How are we doing?
This year, two of the Dashboard's indicators, Transportation Choices and Traffic Congestion, were combined into a single indicator. The new indicator, now dubbed Transportation, tracks data related to driving choices and patterns in driving. The number of miles driven by residents annually at peak and off-peak hours on weekdays and weekends, for example, shows the popular times at which San Diegans drive the most. These behaviors and trends help us understand the needs around transportation and the effects of traffic on San Diego communities, especially at U.S.-Mexico border. We appreciate your patience as well finish the construction of this page.
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Peak driving
Freeway VMT also varies by day, night, weekdays, and weekends. Weekday peak hours are defined as 6 to 10 am and 3 to 7 pm. The miles traveled during peak hours have consistently made up about 30-35% of total freeway miles over the past ten years, even during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, while miles traveled during weekday non-peak hours, weekends, and holidays have made up a greater portion of total VMT on all roads.
The total weekday, weekend, and holiday freeway VMT in 2022 was 3% higher than 2021 and 17% in 2020. Although traffic levels increased in 2022, they did not return to pre-pandemic levels.
Freeway delays
Another way to measure traffic congestion is the peak hour delay. The peak hours delay reflects "stop-and-go" severe freeway congestion with vehicle speeds averaging below 35 miles per hour. Tracking the weekday peak hour delay measures how the system is managing the demand of and changes needed to improve the quality of access to work and/or other activities. The freeway delay in the afternoon peak hours is more severe than during the morning peak hours.
San Diego County drivers spent more than 12 million hours on the freeways due to delays in 2019. The hours of delay have more than tripled since 2010. However, the peak hour delay in 2020 and 2021 was 75% and 60% lower than that in 2019, respectively. Combined with the reductions in VMT during peak hours, the traffic flow improved significantly in 2020 and 2021
Commuting in San Diego
In San Diego County, the percentage of residents who work from home increased by 130% between 2020 (9.6%) and 2021 (22%). One out of every five working residents worked from home. In 2021, the percentage of workers who drove to work alone was 64% compared to 73.9% in 2020. Despite this decrease, driving alone remains the most common commute option in the county.
Although transportation network companies have offered new app-based bicycle and electric scooter options as an inexpensive solution for first and last mile connections, this option is not included as a mode of transportation. The rapid expansion of these app-based mobility options has also prompted local governments to impose restrictions due to the lack of regulatory policies. More details on the rise and fall of mobility companies in the City of San Diego is described in this Equinox Ten Year Trend Analysis.
Rise of working from home
Working from home is significantly more common now than it has ever been. Across all California counties tracked, the percentage of people working from home increased in 2021. In San Diego County, 22% of people work from home and in San Francisco County, the percentage jumped to 46%. The stay-at-home orders during the pandemic and the scramble to adapt to remote work encouraged employers and jobseekers alike to realize the viability of working from home for some types of professions. Along with the elimination of commute time and transportation costs, working from home has potential environmental benefits.
The U.S.-Mexico border region
And yet another metric to track traffic conditions is to monitor the number of vehicle crossings that occur from the three land-based ports of entry from Mexico into the United States within San Diego County: Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, and Tecate. In 2021, the total number of northbound personal vehicle crossings at all three ports of entry was approximately 19 million, 18% lower than that of the pre-pandemic peak in 2018, most likely due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions with the latest update in July 2021. The San Ysidro port of entry had the highest number of personal vehicle crossings of all ports of entry into the United States in 2021, with almost 14 million crossings, followed by the El Paso port of entry in Texas with 6.3 million crossings, and the Otay Mesa port of entry with 4.7 million crossings.
When monitoring freight truck crossings, there are two land-based ports of entry from Mexico into the United States within San Diego County: Otay Mesa and Tecate. In 2021, the total number of northbound freight truck crossings, not including privately owned pick-up trucks, at both San Diego County ports of entry was approximately 1 million, a slight increase (1%) from 2020. The freight movement did not seem to be affected by the border travel restriction, most likely due to its essential nature. About 93% of the freight truck crossings occurred at the Otay Mesa port of entry. The Otay Mesa port of entry was the second busiest port of entry in 2021 for freight truck crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border following the Laredo port of entry in Texas.
Finding a personalized approach to transportation
This deep dive into USD Sustainability's efforts around transportation was develped by Meghan Wong ('23)
The University of San Diego’s Office of Sustainability is updating the university’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), which includes a section on transportation. The office recently hosted a Student Sustainability Summit, where Savannah Robledo, the Sustainability Coordinator, noticed that many students “want the opportunity to learn about alternative transportation, but they just don’t know how.” Savannah emphasized that effectively sharing the message and tailoring it to diverse audiences can help students overcome their lack of familiarity and comfort with transportation.
Education and awareness is just one of the challenges of promoting alternative transportation. The Director of Sustainability, John Alejandro, noted that “in practical implementation (of transportation), that means that people have to change their behavior”. Meaningful outreach entails considering individual circumstances when analyzing transportation issues. For example, Linda Vista is a food desert, which means there are no grocery stores within walking distance. Students need some form of transportation to get healthy food, a basic necessity. Therefore, having a bus route available from point A to point B is not enough, it must also run as frequently as residents need them to, and it also must be a more convenient option than driving a car. To improve route planning, John advocates for a thorough understanding of residents' lifestyles and needs, but research capacity and funding pose common obstacles in this undertaking.
Equitable transportation access involves facilitating easy movement by car, public transport, or walking. Locally, SANDAG implemented Youth Opportunity Passes which allows 18-under youth to ride buses, Trolleys, COASTER, and SPRINTER at no cost. USD students can purchase a Monthly Pass or Semester Pass from the UC Ticket Office for a discounted price.These efforts not only improve access to basic needs, but they can also help reduce air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gasses from cars. To help the entire region adapt to equitable,cleaner forms of transportation, we need a nuanced understanding of the lifestyle and needs of residents.What is SANDAG?
