Bakersfield, CA, in 2024 is predominantly a car-centric city with a significant majority of commuters relying on personal vehicles. Despite the heavy reliance on cars, there are opportunities to improve traffic efficiency and reduce emissions.

Average Commute Times

The average commute time across all modes is approximately 18.62 minutes, with most of this time spent driving.
  • Car - Car commuters spend about 18.08 minutes driving over an average distance of 22.26 km.
  • Walking - Walking commuters spend around 25 minutes covering a distance of 2.41 km.
Traffic Breakdown
Car
86%
Walking
7%
Home
7%
Seasonal Trends

Traffic tends to increase during the summer months as tourism peaks. Winter months see a slight decrease in traffic due to less favorable weather conditions.

Commuter Pain Points

Heavy reliance on cars leads to congestion during peak hours. Limited public transportation options restrict commuting flexibility.

Best Travel Times

Early mornings before 7 AM and late evenings after 7 PM are the best times to avoid traffic congestion. Midday travel is generally smoother compared to peak rush hours.

Event Impacts

Public events such as concerts and sports games at local venues can significantly increase traffic congestion. Planning travel around these events can help avoid delays.

Sustainability Efforts

Bakersfield is exploring initiatives to expand bike lanes and pedestrian pathways. Efforts are underway to increase the availability of electric vehicle charging stations.

Ride-Sharing Impact

Ride-sharing services have slightly reduced the number of personal vehicles on the road. These services offer a flexible alternative for those without access to a car.

Worldwide
United States

Traffic Rankings

The Traffic Index for the United States combines user-contributed data on commute times, traffic dissatisfaction, CO2 emissions, and traffic system inefficiencies in United States, to provide insights into overall traffic conditions.

Worst to BestUpdated: Dec, 2024
Full Traffic Rankings

Traffic Data

The following traffic data has been gathered from 14 user contributions.
Overall average travel
Distance
12.9 miles
Walking
1.9 mins
Driving Car
16.7 mins
Total:
18.6 mins
Average when primarily using Car
Distance
13.8 miles
Driving Car
18.1 mins
Total:
18.1 mins
Average when primarily using Walking
Distance
1.5 miles
Walking
25.0 mins
Total:
25.0 mins
Bakersfield Traffic

"Key Takeaways"

Bakersfield's reliance on cars contributes to high CO2 emissions and traffic inefficiency.

Enhancing public transportation and promoting alternative commuting methods could improve overall traffic conditions.

Key Indexes

Emissions

Bakersfield has a high CO2 emissions index of 4440.15, indicating significant environmental impact from transportation.

Efforts to reduce car dependency could help lower emissions.

Time

The average time index is 18.62, reflecting moderate commute times.

Improving public transport options could help reduce this time further.

Inefficiency

The inefficiency index stands at 86.49, suggesting room for improvement in traffic flow and management.

Implementing smart traffic solutions could enhance efficiency.