Executive Summary. Traffic congestion is correlated with the state of the economy. 9.7%

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1 State of the ommute xecutive Summary SNG serves as the region s clearinghouse for information and data. Infos publish timely, relevant information informing the public while providing context on complex issues facing the region. For more information, call () - or pio@sandag.org Traffic congestion is correlated with the state of the economy. uring the economic decline/ Great Recession (-), as job losses mounted, the region experienced declines in rush-hour traffic and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Today, with the economy continuing to make gains while gas prices remain lower than in the past, traffic in the county has returned to pre-recession levels. population in millions.% % +.%. employment in millions.% %... -.% +.% +.% +.% gross domestic product in billions of dollars. peak period freeway travel in millions of vehicle miles... peak period freeway delay in millions of vehicle hours transit boardings average weekday in thousands.% %.%.%.. transit travel average weekday in millions of passenger miles % +.% -.% +.% +.% +.% +.% +.% State of the ommute i

2 Introduction marked the fifth year of economic recovery in the San iego region, following a five-year economic decline that started slowly in and then abruptly impacted the quality of life for many in the San iego region and throughout the United States in. This -year cycle of economic decline and recovery has revealed much about how intrinsically linked our regional economy is to our journey to work and our overall travel patterns. t the onset of the Great Recession in, employment in the San iego region decreased across many important sectors, particularly in construction and manufacturing. The regional economy showed itself to be relatively resilient to the economic downturn, as population continued to grow, albeit at a slower rate. In, population in the region reached. million residents, a. percent increase from (See Figure.). Travel on the region s freeways dropped at the onset of the recession, with travel times on major freeway corridors falling as well. The Great Recession and the associated drop in personal incomes appeared to impact discretionary travel such as shopping and recreational trips. Since the economy hit bottom in and, population, jobs, and gross domestic product have slowly and steadily rebounded. The regional economy showed itself to be relatively resilient to the economic downturn... s San iego s regional economy has recovered, the employment base has reestablished itself and peak-period commute travel has surpassed prerecession levels. In, the region s employment base grew by. percent to almost. million jobs, outpacing the state s overall job growth for one year. The cumulative job growth over the past decade was. percent, with much of the increase occurring in the last five years. The Great Recession and the associated drop in personal incomes appeared to impact discretionary travel such as shopping and recreational trips. s more people return to work, more trips are made on our region s roadways. (See Figure.) In, prior to the economic downturn, the unemployment rate in the region was. percent, lower than the state and national averages. t the height of the recession in, unemployment reached. percent in the region, which was lower than the statewide average (. percent) but higher than the national average (. percent). orrelated with the job growth is gross domestic product (GP). t the height of the recession in, the San iego region s GP fell by almost percent to $. billion, the only year the area experienced a loss in economic productivity. In, the GP in the San iego region grew to nearly $ billion, an increase of. percent. This annual growth in regional economic productivity outpaced both state and national trends. Over the last decade, the regional GP grew by nearly percent. (See Figure.) Gas prices in alifornia were approaching $ per gallon prior to the economic downturn, peaking at $. per gallon in. t the height of the recession in, gas prices fell to $. per gallon. Gas prices began to increase once again, reaching $ per gallon in. Since then, gas prices in alifornia have seen a steady decline, averaging $. per gallon in and $. per gallon in. eclines in gas prices historically have been correlated with reduced transit ridership and ridesharing and increased vehicle miles traveled. (See Figure.) bout the State of the ommute This State of the ommute report examines how travel trends in the region have changed through the Great Recession from to, and then through the economic recovery all the way up to. ata for various modes of travel are presented through charts, graphs, and maps in order to provide readers with an easy-to-understand view of how our regional transportation system functions. The report discusses performance trends for various modes in the region freeway and transit in particular using consistently available performance data. The report also provides a look at performance from an individual commuter s perspective. ommute patterns can be very complex in a large metropolitan area like San iego, so commute routes have been organized by the sub-region in which the commute starts North ounty oastal, North ounty Inland, North ity (northern part of the ity of San iego), South ounty, and ast ounty and a major employment center where the commute ends. Figure. Regional Population Figure. Regional mployment Figure. Regional Gross omestic Product Figure. alifornia Gasoline Prices.. $ $. $. Population (millions)..... Non-Farm mployment (millions).... GP (billions) $ $ $ $ $ $ $. $. $. $. $. $. $.. Source: alifornia epartment of Finance, SNG. Source: alifornia mployment evelopment epartment $ Source: ureau of conomic nalysis, U.S. epartment of ommerce $. Source: U.S. nergy Information dministration, U.S. epartment of nergy State of the ommute

