An increase in vehicle traffic in Metro Vancouver is prompting transportation officials to issue this warning to area residents: stay the course and stay out of your car until the end of the 2010 Games.

Vancouver drivers have responded to calls for a 30 per cent reduction in vehicle trips to accommodate Games traffic -- but city officials say congestion is growing as those good intentions wane.

Car traffic is still down overall by 25 per cent, but about five per cent of drivers have returned to their cars.

City spokesperson Leslie Volt says the situation isn't dire, but since traffic is already directed to key routes leading into downtown Vancouver, congestion will worsen as Olympic events draw hordes of people into the downtown core.

"We don't want people to get complacent because we've got some big events coming up with hockey games as well as closing ceremonies on Sunday," she told ctvbc.ca.

"If you don't want a headache and don't want to be stuck in traffic, leave your cars at home."

TransLink spokesperson Ken Hardie says that while staying in your car seems enticing, people returning to their cars can have a snowball effect very quickly.

"If all of a sudden people do that, there will be a lot of jam ups," he told ctvbc.ca.

The transit authority has seen a record-breaking number of passengers during the Olympics. Daily bus ridership rose 34 per cent last week – SeaBus use shot up 200 per cent.

The SkyTrain Expo/Millennium line reached a single-day record of 488,000 last Sunday.

Hardie says the reduction in traffic is something Vancouver should aim for all the time – not just during the Olympics.

"It's a really good result and we want to keep that going," he said. "That's the legacy we want to leave behind after the Games are over.

A public opinion poll by Angus Reid released Wednesday found most people are coping well with transportation issues. Overall, drivers say they are less inconvenienced that those who take public transit.

Six per cent of drivers surveyed found it took a lot longer to get to work compared to 15 per cent of transit users.

"Overall, it's more than twice as many public transit users than drivers that are saying it's taking them more time to get to work," said Hamish Marshall of Angus Reid.

"When you're faced with that, it's no surprise more people are getting back into their cars."

Overall, the survey of 500 Metro Vancouver and Sea-to-Sky residents found people are effectively managing well with transportation issues and have not been overly inconvenienced during the Games.

"No matter how you get to work or school, most people are finding it isn't that inconvenient," Marshall said. "That's a good thing."

Street closures will be ramped up as the 2010 Closing Ceremony approaches.

In addition to viaduct closures, which have been blocked to all traffic throughout the Games, the Cambie Street Bridge will be shut down most of Sunday.