Transportation: Difference between revisions

The [https://www.sdmts.com/ Metropolitan Transit System] (commonly known as the ''MTS'') is the main source of public transportation for the San Diego county. It covers roughly all of San Diego county. asThe wellMTS asoperates the ruralbus partssystem, five light rail/trolley systems<ref>A light rail/trolley is a type of Easttransportation county.that Thecombines operatethe space of trams and the Busspeed systemof trains. There is, however, only usually one right of way that decreases the fiveflexibility lightcompared railto a bus.</trolley systemsref>, and the freight routes. ServingProviding over 88 million trips annually<ref>[https://www.sdmts.com/about/about-mts#:~:text=MTS%20generates%2088%20million%20annual,trips%20each%20weekday%20pre%2DCOVID. https://www.sdmts.com/about/about-mts#:~:text=MTS%20generates%2088%20million%20annual,trips%20each%20weekday%20pre%2DCOVID.]</ref>, the MTS is a pivotal part of how San Diego county operates and succeeds.

The agency was founded on July 3, 1886<ref>https://www.sdmts.com/about/history</ref> aswith the original name of the "San Diego Street Car Company". As the San Diego's population increasedbloomed, the need and demand for public transportation increased. This led John D. Spreckels<ref>https://sandiegohistory.org/archives/biographysubject/spreckels/</ref> to buy out and incorporate many transportation companiesagencies, calling this newnewly incorporated company the "San Diego Electric Railway Company". As themore usepeople ofstarted using public transportation increased, Spreckels increased his grip on power, even forcingpressuring the City of San Diego to sign a lease onto his advantage. Starting in 1916, ownership of private vehicles increasedstarted to gain traction as the cost forof these railways also increased.

In 1967, voters agreed that the city of San Diego should take over as the head of the Transittransit Systemsystem, even though ridership was dipping throughoutas the yearsyear continued. The agency finally changed to theirits familiarcurrent name to, the "Metropolitan Transit System". In 1980, the trolley was introduced, increasing ridership almost instantly. It wenttraveled from Downtown San Diego to the International Border. In 1986, the Orange Line was introduced, giving San Diego State's Studentstudents access to the trolley now. In 1989, the Orange Line expanded to the City of La Mesa. In the following years, the trolley created and expanded theirits routes, to include the Blue and Green LineLines. In 2021, the Blue Line extended and connect the trolley with the University of California: San Diego's Campus.

San Diego and California in general is a very car -heavy community. Over 95%<ref>[https://www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers-and-institutes/nonprofit-institute/what-we-do/create-and-share-knowledge/dashboard/transportation.php#:~:text=As%20of%202018%2C%20over%2095,declining%20use%20of%20public%20transit. https://www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers-and-institutes/nonprofit-institute/what-we-do/create-and-share-knowledge/dashboard/transportation.php#:~:text=As%20of%202018%2C%20over%2095,declining%20use%20of%20public%20transit.]</ref> of San Diego County residents have access to at least one privately ownowned vehicle. If you are planning to settle or stay in San Diego for an extended period of time, it would be advised to have access to a car. Car rentals are also a good option for travelers. The average daydaily cost in San Diego for Car Rentals areis $73<ref>https://www.tripadvisor.com/RentalCars-g60750-San_Diego_California.html</ref> a day. Finally, Uber<ref>Uber is one of the more popular car-sharing companies option. </ref> is a good option as car -sharing <ref>Car-Sharing is a similar to a taxi driving service where a driver will pick you up and drive you to your desired location for a price. The difference between Uber and a Taxi service is that Uber allows more people, after a background check, to drive people. It can be be used as a part time job for some people. </ref>apps are inon the rise in the last following years. San Diego havehas urban areas with many opportunities for ride-sharing if wanted.

The San Diego International Airport (also known as ''SAN'') is the largest airport in the San Diego Area. It is known as the United States' busiest single-runway airport<ref>A single runway airport is an airport that only has one area where landing is allowed. There is only one place where planes are also allowed to take off. </ref> and the second busiest in the world. In 2019, the airport served more than 25 million<ref>https://www.san-diego-airport.com/</ref> passengers. There are two terminals in the airport. Some of the top destinations include: San Fransisco, Seattle, and Dallas.

Built in 1929<ref>https://simpleflying.com/san-diego-international-airport-history/</ref>, it was named in honor of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh<ref>http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/</ref>. The San Diego Municipal Corporation werewas the original contractorscontractor of this project. In the years following, it became a huge military hub for naval aviation operations. The height of this type of usage came during World War Two, including the creation and maintenance of bomber planes.

As air travel was getting more and more popular, there was a need to either expand or move location. In 1967, the decision to expand the facility was met and the second terminal was eventually created. In 2003, the airport finally was changed to theits current name, The San Diego International Airport.

* Only 1% of jobs in the Metropolitan area are accessible in a span of 30 minuteminutes with public transit. With the 1 hour span, it only increases to 8%. This blocks people who needsneed public transit to move around from 90% of jobs. There was a failed citizens' initiative that urged the Government to create a new plan to "increase the infrastructure for the inner city."<ref>https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/07/21/public-transit-is-not-just-an-environmental-issue-its-about-the-workforce/</ref>

* Plans for new housing policy pushes transit -friendly zones so that people who live in these new large housing spacespaces are close and within walking distancesdistance from the transit areas. The issue, however, stems formfrom the broad wording. Many interpret the word "close" differentdifferently and it causecauses many obstacles like canyons or freeways that create an even further walk for them.<ref>https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-01-30/opinion-new-homebuilding-proposal-would-encourage-sprawl-far-from-transit</ref>

* Build Better SD is a citywide initiative that aims to meet the goals of sustainability while developing and maintaining the public streets or structures. There are many items on their checklist including road repair. <ref>https://www.sandiego.gov/buildbettersd</ref>