3 ommute asics Figure. How we get to work (ommute Mode Share),.% rove alone arpool/vanpool Public Transit Walked.%.% icycle Other.%.% : more cars and more drivers.%.% Worked at home Source: merican ommunity Survey, -year estimates There were more than,, vehicles registered in San iego ounty in, an increase of almost % from the previous year. There were nearly,, licensed drivers in San iego ounty in, up.% from the previous year. In, it is estimated that almost. million vehicle miles of travel (VMT) occurred every day in San iego ounty, which adds up to more than billion vehicle miles over the entire year. More than percent of the daily travel occurs on the urban freeways and highways in the region. nother percent occurs on the local streets and roads in the urbanized portion of the county. How do we get to work? Over the past decade, the mode of transportation to work for San iego residents has remained fairly consistent. Nearly percent of commute trips in the San iego region are made by private automobile, with the vast majority of people traveling alone. arpooling and vanpooling make up a portion of these trips, comprising percent of commute trips prior to the economic downturn. This commute mode share dropped to percent during the downturn, and has seen a continued drop during the recovery. y, carpooling and vanpooling made up percent of all commute trips. This recent downward trend in carpooling and vanpooling has been seen in other metropolitan areas throughout the country. ommuting by public transit makes up approximately percent of all commute trips, with another percent of commuters walking to work. nother to percent of workers choose to work from home, which covers a wide spectrum of employment choices including homebased employment, telework, and military-based residence. ata on commute modes comes from the merican ommunity Survey (S) conducted by the U.S. ensus. The annual survey gathers data on a resident s primary means of transportation during his or her usual commute. While this survey provides In, the average commute time in the San iego region was. minutes, which ranks th among major U.S. metropolitan areas...and lower compared to other metro areas in alifornia and the national average. a snapshot into general commute trends, it can oversimplify today s commuting behavior, which continues to grow in complexity. The S does not necessarily reflect a more multimodal commute, where travelers require multiple modes (e.g., walk, bike, transit) at the beginning and/or end of their commute, or the chaining of the commute trip, where commuters, for example, may carpool at the beginning of their commute and continue to drive alone and/or drive to rail transit for the remainder of their commute. How long does it take to get to work? The S also collects information on general trends in travel times to work. Figure. shows the overall commute times over the past decade. In, prior to the recession, commute times in the San iego region were approaching minutes. t the onset of the recession in, commute times dropped to minutes and remained at that level until. Since, the recovering economy has seen commute times slowly increase. In, the average commute time in the San iego region was. minutes, which ranks th among major U.S. metropolitan areas. ommute times in the San iego region are lower compared to other metro areas in alifornia and the national average. (See Figure.) s shown in Table., higher commute times are associated with higher economic productivity. Seventeen of the top metro areas in terms of gross domestic product (GP) are ranked in the Top for commute times. The exceptions on this list are St. Louis, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Riverside/ San ernardino ounties, where travel times are inherently longer due to longer commute distances to suburban employment centers or the downtown employment hub. Table. Travel Time to Work Rank vs. Gross omestic Product Rank, Rank Metro rea Travel Time Minutes Gross omestic Product (billions) GP Rank New York. $,. Washington. $. San Francisco. $. Riverside-San ernardino. $. hicago. $. oston. $. tlanta. $. altimore. $. Houston. $. Seattle. $. Los ngeles $. Philadelphia. $. Miami. $. allas. $. enver. $. Tampa-St. Petersburg $. etroit. $. Phoenix. $. San iego. $. St. Louis. $. Source: merican ommunity Survey, -year estimates, ureau of conomic nalysis, U.S. epartment of ommerce Note: Includes metropolitan areas with working age populations (ages +) exceeding two million residents Figure. Travel Time to Work, San iego Metro rea Travel Time (minutes) Travel (million vehicle miles) Source: merican ommunity Survey, -year estimates Figure. Travel Time to Work, Selected U.S. Metro reas New York Washington San Francisco hicago tlanta altimore Los ngeles Philadelphia Source: merican ommunity Survey, -year estimates Miami allas Tampa-St. Petersburg United States Phoenix San iego Minneapolis-St. Paul State of the ommute

