California's transportation system is complex and dynamic. Although known for itscar culture and extensive network of freeways and roads, the state also has a vast array of rail, sea, and air transport. Several subway, light rail, and commuter rail networks are found in many of the state's largest population centers. In addition, with the state's location on theWest Coast of the United States, several important ports inCalifornia handle freight shipments from thePacific Rim and beyond. A number of airports are also spread out across the state, ranging from small general aviation airports to large international hubs likeLos Angeles International Airport andSan Francisco International Airport.
However, in a state with over 39 million people, rapid population expansion, and diverse terrain and weather, that system is under pressure to stay ahead ofpopulation growth and transportation needs.
California is known for itscar culture; by the end of 2010, theCalifornia 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 severetraffic congestion.
California's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system offreeways,expressways, andhighways, all maintained by theCalifornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and patrolled by theCalifornia Highway Patrol (CHP), except for the numbered expressways inSanta Clara County which were built and maintained by the county itself. The main north–south arteries areU.S. Route 101 (US 101), which travels close to the coast fromDowntown Los Angeles, across theGolden Gate Bridge, and to theOregon state line, andInterstate 5 (I-5), which travels inland from theMexico–United States border to the Oregon state line, effectively bisecting the entire state. In addition, a major north–south artery isState Route 99 (SR 99), which travels from nearBakersfield to nearRed Bluff; SR 99 is largely parallel to I-5, and connects the Central Valley cities not connected by the Interstate.
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 anInterstate Highway, including the two largest,Fresno (pop. 471,479) andBakersfield (pop. 247,057).[2] These cities, along withModesto andVisalia, are passed by as I-5 veers west to avoid the congestion of the populated eastern side of theCentral Valley as it connectsSacramento and Los Angeles.[3]
The state's freeway network has expanded ever since theArroyo Seco Parkway, the first freeway in the Western United States,[4] connecting Los Angeles andPasadena, opened in 1940. However, the state is not immune tofreeway revolts, such as those that have prevented a freeway in San Francisco between the Golden Gate Bridge and theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, and an expansion ofI-710 throughSouth Pasadena.
Traffic signs, road surface markings, and traffic signals on all public streets and highways throughout the state are regulated by theCalifornia Vehicle Code and standardized in theCalifornia Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Almost all California highways are non-toll roads, including several major non-toll bridges in Los Angeles, Sacramento, andSan Diego. However, there are four toll roads inSouthern California, and eight toll bridges in theSan Francisco Bay Area (including the state's most famous highway bridge, theGolden Gate Bridge). These toll facilities, along with severalhigh-occupancy toll lanes, use the statewideelectronic toll collection system known asFasTrak.
| SF Bay Area toll bridges | So. California toll roads |
|---|---|
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PrimaryInterstate Highways in California include:
 | Interstate 5: Bisects the state from theMexican border toOregon, linking the major cities ofSan Diego,Santa Ana,Los Angeles,Stockton,Sacramento, andRedding. |
 | Interstate 8: Travels east from San Diego to theImperial Valley before crossing intoArizona west ofYuma. |
 | Interstate 10: Travels east fromSanta Monica through Los Angeles,San Bernardino, and theCoachella Valley to Arizona. |
 | Interstate 15: Originating from San Diego, serves as the major route from Southern California toLas Vegas, Nevada. |
 | Interstate 40: Travels east fromBarstow across theMojave Desert toNeedles before entering into Arizona. |
 | Interstate 80: Travels northeast fromSan Francisco throughSacramento and over theSierra Nevada mountain range before crossing intoNevada west ofReno. |
Auxiliary (three-digit) Interstates are located in the Greater Los Angeles area, the Bay Area, and the San Diego Area:
The following areUnited States Numbered Highways in California:
 | US 6: Travels fromBishop east to Central Nevada. |
 | US 50: Heads east from the Sacramento area through theSouth Lake Tahoe area before crossing into Nevada en route toCarson City. |
 | US 95: Enters into California from Arizona through a concurrency with I-10. US 95 then splits from I-10 inBlythe, then travels north toNeedles before crossing into Nevada en route to Las Vegas |
 | US 97: Serves as the primary connection from theCity of Weed toKlamath Falls, Oregon. |
 | US 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. |
 | US 199: Serves as the primary connection from theCrescent City area toGrants Pass, Oregon. |
 | US 395: A major north–south route in the eastern areas of the state, connecting theMojave Desert with theOwens Valley and the EasternSierra Nevada. The route then clips intoNevada to pass through Carson City and Reno, before returning to California to serve theHoney Lake andModoc Plateau areas. |
California still uses an older, cut-out version of the U.S. Route shield instead of the current design used in the other U.S. states, printed on a square blank with a black background.
