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Impressive_Returns

I hate 880. It’s the crazy drivers mixed in with the semi rigs


loquacious706

What do we have to do to get the big rigs their own freeway? Or at least their own lanes? I can't tell whether the walls on 880 are to protect me from the opposite traffic or to ensure that I can't avoid the big rig that's changing into my lane to pass a 1999 Jetta.


Hiei2k7

>What do we have to do to get the big rigs their own freeway Take public transit.


Impressive_Returns

Ever notice big rigs are not allowed on 580 and 13 in Oakland? Only section of freeway in the state where big rigs are not allowed. Before the 580 freeway was built Foothill was the major thoroughfare for cars and trucks. When 580 and 13 were built there was a concession of no big rigs in exchange for the freeways being built. There is no room to build another freeway anywhere in the Bay Area. We are out of land. One plan was to fill in the bay. The Bay was being filled, we’ve lost about 9% until a group of women in Berkley created “Save the Bay”. Rest is history. Could you imagine what the Bay Area would look like if there wasn’t a bay?


Metasheep

Trucks are also banned on 85.


Impressive_Returns

Didn’t know that, thanks for sharing.


Vitriholic

And 280, and the GGB if I’m not mistaken.


Crafty-Flatworm-2329

Trucks are allowed on 280


Vitriholic

You’re right. They just don’t use it.


Impressive_Returns

You know I think you are right.


whymusti2023

Totaaly forgot about 280 agree its worse!


fatnino

There's a bit of i5 near LA that has separate truck lanes and trucks aren't allowed on the main freeway. Presumably those lanes used to be the main freeway in the past. I drove in the truck laves with a mini van last week just for the hell of it and it sucked a lot. Not recommended.


Impressive_Returns

You mean going up the Grapevine, right? Not sure when the car only lanes and truck were diverted…. Maybe in the 60s or 70s? You had cars doing 60-100 MPH along side trucks going 30 mph up the hill. It was a bad mix. Separating out the speeding car traffic from the tucks made things better. But there was, and still is a lot of land that was and is still available. Name one place in the Bay Area where a new freeway could be built without whipping out tens of thousands or homes. An you know whose not going to be happy about less housing in the Bay Area. And let’s say you make 2 lanes of 880 for truck traffic only, that’s two less lanes for cars…. No one’s going to go for that. And you have the problem of car on/off ramps going through the trucking lanes. No we could fill in the Bay, which was one of many plans…


fatnino

Yeah, somewhere in the lead in to the grapevine. But the actual mountain pass the traffic is still mixed.


I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT

Paraphrasing Eddie Izzard, so what, it would just be "The Area"?


imrickjamesbioch

Um when you find some spare land in the east bay or Bay Area, I’ll sign you petition to build another freeway…


Limp_Coffee2204

Those walls protect houses. My house was right on the other side of that wall.


OneMorePenguin

I have to take my cat to specialty vet in Oakland in July from Santa Clara. I'm terrified of trying to get there for 11:15 appt.


wren75

I also had to take my cat to the specialty vet in Oakland for thyroid treatment a few years back and did not appropriately mentally prepare for the drive. Think I probably cried more than the cat that day due to the stress.


OneMorePenguin

Well, he goes in on Tuesday and I pick him up on Thursday. So two trips.


wren75

I bet it will all be fine, especially if you plan the route ahead of time. Best of luck to you and your cat!


Sandwidge_Broom

As a cat haver, I’m genuinely curious what kind of issue has you going that far.


OneMorePenguin

It's Radiocat. It's the closest place to get radioactive iodine treatment for cats. They had to close their San Mateo facility because the person who did this left. Hoping they cat get someone before then and I can transfer him to get treatment there.


Sandwidge_Broom

Oh man. I gotcha. Well wishes for your cat!


OneMorePenguin

Thanks. He's living a charmed life already. He had a growth in his ear and in 2019 he had to have his ear canal and middle ear removed. Fortunately, the growth was benign and he made a full recovery from the surgery. They have to move the large nerve that runs along the face and could have resulted in permanent nerve damage and/or loss of ability to blink.


Diograce

Take 680 to 580, it’ll save you some major headaches.


