We’ve got some bad news: San Diegans are still racking up tons of miles in their cars, even with California’s stay home order. Our region needs a world-class transit system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps us secure a Zero Carbon future.
Our regional planning agency–SANDAG–recently published an update on freeway travel from mid-March through early June. Here are two key stats:
In the third month of quarantine, San Diegans drove a whopping 514 million miles on our eight local freeways.
The number of cars on our freeways has increased each week since the height of the quarantine, and in the first week of June, that number was only down 21% compared to the same time last year.
Despite a drastic drop in freeway travel in mid-April, the numbers are now almost back to status quo. Our response to this pandemic — through strategies like slow streets and curbside restaurants — has shown that we can quickly reimagine our public spaces, even during a crisis.
By harnessing this spirit of adaptability and duty to one another, we can build a world-class transportation system that confronts our other looming crisis — climate change.
Take a closer look at the freeway travel data here and stay tuned for some huge updates and opportunities to engage in regional transportation decisions.
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