State highways in California range from one-lane rural roads to full urban freeways. Each state highway is assigned aRoute (officiallyState Highway Route[5][6]) number in theStreets and Highways Code (Sections 300–635). However, the state is also currently relinquishing a number of non-freeway segments, especially inurban areas, and turning them over to local control.[7]
The standard California state route marker consists of a white numeral on a green shield, with the name "California" displayed above the numeral. The shield is shaped like a miners' spade to honor theCalifornia Gold Rush.[8][9]
Major long-distance, intercity state routes include:
 | State Route 1: Runs along most of the Pacific coastline fromDana Point north toLeggett. It links numerous coastal settlements, beaches, parks, and other attractions in the Greater Los Angeles Area, the Central Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the North Coast. |
 | State Route 41: Runs northeast, connecting the Central Coast with the centralSan Joaquin Valley,Fresno, andYosemite National Park. |
 | State Route 46: Heads east from the Central Coast to the southernSan Joaquin Valley near the vicinity ofBakersfield. |
 | State Route 49: Known as the Gold Country Highway, SR 49 links many historic mining communities of the California Gold Rush. |
 | State Route 58: Although the western segment of SR 58 is a winding mountain road connecting the Central Coast to the southernSan Joaquin Valley, its eastern segment is a major artery linking Bakersfield with theMojave Desert andBarstow. |
 | State Route 99: Serves as a major north–south artery in the California Central Valley, linking major cities such as Bakersfield,Visalia, Fresno,Madera,Merced,Modesto,Stockton,Sacramento,Yuba City, andChico. |
 | State Route 152: Heads east from the Monterey Bay Area to theSanta Clara Valley and the Central Valley. |
 | State Route 299: Runs east across the northern part of the state from theEureka area toRedding andAlturas. |
County routes in California are controlled and maintained by the respective counties in which they reside, but are normally patrolled by the California Highway Patrol like any other state highway. Each county route is prefixed with a letter, depending on the region of the state (e.g.G2). Routes with letters A, B, and D are in the region ofNorthern California; letters E, G, and J are inCentral California; and N, R, and S are inSouthern California. County routes can range from two-lane roads to the full expressways found inSanta Clara County.
Although known for its car culture, California also has a number of local and regional passenger rail systems, including the following:
| System | Image | Type | No. of lines | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Altamont Corridor Express |  | Commuter rail | 1 | The Altamont Commuter Express, also known as ACE, runs fromSan Jose northeast toStockton, providing service from theSilicon Valley to EasternAlameda County andSan Joaquin County. |
 Bay Area Rapid Transit |  | Heavy rail,hybrid rail,automated guideway transit | 6 | Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) operates in theSan Francisco Bay Area, connectingSan Francisco with cities in theEast Bay and suburbs in northernSan Mateo County. |
 Caltrain |  | Commuter rail | 1 | Caltrain runs fromSan Francisco south down theSan Francisco Peninsula to theSilicon Valley and has a further extension south toGilroy, California. The route from San Francisco to San Jose is fully electrified. |
 COASTER |  | Commuter rail | 1 | The San Diego Coast Express Rail (COASTER) operates in the central andnorthern coastal regions ofSan Diego County, running fromSan Diego north toOceanside. |
 Los Angeles Metro Rail | .png) | Heavy andlight rail | 6 | Metro Rail is an integrated subway and light rail system servingLos Angeles County. |
 Metrolink |  | Commuter rail, hybrid rail | 8 | Metrolink servesLos Angeles and the surrounding area ofSouthern California, connectingLos Angeles,San Diego,Orange,Riverside,San Bernardino andVentura Counties. |
 Muni Metro |  | Light rail | 7 | Muni Metro is a premetro/light rail system connecting various neighborhoods and districts ofSan Francisco. |
 SacRT light rail |  | Light rail | 3 | The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) light rail system servesSacramento and vicinity. |
 San Diego Trolley |  | Light rail | 5 | The San Diego Trolley serves the metropolitan area ofSan Diego. It runs from La Jolla in the north to San Ysidro in the south, and from Old Town and downtown San Diego in the west to El Cajon and Santee in the east. |
 San Francisco cable car system |  | Streetcar | 3 | The world's last manually operated cable car system continues to operate in northeastSan Francisco on its very steep hills, but the system's small service area and premium fares for single rides currently make the cable cars used more as a tourist attraction. |
 Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit |  | Commuter rail | 1 | Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) runs throughSonoma andMarin counties. |
 SPRINTER |  | Hybrid rail | 1 | The SPRINTER operates innorth region ofSan Diego County, running fromOceanside east toEscondido. |
 VTA light rail | .jpg) | Light rail | 3 | The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail system servesSan Jose and its suburbs in theSilicon Valley. |
Amtrak California is a collection of services supported byAmtrak and theCalifornia Department of Transportation. The three busiest intercity rail lines in the US outside theNortheast Corridor operate under this branding: theCapitol Corridor connects the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento; thePacific Surfliner runs along the coast of Southern California from San Diego to San Luis Obispo; and theGold Runner connects the major cities of theSan Joaquin Valley with onward service to either the Bay Area or Sacramento.
