Car commutes in the Bay Area in general have eased up. I'm struck by how much less traffic there is on the roads compared to pre-pandemic days. The big question is how much traffic will change once offices open up again; what percentage of former commuters will continue to work from home? The formerly horrific Oakland/Berkeley to SF commute may indeed end up taking around 45 minutes, but it's hard to know.
Telegraph Hill is easily accessible by car from both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, so I'd recommend commutes either from Marin or the East Bay if you don't want to live in the city proper. I've done both commutes and hands-down the GGB is much better during commute hours. We actually moved to Sausalito from Oakland in part because of the easier commute to SF. Pre-pandemic, Marin traffic on the 101 was problematic north of Mill Valley; if you have to drive in I'd suggest either living in Sausalito or Mill Valley, which both have access to amazing hiking. In the current traffic environment, Sausalito to TH will take about 20-25 minutes, Mill Valley another 5-10 minutes more. If it's an option, you can also bike to work in under an hour, or take nice commuter buses or ferries in under an hour. Larkspur and Tiburon also offer ferries, as do Oakland and Alameda. The Ferry Building is about a mile from Telegraph Hill so it's an option if you don't always need to drive. Pier 41 ferries are tourist ferries that operate mid-day but not during commute hours.
The problem with driving up from the Peninsula is that you have to drive through most of SF on surface streets to get to TH, which can be a pain. Brisbane and South San Francisco will be accessible within 45 minutes of TH, but you won't have the same access to hiking, however Pacifica has lots of open space and could be a good choice if you can handle the fog. It is also close to SFO so if you're going to fly a lot that may be a location that will work well for you.