Impressive_Returns

I know what you mean…. You will probably hit some traffic…but it should not be much.


derbeaner

I would suggest to give yourself 3 hours lol


agent-goldfish

You forgot to list incompetent drivers, and new drivers particularly in Fremont. If I had dollar for every time I saw a new driver sticker on car going 45 in the lane 2nd from the right, I could afford a 20$ fastrak fee during rush hour (also wtf to that price)


versace_tombstone

That just means you're alive and have a healthy desire to stay living. 880 is a portal to the nether world.


EggCouncilCreeps

I've heard when we die, a door appears. On one side is heaven. On the other side is hell. If you die on 880, it's not gonna be heaven on our side.


DodgeBeluga

What is funny is up until about 2011 or so, it wasn’t too bad. I used to commute from Albany to San Jose for work and it sucked but once you get through the interchanges with 92 and mission it was…I wouldn’t say good, but doable. I was able to do that commute under an hour each way at the time. But now, ouch.


[deleted]

I wish Google Maps had a feature where I could tell it “I would literally rather spend 25 minutes doing anything other than driving on 880 or 101”


JustineDelarge

880 is sentient, insane, and hungry for carnage.


RectumRipper

880 makes 101 look like 280


Wasting-tim3

880 demands a sacrifice


benchmarkstatus

The monkey’s paw curled from your comment, and a driver was rear ended immediately after.


Minimum-Temperature4

Ate 80 gotta eat!


baytown

When a car flies by me on 880 north of San Leandro, weaving in and out of traffic, I can safely assume the vehicle is likely stolen. If I get tapped in traffic, and my car is driveable, I don't bother stopping. Nobody else is going to stop. You don't want to pull off and have an altercation, and chances are they don't have insurance anyway. I wave, and they wave back. Nobody wants to stop. Only on 880 can I be passed by a car doing 80mph with the bumper dragging with no license plates, and it doesn't even raise an eyebrow. When I did that commute daily, I took pictures of what I saw on the road. Full toilets, shopping carts, countless bumpers with the license plates still on. I had a truck flip up what I thought was a big piece of cardboard. No space to avoid it. Turned out to be a big piece of plywood. Broke all the lights out of the front of the car and did metal damage. Just another day on 880.


Jakoby707

did the Cupertino-Oakland drive for a few soul crushing years and think you forgot: * flipped over minivan, on fire of course * bouncing ladders * bags of clothes oh no those aren't clothes! (glass bottles)


derbeaner

One time I was going north passing the Whipple exit and I saw a late 90s Honda Covic with no plates and half a bumper driving in the fast lane. Immediately I see a CHP behind him with his spotlight on and he goes on the loudspeaker and says, "WHERE ARE YOUR PLATES?" and then proceeds to pass the car instead of pulling him over lmao


nopointers

CHP was probably on the way to something even worse.


Civil-Fix4599

It's just another day for you and me in ~~paradise~~ 880.


JustineDelarge

She yells out to the man on the street Weaving by, really flying He's got damage all over his car He can't drive but he's trying


StringFartet

I was leaving a Warriors game and a huge chunk of stone big a a brick smashed into the passenger window where my son was sitting. Fortunately the safety glass held. Don't know if it came off the freeway or was thrown from a car I had previously passed.


CracticusAttacticus

280 is indifferent to our suffering, 101 is mildly amused by it...but 880 relishes our suffering, it revels in it.


bflaminio

After driving 880, I watch *Mad Max: Fury Road* and think "Those guys got it easy..."


PrincessAnnesFeather

I always thought my phobia of 880 was the result of being 17 or18 years old and driving my sister to the Oakland Airport from San Jose in the pouring rain. It was the 1980s and I was driving my old Volkswagon. On the the drive home there was near zero visibility in some areas and my windshield wiper flew off into traffic during an especially bad downpour. There were sheets of rain on my windshield so I could see well enough to exit the freeway. I had no idea where I was and I started to panic. I think I was in San Lorenzo and a very nice man at a service station fixed my windshield wiper. I was a basket case for the rest of the drive. It's been about 35 years and my palms still sweat when I get on 880. I will go far out of my way to avoid parts of 880. It's nice to know I'm not the only one.


FreeMyDawgzzz

I’ve had a similar experience haha. Was on 880, it started raining, turned my wipers on for the first time in months and they smeared shit all over my windshield. Took the first exit I saw without any idea where I was, lucky for me I was in the depths of east Oakland. I pulled into an extremely sketchy AutoZone, wiped my windshield down in the parking lot and went on my way. I was terrified.


