Questions for the locals... on traffic.
I'm coming up the 5 from SoCal.
There are many routes, I figure if I leave OC around 10AM I'll miss the LA traffic but that will put me in the Bay Area perilously to Friday afternoon rush hour. Around 3PM.
Should I take 5 to the 580N (Dublin) to 680N (Walnut Creek - Concord) to 780N (Vallejo) to SR 37W to the 101N on Novato and then up to Petaluma?
Or- should I take the 580N to Richmond, cross the bridge to San Rafael (Sahn Rah Fah El ) and then 101N to Petaluma.
I'm concerned that if I hit the Hayward traffic on the 580 at 3 or 4PM it will be hell though Oakland up to Richmond, San Rafael- and Novato. I'll be in the middle of the East Bay friday evening rush hour.
Going a bit inland to Vallejo and over the north of the Bay looks like lighter traffic but the roads there are narrower.
I assume the rush hour will be from 4 to 8....
I'm coming up the 5 from SoCal.
There are many routes, I figure if I leave OC around 10AM I'll miss the LA traffic but that will put me in the Bay Area perilously to Friday afternoon rush hour. Around 3PM.
Should I take 5 to the 580N (Dublin) to 680N (Walnut Creek - Concord) to 780N (Vallejo) to SR 37W to the 101N on Novato and then up to Petaluma?
Or- should I take the 580N to Richmond, cross the bridge to San Rafael (Sahn Rah Fah El ) and then 101N to Petaluma.
I'm concerned that if I hit the Hayward traffic on the 580 at 3 or 4PM it will be hell though Oakland up to Richmond, San Rafael- and Novato. I'll be in the middle of the East Bay friday evening rush hour.
Going a bit inland to Vallejo and over the north of the Bay looks like lighter traffic but the roads there are narrower.
I assume the rush hour will be from 4 to 8....
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I recommend 5 to 580 to Richmond - San Rafael bridge (that person was joking - we NoCal folks just say San (short "a") Rafael (no elongating vowels) - Hwy 37 is a real bottleneck at many times of day. Nice views, but long drive time. Then take 101 N at San Rafael and settle in for the drive.
If you are driving fast with few/no stops, you might make Livermore (traffic is the wildcard), San Leandro or Oakland, but you'll still have a drive through the congested Bay Area.
Rush "hour" is from about 3:30 pm to about 7:00-7:30 pm, with Friday being the worst/longest. Bridge tolls are now $7.00 I believe.
When I had to make trips to and from SoCal I would leave at around 4:00 am to miss the the respective rush hours. If you leave at 10:00, you will likely be hitting Friday traffic, which will make you wonder how there can be so many people everywhere!
If you are driving fast with few/no stops, you might make Livermore (traffic is the wildcard), San Leandro or Oakland, but you'll still have a drive through the congested Bay Area.
Rush "hour" is from about 3:30 pm to about 7:00-7:30 pm, with Friday being the worst/longest. Bridge tolls are now $7.00 I believe.
When I had to make trips to and from SoCal I would leave at around 4:00 am to miss the the respective rush hours. If you leave at 10:00, you will likely be hitting Friday traffic, which will make you wonder how there can be so many people everywhere!
If you download and use Waze on your phone, it will plot a route to get you to Petaluma in the shortest time, depending on the vagaries of the traffic that day. Google maps is actually based on the Waze "engine". Cheers.
It's a vacation, so I'm not leaving at 4AM. Been there done that to go to Saint Josey before. Friday morning is "light" in SoCal freeways so if I take the 405-605-210-5 I will bypass most of the West Side and downtown traffic... which is "light" at around 10AM. But that puts me in the Bay Area at the beginning of rush hour. I figure with one stop for gas/pee at Santa Nella, I ought to be around Oakland by 4PM at the latest.
The wildcard will be the 5 on the Central Valley. It can be a PITA. Normally, in our trips to the Puget Sound, we take SR99 but that will put me out by Stockton/Sacramento. Which is a long way around. Although the westbound 80 would be reasonable at that time of the day.
Yeah, the drives on SR37 both times I've taken it were slow, but I was driving South from the Puget Sound then and so it was more convenient. You need a freeway there!
Thanks. I guess I figure I'll allow for two hours to make it from Oakland to Petaluma. Three? My normal drives from SoCal to the Bay Area are about 6 hours (avoiding traffic)... often just going from the 5 to the 101 at Gilroy.
Please be aware that only over the last few days that the 580W to 680N ramp has been entirely reworked for maintenance and there is a significant backup from 3PM to say 6:30PM on weekdays. I don't know when the work is completed but looks like will be a while (e.g. weeks). You will no doubt see the backup on Waze or the like as you approach. I would plan this while viewing the path as you come into the Bay area. Perhaps Vasco => Hwy 4 as an option but check that too. In any other time 580W => 680N path toward N.Bay is best. -Tom
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That's in Dublin, huh? Is SR4W a freeway from Concord to the 80?
If it's early enough, I could take surface streets to do the 580W to 680N interchange, then go North to SR4W, and out to the 80S and come down to the bridge that way. I've done that drive and it was counter to the rush hour. It takes me out of the East Bay.
Come to think about it, I've taken the 24 before several times... that might also work, 580W, 680N. 24W and back on 580W (80N). I'll still hit rush hour from Oakland to Richmond.
My idea is to loop around the East Bay and come down to the bridge from the opposite side of the rush hour... if possible.
Coming back, on Monday mid morning it should be easy... 101S->580E-> 5S->405S (high speed route)
If it's early enough, I could take surface streets to do the 580W to 680N interchange, then go North to SR4W, and out to the 80S and come down to the bridge that way. I've done that drive and it was counter to the rush hour. It takes me out of the East Bay.
Come to think about it, I've taken the 24 before several times... that might also work, 580W, 680N. 24W and back on 580W (80N). I'll still hit rush hour from Oakland to Richmond.
My idea is to loop around the East Bay and come down to the bridge from the opposite side of the rush hour... if possible.
Coming back, on Monday mid morning it should be easy... 101S->580E-> 5S->405S (high speed route)
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I made the drive last weekend to take a look at the various routes from my location. Saturday and Sunday morning traffic around the bay is free sailing and not a concern. I live in Danville over in the eastbay not far from the 680. My route was 680 north to Hwy 4 west, which takes you over the hill to 80E toward Vallejo and Hwy 37. It's a good alternative if you want to avoid the intersections at 580/80.
As mentioned above, Hwy 37 gets pinched down to one lane each way as it crosses the marsh at the top of the bay. This causes some traffic backup, but not too bad... It picks up quickly. As you make your way west toward Hwy 101, I highly recommend that you take the Lakeville country road going north instead of Hwy 101. Its a very nice drive going directly into Petaluma. The reason I mention this is because there's significant road work being done on Hwy 101 between Hwy 37 and Petaluma, which involves pinching the traffic down to 2 lanes each way for 8 miles. Even on a Sunday afternoon the traffic was jammed up. Lakeville will run into Hwy 101 in Petaluma where you can get on it going north for about a mile and exit E. Washington st. for the Community center.
As mentioned above, Hwy 37 gets pinched down to one lane each way as it crosses the marsh at the top of the bay. This causes some traffic backup, but not too bad... It picks up quickly. As you make your way west toward Hwy 101, I highly recommend that you take the Lakeville country road going north instead of Hwy 101. Its a very nice drive going directly into Petaluma. The reason I mention this is because there's significant road work being done on Hwy 101 between Hwy 37 and Petaluma, which involves pinching the traffic down to 2 lanes each way for 8 miles. Even on a Sunday afternoon the traffic was jammed up. Lakeville will run into Hwy 101 in Petaluma where you can get on it going north for about a mile and exit E. Washington st. for the Community center.
To all aforementioned:
RE: Lakeville Road. Absolutely correct. Undivided road high speed & lights on r'qd.
As anywhere, all of the aforementioned options are optionally good, indifferent or bad depending on myriad variables just as in L.A. and Orange County (I'm from L.A.) and that is why I strongly recommend using a tool(s) like Waze app when you get here as you come in from N5 onto W580 the East Bd traffic will make you feel like you are back in S.Cal and if wreck-free your path will be smooth to any of the pre-computed highly variable options mentioned above. I am sure the 580W to 680N problem will still be in place but most of these traffic apps can deal with this very cleanly. Your experiences in S.Cal in traffic avoidance will serve you well here in Nor Cal! When I drive down from NorCal to SoCal I constantly use at least two apps simultaneously 1) the basic Tesla app and 2) Waze the latter of which I have used even in Europe and it has always done well. Please note, as bad as we Bay area folk think traffic is nowadays it pales against the savage [ Valley : L.A. : OC ] traffic situation which are traffic's Major Leagues. Bay area is merely AAA.
RE: Lakeville Road. Absolutely correct. Undivided road high speed & lights on r'qd.
