California's transportation system is complex and dynamic. Although known for its car culture and extensive network of freeways and roads, the state also has a vast array of rail, sea, and air transport. However, in a state with over 37 million people, rapid population expansion, and diverse terrain and weather, that system is under pressure to stay ahead of population growth and transportation needs.
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Roads and highways
California is known for its car culture; by the end of 2010, the California Department of Motor Vehicles had 23,799,513 driver's licenses and a total of 31,987,821 registered vehicles on file.[1] The state's residents typically take to the roads for their commutes, errands, and vacations, giving California's cities a reputation for severe traffic congestion. California has some of the worst roads in the United States.[2][3]
California's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of freeways, expressways, and highways, all maintained by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and patrolled by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), except for the numbered expressways in Santa Clara County which were built and maintained by the county itself. The main north-south arteries are U.S. Route 101, which runs close to the coast from the state's border with Oregon, across the Golden Gate Bridge, to downtown Los Angeles, and Interstate 5, which runs inland from the Oregon to Mexico borders, bisecting the entire state. In addition, a major north-south artery is State Highway 99, which runs from near Red Bluff to near Bakersfield; Highway 99 is largely parallel to Interstate 5, and connects the Central Valley cities not connected by Interstate 5.
Perhaps it is a testament to California's sheer size that although it has one of the most extensive freeway systems in the United States, it contains many of the largest cities in the United States not served by an Interstate Highway, including the two largest, Fresno (pop. 471,479) and Bakersfield (pop. 247,057).[4] These cities, along with Modesto and Visalia, are passed by as Interstate 5 veers west to avoid the congestion of the populated eastern side of the Central Valley as it connects Sacramento and Los Angeles.[5]
Almost all California highways are non-toll roads. However, there are four toll roads in Southern California, and eight toll bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area. These toll facilities, along with several high occupancy toll lanes, use the statewide electronic toll collection system known as FasTrak. The state's most famous highway bridge is the Golden Gate Bridge, though there are a number of major non-toll bridges elsewhere in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
The state's freeway network has expanded every since the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the first freeway in the Western United States,[6] connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, opened in 1940. However, the state is not immune to freeway revolts, such as those that have prevented a freeway in San Francisco between the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, and an expansion of Interstate 710 through South Pasadena.
In March 2011, California ranked as second best state in the American State Litter Scorecard (after Washington State), for overall effectiveness and quality of its public space cleanliness from state and related litter/debris removal efforts.[7]
Interstate Highways
Primary Interstate Highways in California include:
- Interstate 5: Bisects the state from the Mexican border to Oregon, linking the major cities of San Diego, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Stockton, Sacramento, and Redding.
- Interstate 8: Runs east from San Diego to the Imperial Valley before crossing into Arizona west of Yuma.
- Interstate 10: Heads east from Santa Monica through Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and the Coachella Valley to Arizona.
- Interstate 15: Originating from San Diego, serves as the major route from Southern California to Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Interstate 40: Heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert to Needles before entering into Arizona.
- Interstate 80: Runs northwest from San Francisco through Sacramento and over the Sierra Nevada mountain range before crossing into Nevada west of the Reno.
A number of auxiliary (three-digit) Interstates are located in the Bay Area, Greater Los Angeles area, and San Diego.
U.S. Routes
The following are United States Numbered Highways in California:
- U.S. Route 6: Runs from Bishop east to Central Nevada.
- U.S. Route 50: Heads east from the Sacramento area through the South Lake Tahoe area before crossing into Nevada en route to Carson City.
- U.S. Route 95: Enters into California from Arizona through a concurrency with Interstate 10. US 95 then splits from I-10 in Blythe, then runs north to Needles before crossing into Nevada en route to Las Vegas
- U.S. Route 97: Serves as the primary connection from the City of Weed to Klamath Falls, Oregon.
- U.S. Route 101: The primary north-south U.S. Highway in California, connecting Los Angeles with the Central Coast, the San Francisco Bay, and the North Coast.
- U.S. Route 199: Serves as the primary connection from the Crescent City area to Grants Pass, Oregon.
- U.S. Route 395: A major north-south route in the eastern areas of the state, connecting the Mojave Desert with the Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra Nevada. The route then clips into Nevada to pass through Carson City and Reno, before returning to California to serve the Honey Lake and Modoc Plateau areas.
State Routes
State highways in California range from one-lane rural roads to full urban freeways. Each state highway is assigned a Route (officially State Highway Route[8][9]) number in the Streets and Highways Code (Sections 300-635). However, the state is also currently relinquishing a number of non-freeway segments, especially in urban areas, and turning them over to local control.[10]
Rail and bus travel
Intercity rail travel is provided by Amtrak California, which manages the three busiest intercity rail lines in the US outside the Northeast Corridor. The Capitol Corridor connects the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento. The Pacific Surfliner runs along the coast of Southern California from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. And the San Joaquin connects the major cities of the Central Valley.