National Amtrak lines include theCalifornia Zephyr fromEmeryville toChicago, Illinois; theCoast Starlight from Los Angeles toSeattle, Washington; theSouthwest Chief and theTexas Eagle from Los Angeles to Chicago; and theSunset Limited from Los Angeles toNew Orleans, Louisiana.
Local transit service is found in every county, fromLos Angeles County, the state's most-populous one, toAlpine County, the least-populous one.[10] Some local bus transit agencies like theSan Francisco Muni and theOrange County Transportation Authority primarily only serve a specific city or county, while other agencies likeAC Transit in the San Francisco Bay Area and theSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System serve a specific region regardless of city or county borders.
Intercity bus travel is provided byGreyhound,Megabus andAmtrak Thruway.
Major transit hubs that serve multiple bus and rail systems includeLos Angeles Union Station,San Diego Santa Fe Depot,San Jose Diridon station, andSacramento Valley Station.
There are numerous bike routes in California such as theLos Angeles River bicycle path in the Greater Los Angeles Area and theSan Francisco Bay Trail in the San Francisco Bay Area. Caltrans uses three classes tosegregate cycle facilities:[11]
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.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) andSan Francisco International Airport (SFO) are major hubs for both international and transcontinental traffic. In 2011, LAX and SFO were the sixth and 22ndbusiest airports in the world by passenger count, respectively.[12]
San Diego,Sacramento,San Jose,John Wayne/Orange County, andOakland are also among the50 busiest airports in the United States. In total, there are about a dozen important commercialairports and many moregeneral aviation airports throughout the state's 58 counties.
The following table shows all California airports designated by the FAA as a hub with enplanements for 2022:[13]
| Area served | IATA | Airport name | Airport type | Enpl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | LAX | Los Angeles International Airport | Large hub | 32,326,616 |
| San Francisco | SFO | San Francisco International Airport | Large hub | 20,411,420 |
| San Diego | SAN | San Diego International Airport | Large hub | 11,162,224 |
| Sacramento | SMF | Sacramento International Airport | Medium hub | 6,040,824 |
| San Jose | SJC | San Jose International Airport | Medium hub | 5,590,137 |
| Orange County | SNA | John Wayne Airport | Medium hub | 5,536,313 |
| Oakland | OAK | Oakland International Airport | Medium hub | 5,506,232 |
| Burbank | BUR | Hollywood-Burbank Airport | Medium hub | 3,054,729 |
| Ontario | ONT | Ontario International Airport | Medium hub | 2,840,758 |
| Long Beach | LGB | Long Beach Airport | Small hub | 1,600,987 |
| Palm Springs | PSP | Palm Springs International Airport | Small hub | 1,499.987 |
| Fresno | FAT | Fresno Yosemite International Airport | Small hub | 1,077,710 |
| Santa Barbara | SBA | Santa Barbara Municipal Airport | Small hub | 610,916 |
California also has several importantseaports. The giant seaport complex formed by thePort of Los Angeles and thePort 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. ThePort of Oakland handles most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California. ThePort of Redwood City, thePort of Richmond, and thePort of San Diego are also significant ports for freight shipments. ThePort of Sacramento and thePort of Stockton are two major inland deepwater ports located in theCentral Valley, and thus only accessible via theSacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. Instead of dredging theSacramento River, theSacramento Deep Water Ship Channel was built in 1963 to accommodate large ships traveling from the delta to Sacramento.
