The Bay Area contains nearly 20,000 miles of local streets and roads, 1,400 miles of highway, six public ports and three major commercial airports. The region is also served by eight primary public transit systems, as well as numerous other local transit operators. Bay Area residents take more than 21 million trips on an average weekday or about 3 trips per person each day in order to get to work, school, shopping or other activities.

More than 84 percent of all trips are by automobile. Walking and biking are the next most common way to get around (10 percent of all trips); naturally, trips made by walking and biking tend to be shorter distances. About six percent of all trips are by public transit, the majority of which occur during commute hours.

Over the course of a year, close to 30 billion miles are logged on the region's freeways, and over 475 million transit trips are taken. While traffic congestion has recently decreased with a temporary decline in the local economy, it is still among the worst in the nation and is expected to increase with a return to a more prosperous region. Traffic and housing top the list of concerns cited by the region's residents and businesses.