Traffics going to get worse...suprise suprise

[ASU_Magnum]

Hey everyone,

I was doing some research on traffic across the country(particularly CA) and I came across some interesting facts. taken from www.transportationca.com

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Meeting California’s Transportation Needs

California Has the Nation’s Most Congested Roads
§California has the nation’s most congested freeways. (T.T.I. 2005 mobility study)
§Five California urban areas rank in the top 15 most congested in the nation. (T.T.I.’s 2005 mobility study) Those urban areas are Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, San Diego, San Bernardino-Riverside and Sacramento. San Jose and Oxnard-Ventura are in the top 30. Many of the state’s secondary cities such as Fresno and Bakersfield experienced longer delays than “big cities” in other parts of the country.
§California’s busy urban roadways carry 2.6 million vehicles per mile annually. (TRIP)
§59% of California’s urban highways are congested. (TRIP, 2003)
§California motorists suffer crushing delays in congestion. The worst is Los Angeles with 93 wasted hours a year per driver. (T.T.I. 2005 Mobility Study)
§Caltrans expects a 35% increase in congestion over the next 10 years (Governor’s Strategic Growth Plan 2006) and you think traffic's bad now...

Demands Are Growing on California Roadways

§Between 1980 and 2000, vehicle miles of travel on California’s roads increased 97% – from 156 billion miles to 307 billion miles a year. (TRIP) In 1960 there were 9 million registered vehicles in the state, yet over 30 million in 2005. (2006 Five-Year Infrastructure Plan)
§Travel in California in the 1990s increased 10 times faster than new lane capacity was added. (TRIP)
§Vehicle miles of travel are projected to increase another 63% by the year 2025.
§California’s population increased 42% between 1980 and 2000, from 24 million residents to 34 million. By 2025, the state’s population is expected to increase by another 44% to 49 million people. (US Census Bureau)

California’s Roads Are Not Aging Gracefully: We Have the Nation’s Bumpiest Roads

§70% of California travel is on major roads and highways, about 330 billion vehicle miles of travel annually.
§The bulk of California’s highway system was built in the 1960s and 1970s and has exceeded its design life. A survey of California counties shows only 3 can meet the recommended repaving cycle of 20 years; 32 have a 50-year cycle and 19 have a 100-year+ repaving cycle.
§California’s highways carry significantly more traffic than they were designed to handle. In the last 10 years, automobile travel increased 10 times faster than new lane capacity was added. (TRIP)
§The result is heavy demand on the aging system, causing:
Wear and tear on roads: More than 70% of California’s major local and state road miles is rated in poor or mediocre condition and 28% of the state’s overpasses and bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. (TRIP analysis of FHWA data) Five California major metros rank in the Top 10 for rough rides. Smaller California cities also rank high on the list. (TRIP 2005)
Additional operating costs: California’s 23 million motorists pay an average of $555 each in extra vehicle operating costs annually as a result of driving on roads in poor, mediocre and fair condition. California motorists pay a total of $12 billion annually in extra vehicle operating costs (e.g., pothole damage to tires and rims, front end alignments, lost hubcaps, wasted fuel, shortened vehicle lifespan.) (TRIP, 2003)

Delay and Neglect Increase Costs

§Not dealing with congestion leads to more battered roads and more congestion, loss of productivity, loss of business, and disruption of commerce.
§Not repairing poor roads leads to roadbed deterioration. Rebuilding roads in this state of disrepair can cost four times as much as renovating a road in fair condition. (Metropolitan Transportation Comm. Pothole Report, 2000)
§“Road conditions are a factor in an estimated 30% of traffic fatalities.” Edward G. Rendell, Public Works Management and Policy, October 1998. California had 3,956 traffic fatalities in 2001. $100 million spent on highway safety improvements potentially could save 145 lives over a 10-year period.
Sources: The Road Information Program (TRIP), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), US Census

Updated 03-2006

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anyone else think we should start doing something, and quick?

[LowGo]

I have a better solution to building more roads. Simply drastically increase the qualifications necessary to get a drivers license (i.e. much stricter driving exam). That would not only reduce the number of cars on the road, but would also eliminate the worst drivers!

[Rev.Hammer]

Montana and Nevada sounds nice...and they aint so chuck full of folks to get in your way!

[crazy_luck]

I have a better solution to building more roads. Simply drastically increase the qualifications necessary to get a drivers license (i.e. much stricter driving exam). That would not only reduce the number of cars on the road, but would also eliminate the worst drivers!

You'd have to wonder how many of them would just drive without a license then - making the bad situation worse...

[thewagon]

the trouble is there are too many people driving w/o licenses or insurance in southern California. Especially Southern California from my experience. Hang'em by the gonads in a public square for a week and maybe you'll see a decrease in traffic. Or put them to work cleaning the freeways for 6 months to keep them off the road. I'm two for two on accidents with those that have no license.

[SoCalRT]

Then you just gotta quit hitting those people and pick better targets
LOL

[FactoryD]

I'm two for two on accidents with those that have no license.

Dude. A lot of pedestrians don't have licenses!

All kidding aside, the guy I hit yesterday (his fault) had a suspended license and no insurance. I just amazes me that so many people drive without insurance or a license. Me thinks we just need stricter penalties for those who break the law.