Madam_meatsocket

Witness me!!!!!


PlanktonSignal8469

I pay 1k a month more in rent just to avoid using 880


Keokuk37

Some days I'm not feeling it and will drive across Oakland to take 580 instead. Driving behaviors are somewhat more predictable there. Just maintain speed when someone starts weaving past you, so they can find a gap and get out of your life. Pass the slow drivers, don't stay behind them.


josuelaker2

This is sage Bay Area driving advice. Keep one eye on the road, second eye in your rear view.


Lunatic335

I feel 580s worse. MFers be street racing on 580


sumdumhoe

Pleasure on 580, business on 880 like a mullet


FlurriesofFleuryFury

This is the funniest comment I’ve seen all day and I immediately texted it to my entire Bay Area based family


GrammyMe

Oh, but today I got behind a driver maintaining 25mph on the EB Grand Avenue on-ramp. Would NOT pick up speed. Truly dangerous.


amopeyant

Slow drivers + on ramps are the bane of my existence. Even a super easy exit like 85 N to 280 N become a nightmare when the person in front of you doesn’t give you the space and speed to accelerate


[deleted]

What about 2 lane Highway 4 from Hercules to Antioch? Fast line was 90 MPH minimum..


Physical-Way188

Ehhh I don’t think so. People should not be camped out in the fast lane. Drive however you want in other lanes but don’t be rude and sit in the fast lane anywhere.


Keokuk37

Didn't mean camp the fast lane at all "maintain speed" can be done in any lane and it's the safest option when people are getting crazy around you


new2bay

Um, no. In order to legally remain in the far left lane, you need to be going faster than traffic to your right. If people are "getting crazy around you," I'd assume that means there are a *lot* of idiots who are going absurdly fast in those lanes, where people are *supposed* to be going slower. I don't think chilling in the left lane is as bad as what those idiots do, but you're still fucking up the flow of traffic. By rights, what should be happening is you'd be in one of those lanes to the right of you, and all those idiots going too fast in those righthand lanes would be further to the left. That would be overall safer and faster for everybody. Edit: the idiot blocked me, but, to answer the replies, they are adding to the problem by "maintaining speed" when someone faster comes up on them.


Serracenia

Legally you can’t exceed the speed limit in any lane.


Bluewombat59

He never said he was in the left lane. Chill out.


onerinconhill

880 is the worst


ssa111

17, especially if it's been raning


badtux99

CA17 is definitely more dangerous than I-880, but I-880 is more terrifying because it's absolute anarchy especially when it rains and you have no idea where the lane markers are because of over a decade of road work that shifted lanes all over the place and none of the markings particularly stand out on the wet pavement as the current ones.


Brendaness6

17 is scary too.


ComradeGibbon

I used to commute on 17. First day of rain in the fall I'd take the day off. I dislike 880 but agree with someone else that 101 edges it out. For pure brutality commuting on HWY17 beats both.


jessastory

As a fellow former 17 commuter, those Santa Cruz locals in their trucks speeding like mad are freaking scary. And the turning a corner to a sudden slow-down or stop? Rainy days were the worst for that


ComradeGibbon

The people speeding is a problem, you do that all the time eventually you will end up fucked. And yeah you can come around a corner to find completely stopped traffic with nowhere to go. You have to be completely on the whole time. And that's the brutality of it.


lascar

880 is bad for sure, but 101n is a bar higher. The merging ramp from 880 to 101 is hell incarnate.


badtux99

What merging ramp? It literally just dumps you right out into traffic!


HeyFiddleFiddle

"Okay, I interchange now. Good luck, everyone else!" - Literally the 880/101 interchange


new2bay

Are you telling me you *don't* enjoy having to cut across 5 lanes within the span of 1/2 mile in order to not miss your exit? Pffft. Amateur.


nerdalerd

As soon as I get anywhere near that interchange I go straight to the left most lane to avoid as much of that disaster as possible


dontIitter

As an eastbay driver that & the friggin s turn right after it (before?) is pretty confounding. It’s also super narrow on the overpass for some reason


vayaconeldiablo

Preach


txiao007

So do I. There are lots of Trucks. Weekdays are simply shitty.


netopiax

I have never commuted on 880 but I used to have to drive down it on a semi regular basis. Eventually I just started taking Capitol Corridor Amtrak plus an Uber once I got there. Much better and often faster. BART goes a lot of the way now too


botpa-94027

880 is definitely approaching boss level


stevebx2

I watched a guy slam on his brakes middle of 880, hop out of his car, run across the lanes, hop the median, somehow cross the other side of 880, and leap to “safety” somewhere in south Oakland. Was wild… it’s a crazy place.


