush is more spread out, hence fewer bottle necks.
Jack & Carolyn talked about this on the Morning Breeze. Listen here: