Commuting from the East Bay to San Ramon
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Commuting to San Ramon from North Berkeley
Feb 2016
I am considering taking a job in San Ramon and wondering what the commute would be like from North Berkeley. On paper it looks like 40 minutes which is manageable, but I don't know what traffic is like in this direction. Does anyone have a similar commute and can comment on what the commute is like? Thanks very much. anon
I can't imagine it would only be 40 minutes. I commuted to Bishop Ranch from the south side of Walnut Creek (i.e. I'd get on 680 at South Main) and it would take me 30-35 minutes to get there in the morning and close to an hour to get home, and that's without any major accidents, just regular commute traffic. I rode my bike once a week and it would take me the same amount of time to ride home as it took to drive home. That commute up 680 N in the evening is horrible. Erin
I've done this commute for years. If I leave before 6am, the door to door time is 40-45 minutes. Major delays are rare in the morning at this time. The time increases the later I leave. I go up Marin and over grizzly peak to fish ranch to 24. I used to take 80 to 580 to 24, but it's a route much more likely to have significant delays. Going 580 to 680 is a greater distance than 24 to 680. In the afternoon I try to leave San Ramon by 4 pm and it takes 45-60 plus minutes. Traffic is often heavy and slow on 680N but usually moves well on 24 toward Berkeley. heading 680s from San Ramon is very slow in the afternoon, lots of commuters heading to 580, then a lot of traffic on 580. good luck, Another San Ramon commuter
There is no public transportation or back roads. 680 has a car pool lane for part of your commute. But don't expect it to move much faster. When the freeways so does the car pool lane. Half of the commute to SR will be reverse. From Walnut Creek to SR will take 25-35 minutes normal commute - no rain/accidents. The reverse is an entirely different story. From San Ramon to Walnut Creek it typically takes an hour to an hour and a half. Expect to sit in traffic for 15 to 20 minutes just to get to the next exit. The problem is 3 lanes of 24 East are merging with 5 lanes of 680 North. From 680/24 won't be much or a problem until you clear the tunnel. Than expect heavy traffic a;; the way to North Berkeley. You can most of the traffic if you leave Berkeley before 6 am or after 9:30. To get home you'll want to leave SR prompt before 2:45 or wait until after 7:15. If it rains add another 45 minutes to an hour. In the summer it lets up a little. With all of the new building that's going on expect traffic to get much worse. ANON
I don't go to San Ramon, but commute from Rockridge in Oakland to Walnut Creek, and it generally takes 15 minutes door to door. San Ramon is probably another 10 minutes. Fortunately, now that the 4th bore of the Caldecott Tunnel is open, this reverse commute is a breeze. My husband used to work in San Ramon before the 4th bore and it took him close to an hour each way. So, I don't think your commute would be too bad from Oakland. From Berkeley it would be worse if you have to take Hwy. 80 to get to 24. If you can take the back way (San Pablo Dam Rd), it's faster.
Oh noooooo. My husband did this commute (from both Berkeley and Oakland to San Ramon) for the past 3 years or so, and it was terrible. 45 minutes of stop and go traffic or roughly an hour on public transportation. He switched jobs earlier this year and now works in Emeryville, and I can't even describe how much our quality of life has improved. No more getting up at 5:15am just so he can get to work early-ish so that he could leave by 4:45pm to make it home by 6 or 6:30pm.
Would not recommend.
Hi,
We just moved to Berkeley and my husband works in San Ramon. I'll be happy to answer your questions.
Feel free to PM me.
Virginie
I've never done that reverse commute on a regular basis but have a suggestion. (I call it a reverse commute because the traffic is always much worse in the opposite direction.)
(Note: you can select any time by clicking on the arrow next to 'Leave now' and selecting 'Depart at'. But you will get more accurate info, including accidents or construction, if you use 'leave now'.)
Do this for several days (especially on a Friday) to see what the commute time would be.
I tested this by typing a random address in San Ramon and got the following results for a commute from my Oakland home: 24 minutes driving (at 8:30 pm) or 8 hours and 24 minutes if I walk.
Thanks everyone! It didn't seem wise but wanted to check.