This Bay Area commute ranked California's most frustrating, new survey finds
Many drivers saying they would pay money to avoid the congestion. Do you agree with the results?
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The commute from the MacArthur Maze to the Bay Bridge has been ranked the most frustrating commute in California in a new nationwide survey, with many drivers saying they would pay money to avoid the congestion.
The survey was done by Resume.IO of 3,000 people across the country. According to a story in the Mercury News, the survey results indicate that the drive through MacArthur Maze from the East Bay as the state's most aggravating commute. Respondents also indicated they would be willing to give up an average of $3,200 in annual salary to avoid it.
For many Bay Area drivers, the ranking comes as little surprise.
"It's annoying and frustrating," said Emeryville resident Jojo McGathon.
"Traffic is crazy. My commute is about 45 minutes just getting into the City," McGathon said.
Oakland resident Freddie Chaviera shared a similar view.
"Yea this is all a mess over here. Like you said the MacArthur. Kind of the mess there," Chaviera said.
ABC7 Insider Phil Matier said the MacArthur Maze serves as a convergence point for traffic traveling throughout Northern California.
"The MacArthur Maze is the east anchor of the Bay Bridge. But it is also great conduit going north and south along the East Bay," Matier said. "From Sacramento to San Jose. And also out into the Central Valley along 580 all the way to Tracy. So everyone converges on this spaghetti patch of roadway."
Matier noted that the volume of traffic eventually narrows significantly before crossing the Bay.
"Twenty two lanes of it eventually funnels down to five lanes crossing the Bay Bridge," he said. "You put that North-South-East-West traffic all together and you have what's called a headache."
The survey found that drivers would be willing to sacrifice about $3,200 in annual income to avoid the commute. That equates to roughly $13 per workday.
Some drivers told ABC7 they would pay even more.
"I'd pay up to $20 at the most," McGathon said.
Tiburon resident Raul Saavedra agreed.
Raul: $20.
Suzanne: You'd pay up to $20 every day?
Raul: Correct. Correct.
McGathon acknowledged the reluctance many commuters feel about paying extra but said avoiding congestion has value.
"I don't know. I don't want to pay at all. But you know. We'd make it work," she said.
MORE: Here's where commute traffic is increasing, decreasing in the Bay Area
John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said the survey highlights how frustrating Bay Area traffic can be.
"What I find fascinating is people putting a price on congestion avoidance," Goodwin said.
"It really does underscore how frustrating travel through the maze or approaching the maze or approaching the bay bridge can be," he said.
Still, Goodwin noted traffic volumes have not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.
"The numbers are not anywhere near where they were pre pandemic," he said.
"Broadly speaking our bridge travel is 90% to what it was in 2019."
Drivers interviewed said commute times can vary dramatically depending on construction, lane closures and crashes. One commuter from Tiburon said the drive into San Francisco can take about 40 minutes on a good day with little traffic.
According to the survey, the second most frustrating commute in California is on the U.S. 101 Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles, followed by the Sepulveda Pass.
The survey also found that 46% of respondents nationwide said they had rejected a job because the commute was too long or too difficult.