4 Regional Highway Performance: Freeway Travel (VMT) How much do we travel on the region s freeways? Figure. shows overall freeway travel in the San iego region over the past years. In, prior to the recession, annual freeway travel in the region was approaching billion vehiclemiles. uring the Great Recession, freeway travel decreased gradually with employment losses, the drop in economic activity, and the associated decline in trips. In, regional freeway travel dropped to. billion vehicle-miles. With economic recovery beginning in, freeway travel also recovered, reaching billion vehiclemiles in, a. percent increase compared to the previous year. In, overall freeway travel increased by. percent to. billion vehicle-miles. This slower growth in freeway travel was observed throughout the state in. Figure. shows regional freeway travel by day of the week, where Friday has historically been the most traveled day on San iego freeways. Freeway travel during commute hours In the San iego region, freeway travel during the peak commute hours ( to a.m. and to p.m.) has made up approximately percent of all freeway travel. Over the past years, the proportion of peak period travel did not change, indicating that while travel levels did drop during the recession, commute trips during the traditional commute hours still held a considerable share of overall travel in the region. In fact, trips during the off-peak hours and during the weekend saw lower travel levels at the onset of the recession. Peak-period travel in the region reached a high at. billion vehicle miles in, then saw decreases during the recession. Peak-period travel dropped to less than. billion vehicle-miles in and once again began to ascend beginning in. In, peak-period travel surpassed billion vehicle miles, a. percent increase from. In, peak-period travel dropped nearly percent to. billion vehicle-miles. This recent drop reflects the flat or declining peak-period freeway travel seen throughout the state in. Figure. shows freeway travel by time of day, where the decline in freeway travel in is shown during the morning (-. percent) and evening (-. percent) peak periods. The drop in peak-period VMT in was not associated with a spreading of freeway travel to the shoulder periods before and after the traditional peak periods. Peak-period travel on San iego freeways does change during the course of the week. Figure. shows that peakperiod freeway travel is highest in the middle of the week, with both Mondays and Fridays impacted by non-traditional work shifts (e.g., /, /) as well as non-work trips that occur throughout the day but during the evening peak period in particular. Mondays and Fridays saw declines in peak period freeway travel between and, demonstrating the loss of work-based commute trips in the region during the economic downturn. Figure. Total Freeway Travel Travel (billion vehicle miles) Travel (million vehicle miles) Figure. verage Weekday Freeway Travel by Time of ay m. Peak P.M. Peak Weekday Off-Peak Weekends. : : : : : : : Figure. verage Freeway Travel by ay of Week Travel (million vehicle miles) Travel (million vehicle miles) Figure. verage Peak Period Freeway Travel by ay of Week Friday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Monday Saturday Sunday Friday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Monday State of the ommute

5 Regional Highway Performance: Freeway elay What is the quality of travel on the region s freeways? The performance of the region s freeway systems is typically measured in terms of delay, travel time, and travel time reliability. Freeway delay is measured in terms of the number of vehicle hours a particular freeway segment operates below a certain speed. In this report, severe delay reflects stop-and-go freeway congestion and is defined when a freeway segment operates below miles per hour. Normal, or recurrent, delay typically occurs at specific freeway congested segments during the peak-commute periods. nywhere from to percent of freeway delay is non-recurrent, caused by accidents, special events, inclement weather, roadway construction, and other incidents. Figure. shows total freeway delay in the region since. More than percent of freeway delay occurs during the traditional peak-period commutes. In, prior to the recession, freeway delay in the region exceeded million vehiclehours. uring the recession, peak-period freeway travel decreased, reducing delays, particularly at existing freeway congested segments. Peak-period delay dropped percent in and another percent in. t the onset of the recession, freeway delay during the morning peak period dropped at a higher rate than the evening peak period, indicating its profound impact on many employment bases and the overall journey to work which dominates M peakperiod travel. s peak-period freeway travel increased along with the economic recovery, the resulting demands on the regional freeway system resulted in delays that have surpassed pre-recession levels. In, daily freeway delay reached. million vehicle-hours, a percent increase from and a percent increase since. With the declining peak-period travel observed in, peak-period freeway delay increased at a slower rate percent. In the last decade, the economic recession... provided a financial climate to aggressively advance the TransNet arly ction Program and other regional freeway projects. Nearly two-thirds of the delay on the regional freeway system is experienced on the major Interstate corridors: I-, I-, and I- (see Figure.). I- also contributes to peak-period delay during the morning peak period, along with State Route (SR ) during the evening peak period. Figure. Total nnual Freeway elay elay (million vehicle hours) elay (thousand vehicle hours per lane mile) Weekend/Holiday Weekday Off-Peak P.M. Peak Figure. ongested Freeway Segments.M. Peak Southbound I- from SR to entre ity Pkwy. Northbound I- from I- to Manchester ve. Southbound I- from Palomar irport Rd. to Manchester ve. Southbound I- from I- to I- astbound SR from I- to SR astbound SR from Mar Vista Rd. to I- elay on these major freeway corridors has been impacted significantly not only by economic conditions, but also by the construction of freeway improvement projects, many funded by the TransNet program. In the last decade, the economic recession also provided a financial climate to aggressively advance freeway enhancements included in the TransNet arly ction Program and other regional freeway projects. Projects that were shovel-ready for construction were more likely to receive state and federal funding during this period, which led to faster project completion and earlier benefits to the traveling public. ompleting HOV lane projects on I- and I-, the I- xpress Lanes