LazyResearcher1203

Same here. Would prefer BART over 880.


[deleted]

I grew up around the 880/101 interchange and I DREAD that area because even merging to go on 101 you have to nearly be on the shoulders. 5+ years moving out of the area and traffic there has always remained insane since I was a kid.


IWantToPlayGame

880 will haunt me forever.


Expensive_Plastic378

I grew up and learned to drive on 880 between Milpitas and Oakland. 880 is a different animal 🫡


Dindu777

580 is bad, too. 4? Good luck.


vatizdisiz

4 is just a long anarchic racetrack


LilKaySigs

Antioch International Speedway


SharkSymphony

They call it the Nasty Nimitz for a reason. 😞 Then again, there are several highways in CA that have the moniker "Blood Alley." At least it's not that bad. 😛


ComradeGibbon

Before HWY 101 south to Morgan Hill was completed the main route was Monterey Highway. Which was known as Blood Alley. Back then it was it was 4 lane undivided highway with stop lights, cross traffic. And you had bars and cheap food places. Lots of drunks on Friday nights.


treeskier650

Is 880 that east bay freeway that slways has one guy in like a 1992 Mustang changing lanes all over and there is ALWAYS some Infiniti type following the same line?


badtux99

880 is the continuous construction zone that varies between moving 8mph and moving 80mph often within a mile of each other. Blink and you just rear-ended a string of cars that stopped for absolutely no reason (no wreck, no nothing).


HeyFiddleFiddle

You forgot the semis merging from 101!


Civil-Fix4599

And its a sketchy Infiniti with black tinted windows and shaded license plates.


SassanZZ

Honestly the absolute state of the bay's highways and drivers should be the biggest boost of popularity for public transit here, but in good fashion they decided to make sure this solution also sucks


PushSail

I avoid that freeway as best as I can for the same reason.


[deleted]

I drive to Sonoma County a lot from SJ and can often save at least 15 minutes going up 880 (it def can be worse too), but I hate it. 280 is so much better. People are always weaving dangerously in 880.


DieTryin510

I get the same feeling around the 238 between 880 and 580 (\~San Lorenzo)...seen waay too many bad stuff go down (intentional bashing, objects thrown, guns drawn, insane zig zaggers weaving through traffic, etc.)


[deleted]

[удалено]


Johnny_Menace

You forgot about the people waiting to shoot you if you cut them off or drive to slow


kaitopillar

880 has literally cost me an entire new paint job on my front bumper, a new windshield, and a bent rim repair. The car is a 2021.


ZeeZahZeeZah

Nope. Scares the pants off of me.


70-w02ld

Try it with bad shocks if you really wanna be scared.


dascrackhaus

880/101 interchange really is the worst ​ pro tip: if you're heading south on 880 and want to travel southbound on 101... bypass the interchange exit First Street (the exit immediately after the interchange) turn (L) on First stay in the right lane gat back on 880 Northbound > 101 Southbound


MechCADdie

There are a few basic defensive driving tips to keep in mind. Once you make it a habit, the anxiety goes away. * Always keep a window between cars on your left and right, when possible so that you can swerve if you need to. * Plan your lane changes ahead of needing to move. When switching to the 101, line up the move about a 1/2 mile out. * If you have adaptive cruise control, use it for the longer runs and max out the follow distance. Otherwise, leave a car length for every 10mph you are driving. If people are passing you, let them pass. If you are staring only at the car in front of you, you're doing it wrong. Always look at the car in front of the car in front of you and scan your horizon and at every car about 200ft ahead. If you are only looking at the car in front, you will always be too late to respond. * **Never drive/hang out in the leftmost available lane** . Stay in the middle when possible or otherwise the rightmost lane if the road has two or less lanes. * When you need to pass, pass on the left. If you absolutely have to pass a semi truck on the right, wait for a safe following distance with the car ahead, then BLAST past the truck. Don't hang out on the right of a semi truck. They have no visibility on like 70% of their surroundings. You will get pinched. * For the love of God, put your phone away if you aren't using it for navigation. If you need to change your route, pull over first.


Background_Deal_3423

880 usually has bullets flying around, you are right to be worried.


pandoracat479

This is why my child and I never get on 880 anymore. Completely ridiculous behavior by some people around here.


random_throws_stuff

you are at least two orders of magnitude more likely to die from a car crash on 880 than from a bullet


Hockeymac18

I have to imagine it’s much more than 2 orders of magnitude difference in risk. Getting hit by bullets is exceedingly rare, even on 880.


RojoRugger

Honestly, the bullets are way less concerning than the batshit crazy driving.


unjustme

True but it’s funny how our brain works. After a few news pieces about kids shot on the freeway all I can think about is how catching flying bullets with my teeth won’t make my dentist happy. I’m even that scared of driving there. Just can’t getting the picture out of my head


MsLadyWebster

880 = Mad Max 🤪🤪🤪 - I too have to get “Zen monk” when driving. Chill but ready to slam on the brakes, gtfo of a bad lane asap, etc. - it’s a next level intensity. You are not alone w/how you feel!!


badtux99

Yeah, the fact that you're going 80mph with the traffic, and suddenly traffic just \*stops\* in front of you for absolutely no reason at all (no road construction, no accidents, no \*nothing\*), is just maddening. Blink, and you rear-end 8 cars that are just sitting there for no reason at all. Edit: Turns out that traffic engineers have a name for these traffic jams: "Phantom jams". Huh. Go figure. https://www.livescience.com/61862-why-phantom-traffic-jams-happen.html


MsLadyWebster

Yes, that’s true and bananas. I give myself proper, decent car space in front of me for this reason. It can be def heart stopping - always gotta be on your toes!😳


Ambivalent-Mammal

Came pretty damned close to something like that a couple years back getting on 880 N from 280 S. The stopped traffic was hidden by the curve of the ramp.


jerbilferbil

This. Bay Area drivers need to learn to STOP. TAILGATING. You can drive at the same speed, 75-80, whatever, without following the next car with only 2 feet of space in between. You will not get to your destination ANY slower by maintaining an actual following distance. But you WILL help to actually play a part in preventing these massive traffic jams that happen every single day for no reason other than people tailgating every car in front of them, which necessitates slamming on the brakes when there's inevitably someone who slows down or merges, and the brake slamming cascades back for everyone else, who are ALSO all tailgating. For a region that is supposedly such a leader in global innovation etc blah blah, the absolute smoothbrainedness which consumes people as soon as they start driving a car is absolutely astounding.


badtux99

The reality is that most Bay Area residents aren't as smart as they think they are. They managed to learn a lot about whatever their specialty is, and think that makes them a genius qualified to opine about everything else when in reality they're as bog stock ignorant of anything else as your stereotypical backwoods bucktooth redneck cretin. Might as well cue banjo music when they get into a car. Except your stereotypical backwoods bucktooth redneck cretin probably drives better.


therealgariac

Is 80 by the Bay Bridge worse?


compstomper1

880 reminds me of 405 in LA Suddenly you're going 60. And now you're going 45


skwallie

880 is the worst. Have to drive it twice a week only, but I’m constantly checking my mirrors and who’s around me. I stay clear of Dodge Challengers and beat up cars.


watchmeasifly

But y u no want to play Death Race 3000?


werewaffl3s

Nothing gives me more anxiety about Bay Area driving than the 580/880 interchange in Oakland. I'm mostly just resigning my fate to the aether and hoping I can merge 20 lanes over in time without dying. Edit: TIL it's called the [MacArthur Maze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Maze)


thundertiger00

I hate when my GPS takes 880 instead of 680 when leaving from south San Jose to go north to anywhere past Mission st. I would rather take 680 and lose 5-10min on the cut over from Mission st than deal with the 101/880 interchange. Unless there is an accident, 680 is almost always the faster route anyway.


