There are many sources of Bay Area angst -- the high cost of housing, the high cost of living, homelessness, the threat of wildfires -- but traffic stands out as an especially sore spot. There’s just something about it that grinds on our nerves and makes all our other headaches even more difficult to deal with. And like those other challenges the traffic problem isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

On this edition of In Depth we ask the question: What can you do about traffic, when there’s nothing much that can be done?

In the first half, transportation expert John Goodwin of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission explains how the traffic situation got this bad and tells us what to expect in the coming years. Then, we speak with clinical psychologist Jonathan Horowitz, who directs the Stress and Anxiety Center in San Francisco. He helps us understand why fighting traffic can take such a punishing toll on our mental well-being and provides practical advice on how we can do a better job of coping.

Hosts: KCBS Radio Reporters Keith Menconi and Jenna Lane.

Guests:

• John Goodwin, transportation expert and a public information officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
• Jonathan Horowitz, clinical psychologist and director of the Stress and Anxiety Center in San Francisco

Show Notes: 

This program was adapted from an episode of the How to Bay Area podcast. You can find that program, which includes more insights on the Bay Area's traffic problem, on the How to Bay Area podcast stream. There you'll also find other episodes exploring what it takes to live the good life in the San Francisco Bay Area.