Post-holiday travel rush hits the Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Christmas is over and now tens of thousands of people are hitting the road. Some are headed out of town, others headed home, and it all makes for a very busy travel day. 

Those who thought they would get a holiday break by hitting the road on Thursday got a reminder that in the Bay area, traffic can hit anytime anywhere.

The day after Christmas isn't technically a holiday, but travelers hoping for a Christmas miracle in the form of light traffic were disappointed. 

"It's terrible right now. Just trying to get out of the city is a nightmare," said Hugo Perez.

"It doesn't seem great to me at all. It seems like it's going to take a while to get out of the city," said Dawn Ackerman. "So, I don't know if it's an accident or if there's just that many people trying to get out of the city."

The California Highway Patrol said a lot of travelers hit the road when two holidays closely follow one another, like Christmas and New Year's.

Officers are reminding drivers to be patient with the extra traffic on the road.
 
"You can anticipate not just your regular commute because people still (have) to go to work, but people traveling to and from their loved ones, people traveling out of the country to the airport, all those things," said CHP Officer Kris Borer. 

San Francisco International Airport said it was a moderately heavy day, with an estimated 156,000 travelers passing in and out of the airport the day after Christmas.

Travelers say there were some delays, but overall air travelers say it was smooth sailing. 

"Well, it wasn't that bad because the airport was nice and clean in Ft. Lauderdale," said Tatiana Lozada. "We had an hour delay, but it wasn't that bad. I slept on the plane, I read, just keep yourself occupied."