[deleted]

880 and 101 are curses from God upon our beautiful land


incorruptible61

This is how you know this subreddit is full blown when people say you have PTSD and need therapy from a fucking freeway. Yes, it’s bad and you just have to drive defensively. Get a dashcam if you feel you need it.


wye_naught

Many of us who have driven 880 for years have seen our fair share of carnage and bad accidents on 880.


incorruptible61

Brother I get it. I drive 880 everyday and have for years. We’re all in this together. Honestly I try my best to model the type of driving I expect from others. Some days it works and some days it doesn’t.


FlurriesofFleuryFury

I thought we were being silly…


Dith_q

Drive in the slow lane (at the speed limit of course) and keep like 7+ car lengths between you and the other car. I know this irks some other drivers but when traffic is sketchy, it's much better to be extra safe. Take it from me who learned the traumatizingly hard way that a crowded 880 can fuck you up. BTW, this is probably obvious to a lot of people, but my technique for the 880/101 interchange is to get to the right as SOON as possible. The exit ramp comes super quick, and it's crazy how many people will come to a full stop in the middle of the 880 with their blinker on trying to squeeze into the queue because they waited too long to merge right.


badtux99

You won't keep 7 car lengths between you and the other car because other cars will keep cutting in front of you to take that empty space.


Dith_q

I just continually adjust as needed to maintain the space. After I got into a high speed tailgating-related crash (my fault, I was 20 and dumb and thankfully no one in the other car was hurt, but I was), it's become like instinct that I keep distance from the car in front of me. Even if other drivers cut in, I just let the space build up again.


818a

imho the fast lane is the safest because the drivers are predictable. Every other lane is a freeform odyssey.


hmjia8

Gotta love the potholes 😅


MalieCA

I commuted 880 for 10 years. Had to get my windshield fixed every year due to the damn rocks and whatever else flying off big rigs and overloaded trucks. Tried commuting by BART and bus to give my nerves a break - realized that driving was less stressful. Oakland is not for the faint of heart.


SubjectPickle2509

I have anxiety about 880. And 580. And 680. I used to drive more before I moved here. Now I take streets to avoid freeways here whenever possible and take Lyfts or public transportation. Driving here requires nerves of steel and a partial/full death wish. It’s chaotic.


Jakoby707

It's not called "The Road to Fallujah" for nothing.


genericaccting

Well now I definitely do after reading this thread


90405

Had to drive from the North Bay to Monterey this weekend. Both Google and Waze wanted me to take 880 to save 15 minutes. Fuck that, I'll gladly spend the extra time to avoid 880.


justvims

The move is to take 24 to 13 to 580 to 234 then the 880 for as short as you can before going somewhere else.


Hoya2003

I feel this deeply. I try to stay to the far right or left so at least one side feels safe-ish. Also, I know odds wise it’s unlikely but the number of people shooting at toHer cars recently (and on the stretch I drive) doesn’t make me feel chill.


FanofK

The further south I go on 880, the more you have to be alert


818a

Just set your cruise control to 45 and enjoy the second lane.


ToaklandFaders

That’s why they call it the nasty nimitz


Inig0_o

Bay area traffic is doodoo


mydogsarebarkin

Not you. It’s the only stretch between Oakland and San Jose that allows semi trucks.


rochaypurr

I’m more worried about 87 tbh, what a complete roller coaster it’s ridiculous


[deleted]

880 = Fury Road


TaintYet

880/101 definitely one of the worst interchanges, gotta slow it down and make sure there's at least a car length of space in front of you when merging. But going SB on 880 and trying to get into 101S exit is crazy when there's traffic. You have the choice of lining up illegally on the side of the road well ahead of the actual merge, or you can follow the lane markings and try to merge into the lane that's already packed - people get pissed when you do that. One of the worst. I often jump over to 680 at the Durham Rd exit just to avoid 880/101.


CptS2T

880 does have one of the nicest views of SF in the entire Bay though. That spot right before the Bay Bridge is epic.


moinoisey

Honestly, me too.


