Commute from the city to Walnut Creek? (San Francisco, Sunnyvale: home, living)

[fakeplastictrees]

Hi everyone,
I currently work in Walnut Creek but am looking to move to the city. My boyfriend works in Mt. View and we're looking to move in together sooner rather than later. The best place in between for us is San Francisco. He's able to take a shuttle to work, but I'd have to drive.

What's the commute like from the city to Walnut Creek? I'm a teacher so I'd be leaving early...like 6:30am...

[Think About It!]

I would guess you're going the opposite way of traffic so it should not be that bad, all relatively speaking of course.

Best way to find out is to do it.

[18Montclair]

6:30 is a good time. I think 15 minutes earlier might be better.

The Eastbound Caldecott Tunnel is heavy in the morning between 7ish-10am. Sometimes its stacked up all the way to noon. This will go away in a few years when the 4th bore of the tunnel is completed-but for now it can be pretty painful.

Oh, and coming home in the evening, you will encounter a heavy jam westbound at the tunnel as well, and then possibly at the Macarthur Maze and across the entire span of the Bay Bridge, depending on the situation that day because we can never predict what's going to happen on the Bay Bridge.

[fakeplastictrees]

Hmm...I wonder if BARTing and leaving a car at BART may work...

[mayorhaggar]

I think they ticket cars that are left overnight but don't quote me on that.

[fakeplastictrees]

Any other input, guys? Do you think it'd be miserable? My commute is 10 minutes right now so it'll be hard at first to get used to it.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

I think they ticket cars that are left overnight but don't quote me on that.

Not necessarily overnight. They ticket cars that are left more than 24 hours at a time, except on the weekend. So parking a car just to go from BART to work and back is fine. It's one of their smartest policies.

[teknodudes]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

6:30 is a good time. I think 15 minutes earlier might be better.

The Eastbound Caldecott Tunnel is heavy in the morning between 7ish-10am. Sometimes its stacked up all the way to noon. This will go away in a few years when the 4th bore of the tunnel is completed-but for now it can be pretty painful.

Oh, and coming home in the evening, you will encounter a heavy jam westbound at the tunnel as well, and then possibly at the Macarthur Maze and across the entire span of the Bay Bridge, depending on the situation that day because we can never predict what's going to happen on the Bay Bridge.

I commute to walnut creek as well and agree with the above comments. I would add that the thursday and friday evening commute is awful. It usually takes me close to 1 hr 30 min or more on those two days. Luckily, I live close to the freeway, so I don't have to deal with city street traffic.

I left work at 7pm a few times on thurdays and still encountered heavy traffic. Maybe it's the recent time change and weather that is affecting traffic. Another thing is that during baseball season, traffic at the toll bridge can get really backed up.

[fakeplastictrees]

What's the commute like on Cal Train from the city to Mountain View? My boyfriend works/lives in the South Bay and I work/live in the East Bay (Walnut Creek). We're trying to find a place in between where we can live and still not be miserable because of our commutes.

[Jarkatmu]

Originally Posted by fakeplastictrees

What's the commute like on Cal Train from the city to Mountain View? My boyfriend works/lives in the South Bay and I work/live in the East Bay (Walnut Creek). We're trying to find a place in between where we can live and still not be miserable because of our commutes.

As long as you get the baby bullet express, it's not too bad. While the trip takes 45 minutes from 4th and King (SF Mission Bay), the seats are generally more comfortable than BART, there are bathrooms, and if you get one of the newer trains, the cars are extremely quiet.

With that said, Caltrain can have some pretty bad meltdowns since it's chronically underfunded and the equipment breaks down. Occasionally, people decide to kill themselves by jumping in front of the train which delays service by at least an hour, if not more. These events are relatively infrequent, but they can still induce major commuting headaches. But, a few headaches are beter than the permanent migrane from the 101 conduit of misery.

Getting to and from Caltrain stations can be an issue. The only stations in San Francisco are at 22nd street, underneath interstate 280, and at 4th and King, near ATT park. Caltrain connects with BART at Millbrae, but the connection is convoluted, untimed, and the trip on BART to Millbrae is excruciatingly slow. Catch the Millbrae BART connection off peak, and you get the scenic tour through the international airport. Connecting to Caltrain with MUNI is a recipe for missing your train so I would recommend living within walking or biking distance of a Caltrain or BART station to make the trek more predictable.

Once in Mountain View, your boyfriend may find it easy to get to work or rather difficult. If he works in downtown, easy! Just walk. If he works out in the North Bayshore area, that's not too bad. Most employers offer shuttles and Caltrain provides a shuttle that is timed to connect with certain trains. VTA light rail also connects the job centers on the South side of the city, near Moffett field and Sunnyvale. Anywhere along El Camino is going to be more difficult.

Consider cycling as a solution for the "last mile" between one or both stations. Caltrain allows hundreds of bikes on board precisely because destinations are so far from their stations and connecting transit is slow. Often, cycling is the fastest and most reliable way to connect with your train.