A number of passenger 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 crossingSan Diego Bay from San Diego toCoronado. Passenger ferries also serve the offshore city ofAvalon onSanta 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.[14] Caltrans only operates two vehicle ferries in theSacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, theHoward Landing Ferry and theRyer Island Ferry.[15]
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.
Because of the state's population growth, many settlements that were once small or rural communities in the 1940s and 50s, when much of California's transportation infrastructure was originally designed, are now thrivingsuburbs andexurbs. According to a 2011 study byForbes, the cities ofLake Elsinore,Los Banos,Adelanto, andBrentwood were ranked as the top four longest commutes in the country.[16]
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.Bay Area Rapid Transit, theLos Angeles Metro Rail, and several other public transportation systems have expansion plans either currently under construction or in the planning stages. Several HOT lanes across the state are also either currently under construction or in the planning stages.
Reloadablecontactless smart card systems, allowing electronic fare payments on various public transportation systems, have been introduced since 2007, such as theClipper card in the San Francisco Bay Area, theTAP card in Los Angeles County, and theCompass Card (later replaced in 2021 by thePronto card) in San Diego County.
TheCalifornia High-Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state legislature to implement an extensive 800 miles (1,300 km) high-speed rail system. It would provide aTGV-style high-speed link between the state's four major metropolitan areas, and would allow travel between Los Angeles'Union Station and theSan Francisco Transbay Terminal in two hours and forty minutes. Voters approvedProposition 1A in November 2008, approving a $9 billion state bond to begin the project. In 2012, the California legislature and GovernorJerry Brown approved construction financing for an initial stage of the project.[17] The Authority estimates that the first segment of theCalifornia High-Speed Rail will be operational by the end of 2030. The project has been widely described as troubled, being far behind schedule, suffering from management inexperience, and delays in procuring land, and engineering issues.[18]
Texas and California are comparable being the two largest states in the contiguous United States as California contains 39 million inhabitants. This results in these states to have higher traffic fatalities than other states.[19]
There were more traffic fatalities in California than in Texas until 2007. Since 2017, there have been less fatalities in California than in Texas.[19]
| Fatalities in California | Fatalities in California by zone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| by VMT | by population | ||||
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| Sources:https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest (Eurostat/CARE for comparison to France and Germany);California traffic-fatalities 2010–2091:https://seriousaccidents.com/blog/california-traffic-fatalities-data/ | |||||
In California, around 40% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions are from vehicle transportation, and this number is increasing. Distant suburbs such as Stockton, and Modesto have the two highest percentages of residents who are super commuters in the United States, at around 11% of Stockton residents, and 9% of Modesto residents commuting over 90 minutes to get to work.[20] The transportation problem is beginning to threaten the state's future goals in terms of emissions andcarbon neutrality. By 2030, California hopes to limit greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels, and hopes to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.[21] As time goes on, however, these goals are becoming increasingly difficult to reach unless the state takes significant measures to combat their transportation problem. With 1.7 million renting households in California spending half their income on rent, California has a housing crisis that is impacting their climate goals.[22][23] Infill housing is seen as a solution to build more affordable housing in coastal cities where people would not need to drive to work or other errands. Senate Bill 50, The More Homes Act is waiting to be voted on, and attempts to address the housing crisis by overriding local zoning codes to legalize small apartment buildings (up to 5 stories) in urban areas near jobs and public transportation.[24] Caltrans plans to work on their infrastructure to make sustainable transportation methods such as trains, biking, and walking more accessible to more people. In 2008, California passed a law requiring communities to alter their land use and transportation plans to activelycombat climate change, however, statistically the bill has done little to change the state's emissions. Caltrans has acknowledged that extreme wildfires and floods, driven by climate change, have plagued California in recent years which has impacted transportation infrastructure. In 2013 Caltrans released the "Caltrans Activities to Address Climate Change- Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Adapting to Impacts" report, which highlighted statewide efforts to address climate related damage.[25]
In the 1960s, green and white CA-99 signs that resemble miners' spades replaced the black and white U.S. 99 shields
State routes can be identified by the green State Highway Route shield, which is in the shape of a spade in honor of the California Gold Rush, and bears the route's number
Sacramento (capital) | |
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