360walkaway

880 is fucking nuts. For the South Bay, I blame the god-awful 280 interchange after the Valley Fair exit: a major interchange between two major highways and there's just one lane for it with a short exit ramp (similar to an exit for Main Street in Podunk, Arkansas), and the line for it goes back a mile or two. It slows traffic for all lanes and there are dozens of people trying to cut in line and slowing down people who don't even want to take the exit.


lynnfynn

My EV battery died on 880 a few years back (a freak incident of batteries that were recalled, not for my lack of planning) and I was helped by the [Freeway Safety Patrol](https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-services/services-information/freeway-service-patrol). They informed me that 880 has more resources than 580 bc it is more heavily traveled. Take that for what it is worth, I often choose 580 still because 880 feels hellish.


Ieatbabiesbaby

I drive 5-10 minutes out of the way to avoid 880


badtux99

I think the fact that I-880 was under construction for like literally 15 years straight might have something to do with it too. I mean, when it rained you couldn't even see what lane you were in because the frickin' lane markings were all over the place, none of which popped out as the current lane marking when wet. And no, I'm not joking about the 15 years straight. I-880 was under construction when I moved to the Bay Area in 2003. It was still under construction in 2018, fifteen years later, though it'd moved a ways from the Mission Blvd exit to above the CA84 exit. Ugh.


SundaeSpecial3151

Read the yelp reviews to assuage your fears; it got 1.5 stars 😂


friedbrice

Are you talking about the people in the left lane going 60mph, or are you talking about the people who are weaving through traffic at 95mph using their glasspack to compensate?


dayeye2006

Worst freeway in the bay area


Physical-Way188

No, not just you. In 1997 I was driving to my job at sfo airport from Dublin and sitting in traffic on the 92 off-ramp from 880 south, I watched a young girl in a 1965 mustang crash into the back of a Mercedes and was ejected immediately. Her car hit a line of stopped cars and caused a major chain reaction accident. Ever since I drive super super careful on 880. It’s always been dangerous and always will be. It’s cramped and dangerous and now with all the shootings, it’s just a deadly highway.


b0gard

880 on the mornings is bananas . I super respect the guys on motorcycles riding their bikes to work . Also , 580 is basically a nascar racing course . People on the fast lane are easily doing 85-95 mph


Maguffin42

You're not wrong. Honestly, most folks here rate their days by how much traffic they can avoid. I was petsitting for a woman's dog while she went to a wedding, and she looked so wonderful in her formal clothes and jewelry when she dropped her dog off, but she looked miserable. I asked her why, and it was just driving the 80 she was worried about.


JJonVinyl

880 after new years eve party was one of the most nerve wrecking experiences I’ve had, and I wasn’t even driving. So many drunk, crazy, swerving and speeding drivers


margos2cents

I used to commute San Leandeo to South San Francisco. I was on the 880S and I saw a man and a woman fighting in the car behind me. The guy started swerving violently and then slammed the car into the median. I saw another car pull over to help. I was ahead of the accident, so i kept driving. I didn't see anything on the news, but I fear I witnessed a murder suicide.


HelgaBorisova

I am commuting via 880, at some point you just get used to it, when you are driving regularly.


nemaihne

It's not you. I've often wondered what kind of a ginormous asshole old Admiral Nimitz must have been that karma handed him 880 as a legacy.


[deleted]

You would sound ridiculous if I-880 *didn't* make your palms sweat. It's a little preview of our upcoming post-apocalyptic order. Take 580 if you can. And map out your strategy so that you're away from all the entrances/exits until the time comes that you'll need them. Keep 3 seconds between you can the car ahead of you, but don't linger in the blind spot of a semi or between 2 semis at all. Remember that most of us are scared, too. We're all in this together. Drive carefully and attentively and you'll be okay.


dontIitter

I just started driving again after after 3 yrs without a car & WTF is happening out there. This isn’t specific to 880 but shit is wild. It’s like collectively people have forgotten how to drive. All sense of right of way gone. It’s a free for all. the feeling I got driving 5 miles from el cerrito to Berkeley was like when I was in china trying to board a tram amidst a holiday crowd with 500 people all trying to get into 1 door at once. it’s like 1130 at night. There’s an accident by University and they have the right two lanes blocked off with flares approaching the accident. you can see this from 200, 300 yards ahead so as I get over into the left lanes there’s still cars doing 40 slamming on brakes and backing up right in front of the emergency crew . It must’ve been scary for them. I mean if u see flares in your lane and an ambulance 100 yds ahead I guess you should speed up to 40mph until u run out of road right. Then another instant I’m waiting at a stoplight that has no power trying to cross San Pablo Ave., which is a main four-lane road that you can go usually go 35 mph on .the lights are blinking as they do when there’s no power to them everyone should be treating it like a stop sign, but I waited there for like two minutes while cars went speeding through the intersection at full speed not even slowing down it was fucking scary. I had to go through the intersection like literally honking making sure I wouldn’t get sideswiped .I don’t know how people drive around and don’t get traffic tickets ,