National Amtrak lines include the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago, Illinois; the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington; the Southwest Chief and the Texas Eagle from Los Angeles to Chicago; and the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Integrated subway and light rail networks are found in Los Angeles (Metro Rail) and San Francisco (BART and MUNI Metro). Light rail systems are also found in San Jose (VTA), San Diego (San Diego Trolley), Sacramento (RT Light Rail), and Northern San Diego County (Sprinter). Furthermore, commuter rail networks serve the San Francisco Bay Area (Caltrain, ACE), Greater Los Angeles (Metrolink), and San Diego County (Coaster).
Nearly all counties operate bus lines, and many cities operate their own bus lines as well. Intercity bus travel is provided by Greyhound and Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
Bicycle travel
There are numerous bike routes in California such as the Los Angeles River bicycle path in the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Trail in the San Francisco Bay Area. Caltrans uses three classes to segregate cycle facilities:[11]
- Class I: Bike path - completely segregated from traffic
- Class II: Bike lane - a lane set aside in city streets exclusively for bikes
- Class III: Bike route - a regular surface street that is designated as being safe or attractive to bicyclists
Many of the state's local public transportation systems are bicycle accessible. Numerous buses are equipped with bicycle racks at the front of the vehicle for the attachment of approximately two bicycles. Several rail systems such as the Metro Rail and BART also allow riders to carry bikes onto the trains during certain hours of the day.
Air travel
Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. San Diego, Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose are also among the 50 busiest airports in the United States. In total, there are about a dozen important commercial airports and many more general aviation airports throughout the state's 58 counties.
Seaports and harbors
California also has several important seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The Port of Oakland handles most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California. The Port of Redwood City, the Port of Richmond, and the Port of San Diego are also significant ports for freight shipments. The Port of Sacramento and the Port of Stockton are two major inland deepwater ports located in the Central Valley, and thus only accessible via the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta. Instead of dredging the Sacramento River, the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel was built in 1963 to accommodate large ships traveling from the delta to Sacramento.
A number of ferry services take commuters across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco to other communities in the Bay Area. Ferry service is also available for commuters crossing San Diego Bay from San Diego to Coronado. Passenger ferries also serve the offshore city of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. There is no regular vehicle ferry service to Avalon, however, since the city restricts the use of cars and trucks within its borders.[12]
Numerous local harbors are spread out across the Pacific Coast, San Francisco Bay, San Diego Bay, and the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta for commercial fishing or recreational use.
Future issues
Because of the state's population growth, many settlements that were once small or rural communities about half a century ago, when much of California's transportation infrastructure was original designed, are now thriving suburbs and exurbs. According to a 2011 study by Forbes, the cities of Lake Elsinore, Los Banos, Adelanto, and Brentwood were ranked as the top four longest commutes in the country.[13] A regularly recurring issue in California politics is whether the state should continue to aggressively expand its freeway network or concentrate on improving mass transit networks in urban areas.
The California High Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state to implement an extensive 700 mile (1127 km) rail system. Voters approved Proposition 1A in November 2008, approving a $9 billion state bond. The system would provide a TGV-style high-speed link between the state's four major metropolitan areas, and would allow travel between Los Angeles' Union Station and the San Francisco Transbay Terminal in two and a half hours.
See also
- Transportation by region
- Transportation in the Inland Empire
- Transportation in Los Angeles
- Transportation in San Diego County
- Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area
Notes
- ^ "California DMV Statistics - January to December 2010". http://dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/official.pdf. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/read-while-you-are-waiting-traffic-clear/
- ^ "A bridge too far gone". The Economist. 2007-08-09. http://www.economist.com/node/9621456.
- ^ Future Interstates and Potential Interstate Corridors @ Interstate-Guide.com
- ^ Interstate 2000: Improvement for the Next Millenium (sic)
- ^ Pool, Bob (June 25, 1010). "Pasadena Freeway getting a new look and a new name". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/25/local/la-me-parkway-20100625. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- ^ S. Spacek, 2011 American State Litter Scorecard.
- ^ California Streets and Highways Code, Section 231
- ^ Caltrans, Other State Highway Routes
- ^ California Streets and Highways Code, Sections 301-635
- ^ "Caltrans Highway Design Manual". http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/hdm/hdmtoc.htm. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ "City of Avalon - FAQ". http://www.cityofavalon.com/content/2542/2582/2586/default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ Vardi, Nathan (2011-02-22). "America's Worst Commutes". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/22/los-angeles-washington-san-francisco-business-worst-commutes.html. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
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