As anywhere, all of the aforementioned options are optionally good, indifferent or bad depending on myriad variables just as in L.A. and Orange County (I'm from L.A.) and that is why I strongly recommend using a tool(s) like Waze app when you get here as you come in from N5 onto W580 the East Bd traffic will make you feel like you are back in S.Cal and if wreck-free your path will be smooth to any of the pre-computed highly variable options mentioned above. I am sure the 580W to 680N problem will still be in place but most of these traffic apps can deal with this very cleanly. Your experiences in S.Cal in traffic avoidance will serve you well here in Nor Cal! When I drive down from NorCal to SoCal I constantly use at least two apps simultaneously 1) the basic Tesla app and 2) Waze the latter of which I have used even in Europe and it has always done well. Please note, as bad as we Bay area folk think traffic is nowadays it pales against the savage [ Valley : L.A. : OC ] traffic situation which are traffic's Major Leagues. Bay area is merely AAA.
The Bay Area is smaller than SoCal. We got lots more freeways.
One thing I've noticed though, is that the traffic in the Bay Area is slower and ANGRY. The only place I've seen Priuses driven in anger.
The place is more crowded, freeways have tighter turns, seemingly narrower, people seem to want to cut off each other. SoCal is actually mellow, the Bay Area is not. NorCal... proper, not the Bay Area, is actually pretty cool.
In SoCal it's either and stop and go... or everybody is cruising in near formation at 80 mph. The Valley is the craziest, downtown LA area is a 3rd World Country, the South Bay ( Torrance ) is First World, East LA is nuts... Riverside/San Bernardino gets jammed when it first gets hot in the season as old cars overheat and The OC is Paradise on Wheels -at 1AM.
Navi wise, when I travel I preset my in car Honda Navi to the main route.. and then I use my cell phone for changes and updates. Mostly, I want to figure out my preferred route before leaving minimizing time/traffic conditions and known construction and then I will use the secondary tool to manage real time traffic, accidents and weather.
One thing I've noticed though, is that the traffic in the Bay Area is slower and ANGRY. The only place I've seen Priuses driven in anger.
The place is more crowded, freeways have tighter turns, seemingly narrower, people seem to want to cut off each other. SoCal is actually mellow, the Bay Area is not. NorCal... proper, not the Bay Area, is actually pretty cool.
In SoCal it's either and stop and go... or everybody is cruising in near formation at 80 mph. The Valley is the craziest, downtown LA area is a 3rd World Country, the South Bay ( Torrance ) is First World, East LA is nuts... Riverside/San Bernardino gets jammed when it first gets hot in the season as old cars overheat and The OC is Paradise on Wheels -at 1AM.
Navi wise, when I travel I preset my in car Honda Navi to the main route.. and then I use my cell phone for changes and updates. Mostly, I want to figure out my preferred route before leaving minimizing time/traffic conditions and known construction and then I will use the secondary tool to manage real time traffic, accidents and weather.
By the way, in case it hasn't already been stated, there is a large shopping center directly across the street from the Community Center that has plenty of restaurants where one can get lunch without spending more time to head into old town. There is also a Friedman's hardware store (very large) for those in need of supplies/tools when setting up their gear for demonstration if needed.
Zenductor at Burning Amp!
I just got an email from Nelson Pass and Mike Rothacher on the BAF'23 Build Camp project:
That transistor will be a New-Old-Stock IRFP048 Mosfet, and Build Campers will be building a pair of naked mono-blocks.
In other news it looks like we will be able to do a Zoom event on Sunday.
As I have been promising for the last two weeks, tickets on sale REAL SOON NOW!
-Tom-
I just got an email from Nelson Pass and Mike Rothacher on the BAF'23 Build Camp project:
That transistor will be a New-Old-Stock IRFP048 Mosfet, and Build Campers will be building a pair of naked mono-blocks.
In other news it looks like we will be able to do a Zoom event on Sunday.
As I have been promising for the last two weeks, tickets on sale REAL SOON NOW!
-Tom-
I may be able to lend a hand here, though I don't have a paid Zoom account or much gear to offer aside from a laptop and a Focusrite audio interface. That said, I do have some experience in corporate videoconferencing - so PM me with details of what's needed and I'll see if I can help.
Tickets go on sale in 20 minutes, 2:00pm PDT 8/22/23!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burnin...cs-celebrate-their-hobby-tickets-695560479117
-Tom-
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burnin...cs-celebrate-their-hobby-tickets-695560479117
-Tom-
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