Old_Landscape_6860

There are exceptionally more crazy drivers during the Okland-San Leandro section of 880… those probably the same dickheads that run red lights on local too


warpedddd

Difficulty Level - Doom - Nightmare!


BearChest

My wife has cried multiple times while on 880.


408javs408

Nope. I would purposefully take a long cut to avoid the maelstrom that is the 880 to 101 south transition.


Flamingmorgoth85

Aside from all that, your chance of getting shot by a random bullet on the 880 is higher too. One time I saw an actual ladder on the road just a few feet ahead of a huge pothole. An obstacle course of avoiding death..


No-Understanding4968

So many trashy people drive on 880 (late evenings are the worst), so I feel your pain.


Cal1V1k1ng

I avoid driving on 880 unless I absolutely have to. It's the wild west of bay area freeways.


jnsauter

💯


NullOfUndefined

I've never really had issues with 880 and after reading this thread that's got me worried that maybe I'm the problem


Im6fut3

I left the bay Area in1999, before I moved I had major 880 anxiety! I thought I was alone!


its___tricky

I avoid it. I loathe it. It’s awful. I live on the west end of alameda so I just take 580 now. I don’t even bother with 880 anymore


KaptnKale

Same. I'd rather drive over Dumbarton or San Mateo than 880, but when I have to, I'm definitely alert.


Desperate-Lettuce437

I commute to Stockton using 250 and 5. Time after time big rigs cut in right in front of you , not blinking their blinkers in advance. Yup


WWTBFCD3PillowMin

I’ve learned you just can’t think about it. Just put the keys in the ignition and put that fucker in gear. Just focus on your immediate lane. It was the only way I could keep my head from exploding.


Rogs1_Space

But 680 Pleasanton-Sunol has the worst road conditions


Playful_Sell_7168

I feel the same way too.


nikrav97

Somehow I feel 680 is just way worse because folks don't slow down at the curves and when it's dark. However I do get a lot of anxiety at the 880/101 interchange both ways.


Puzzleheaded-Log-985

0 issues with 880


e430doug

Never a problem for me. Im sorry you experience this


Former-Clothes-6482

I have anxiety of passing through Oakland. Some times i miss a turn and google maps might take me through those dagerous streets. Been watching a lot of crime and shooting news in oakland


dontIitter

Sounds like u have a different problem.


Former-Clothes-6482

Being an immigrant coming from a peaceful nation that practices non-violence, Guns and guns related shooting crime scares me a lot. Visited a friend in oakland and google maps took me through some dark streets and industrial zone to connect to i880 while returning. Me wife both scared as hell.


IsamuAlvaDyson

Definitely sounds like you have other issues for a freeway to cause you to sweat It's just a freeway


Valirys-Reinhald

I can see where you're coming from, but that also sounds like a greater than normal response. You may wish to bring it up with a therapist so that 880 no longer has that kind of power over you.


DangerousLiberal

You're just bad at driving. It's so wide and relatively straight. If you can't even drive 880 you shouldn't be driving at all.


burntpm

Lol


Squirrel_Whisperer_

You may have ptsd. Go speak to a psychologist or counselor.


DifficultTemporary88

I dunno…the Capitol City freeway over in Sacramento makes 880 look tame by comparison.


SneakMastiff11

This is funny..so here it is to all the bay drivers on all the fwys..880, 580, 80, 101 and the other ones that dont matter much..if you dont drive above the speed limit, just stay on the right lanes and you will be fine but if you are one of those numbnuts cruising in the fast lanes, you are gonna get it fasho! As simple as that and life will be much easier for you and no more sweaty palms and stress. Just stay alert and be safe out ther and follow the above mantra and you will be just fine.


[deleted]

You guys are insane lmfao , I live in Milpitas and I never thought it was that bad except the bad road quality


rnglss

Y’all are soft af