Want to learn more? Watch the Voice of San Diego's San Diego 101 video on the agency tasked with improving how we get around, the San Diego Association of Governments. San Diego 101 is a series from Voice of San Diego made to educate San Diegans about some of the most important issues that shape our region.
Why is transportation choice important?
High quality of life means the region boasts a thriving economy, a healthy environment, and is an equitable place for all San Diegans to grow and prosper.
Economy
A 2020 Gallup study found that consumers tend to feel more pessimistic about the economy when gas prices are higher. Drivers are acutely aware of prices and change their driving habits to conserve their gas tank where possible. Additionally, sitting in traffic uses fuel, increasing costs to drivers. On the other hand, a certain amount of traffic congestion can indicate a thriving regional economy. This is particularly visible in the San Diego border region, which oversees the transportation of consumer goods and materials. Still, strengthening the region’s alternative transportation connectivity and service quality could bolster consumer confidence. When residents feel they can rely on public transit, walkways, bikeways, and safer roads to reach their destination, they may feel more encouraged to frequent San Diego businesses. In this way, informed land use decisions can guide the post-pandemic, economic growth of the region.
Environment
Transportation infrastructure can disrupt local habitats and wildlife. Strategic planning for land, coastal, and waterfront areas can promote travel while safeguarding ecosystems. Emissions from vehicles decrease air quality and add carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, to the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. Each San Diego County commuter who biked and/or walked to work for a year, helped to avoid an equivalent of nearly one metric ton of carbon dioxide, which is comparable to switching 34 incandescent lights to LEDs, or planting and growing 15 tree seedlings for 10 years. Viable transportation alternatives to driving can reduce these emissions and protect the health of the environment.
Equity
Ninety-three percent of low-income residents in the City of San Diego lack access to fast and frequent public transit. The Environmental Health Coalition's 10 Transit Lifelines project underscores the importance of transit for residents' access to jobs, food, and school. Ensuring reliable public transportation is crucial, and walkways should be designed for accessibility. While San Diego doesn't rank in the top 10 for traffic congestion, congested roads impact air quality, particularly in nearby communities. Many of these exposed areas, marked by high poverty rates, are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution.
Regional Response
Policies
SANDAG prepares an update to its regional planning every four years and is currently developing its 2025 Regional Plan, which will be built upon the groundwork of the 2021 Regional Plan and feedback from jurisdictions and community members. These plans must increasingly respond to the climate policy targets, goals and guidance set by the state of California. Increasing transportation choice is an essential component of the plan to help achieve regional climate goals and objectives.
The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1) aimed to develop long-term funding for transportation infrastructure in California for a ten-year period ending in 2027. Some transportation projects in the San Diego Region are funded with this bill through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). SANDAG, and other transportation agencies in the state, continually update an investment plan for the state transportation funding they receive.
The 2023-2024 May Revision to the Governor’s Budget features $12.8 billion for transportation funds.
The Calexico Port of Entry is undergoing an expansion to ease traffic congestion at the port. Upon its projected completion in 2023, the expansion will add six northbound vehicle lanes and five new southbound lanes.
Projects
Walk and bicycle projects based on Active Transportation Plans (ATP) are now common in Climate Action Plans throughout the San Diego County region. These are jurisdiction-specific projects going beyond the regional ATP implemented over the next 10-40 years by SANDAG. Residents can keep track of these regional bikeway projects online. Some of the projects that are expected to be open to the public in 2024 include the Orange Bikeway (connection between North Park and Mid-City neighborhoods) and Pershing Bikeway(north-south connectivity through Balboa Park) .
San Diegans under the age of 18 will continue to be able to ride public transit for free through June of 2024. Registering for the SANDAG Youth Opportunity Pass can be done online, via a phone call, or through a student’s school. Schools and community organizations can also request a bulk order of these passes.
The North County Transit District and SANDAG received a $100 million grant from the California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program for the San Dieguito River Railway Bridge replacement and the construction of an events platform at Del Mar Fairgrounds. Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.
The County of San Diego’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP) was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2018. The ATP aims to increase bike lanes and walking trails and improve safety for non-motorized vehicle users to improve public health and enhance regional efforts to meet greenhouse gas emission goals. The City of Encinitas also updated its ATP in 2018 and received a grant to work on the implementation of the ATP with a list of prioritized projects, which will be available in early 2023. A statewide Progress Report of ATPs will be completed by Caltrans in March 2023.
Partnerships
The Regional Habitat Conservation Taskforce is a group of government wildlife agencies and nonprofit organizations that address regional habitat conservation issues related to the implementation of the TransNet Environmental Mitigation Program (EMP), which ensures that planned transportation projects comply with the Multiple Species Conservation Program and Multiple Habitat Conservation Program.
Cyclists hit the road on Bike to Anywhere Day (May 18th for 2023), a day dedicated to commuting on bicycle. Some San Diego County organizations applied to be a part of the network of 100 pit stop locations for residents to enjoy on their trips all around the county.
Circulate San Diego, in partnership with Rady Children’s Hospital and the California Office of Traffic Safety, launched online educational resources and activities to promote safe walking trails and biking lanes.
What are we tracking?
We track the number of miles driven by residents annually at the times of morning weekday peak hours (6 to 10 am), afternoon weekday peak hours (3 to 7 pm), weekend and holidays, and weekday off peak. We also track delays due to free ways at weekday peak hours. Tracking commuting choices allows us to understand the transportation choices of residents. Relatedly, we track the trends in the number of people working from home. Finally, we also track northbound personal and freight vehicle border crossings into the U.S through the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Tecate ports of entry.