project, and operational projects on I- and SR, not only Figure. Total nnual Peak Period elay elay (million vehicle hours) elay (thousand vehicle hours per lane mile) I- I- I- Others Figure. ongested Freeway Segments astbound SR from Mar Vista Rd. to I- Southbound I- from I- to I- Southbound I- from SR to I- Northbound I- from SR to I- Northbound I- from I- to I- provided immediate benefits, but have also minimized travel impacts during the region s strong economic recovery. Figures. shows some of the most congested segments in prior to the recession. Three segments in particular southbound I- at Lake Hodges, northbound I- into ncinitas, and southbound I- out of arlsbad had some of the highest congestion rates in the region, exceeding, vehicle-hours per lane-mile. Investments in HOV and xpress Lanes on these corridors have kept congestion rates below, vehicles per lane-mile through the economic recovery. In, only one of the top congested segments exceeded this congestion rate threshold, the southbound I- segment through the Golden Triangle and Kearny Mesa (See Figure.). The one segment from that remained congested in was the eastbound segment of SR through San Marcos. and freeway improvements completed in on SR near Nordahl Road have kept peak-period delay at bay while long-range improvements are being planned. What does freeway delay mean to commuters? ccording to INRIX, the average commuter in the San iego region spent a total of hours in peak-hour congestion in, which ranked th among U.S. cities. (See Table.) previous report from the Texas Transportation Institute estimated that drivers in the region experienced a total of hours of delay in, ranking th among metro areas with populations exceeding three million. Table. Time Spent in ongestion U.S. Metro reas U.S. Rank Metro rea Peak Hours Spent in ongestion Los ngeles, New York, NY San Francisco, tlanta, G Miami, FL Washington, allas, TX oston, M hicago, IL Seattle, W Houston, TX Portland, OR ustin, TX San iego, Minneapolis, MN Stamford, T Philadelphia, P Tacoma, W Phoenix, Z aton Rouge, L Source: INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, February Figure. Peak Period elay by Freeway.M. ommute: I- % I- % SR % SR % SR % I- % I- %.M. ommute: I- % P.M. ommute: I- % I- % I- % I- % I- % I- % SR % SR % SR % P.M. ommute: Other % SR % SR % I- % SR % SR % I- % Other % SR % I- % SR % Other % I- % Other % I- % State of the ommute

6 Regional Transit Performance Regional travel by transit, in terms of passenger miles traveled (PMT), is often used as a transit counterpart to vehicle miles traveled to illustrate the cumulative number of miles traveled by all transit passengers during a typical weekday on the region s buses, shuttles, trolleys, and commuter trains. s seen in Figure., average weekday transit travel in grew to. million passenger-miles, an increase of nearly percent over. That capped a three-year period of growing transit travel in the region, with new Rapid bus services and realigned Trolley services deployed during a time of economic recovery. Regional transit travel in was nearly percent higher than in before the economic downtown. In, however, regional travel by transit dropped nearly percent to. million passenger-miles. verage weekday transit ridership, in terms of boardings, has followed the same trend as transit travel over the last decade. Regional transit ridership in increased by nearly percent to nearly, weekday boardings. That ridership growth reflects a percent increase since and an percent increase as compared to prior to the economic downturn. In, transit ridership dropped nearly. percent to, weekday boardings. (See Figure.) Figure. shows ridership trends between bus and rail services. In, average weekday bus ridership increased approximately percent to nearly, passengers, while average weekday rail ridership increased by. percent to, passengers. In, average weekday bus ridership decreased approximately percent to, passengers, while average weekday rail ridership decreased approximately percent to, passengers. While average weekday transit ridership declined in, over the past five years ridership has increased. percent overall. This recent drop in transit travel and ridership appears to be influenced by a number of factors, including relatively low and stable gasoline prices, and the relatively healthy state of the economy. Transit revenue miles are an indication of the amount of transit service available to the public in the region. Transit revenue miles increased by. percent in to more than, revenue miles. In, transit revenue miles increased to over, due to minor service changes made by transit operators. (See Figure.) The overall productivity of the regional transit system, measured in passengers per revenue mile, peaked in. In, transit productivity was. passengers per revenue mile, percent higher than in prior to the economic downturn. (See Figure.) In response to declining ridership and productivity, both transit operators are planning system changes to realign current transit services to meet market needs. Weekday ridership levels for the five rail transit routes in the San iego region remain strong. The U San iego lue Line Trolley, from San Ysidro to owntown San iego, continues to be the busiest transit route in the region, with more than, daily trips in. The Green and Orange Trolley lines rank second and third overall in the region, with, and, daily trips, respectively. The SPRINTR light rail service from scondido to Oceanside also served more than, trips each weekday along the SR corridor in. The OSTR rounds out the rail services with nearly, daily passengers. (See Table.) Table. shows the ten most heavily used bus routes in the region. The Route bus service from La Mesa to owntown San iego continues to have the highest weekday bus ridership in the region, serving more than, daily trips. Notably, in, the SuperLoop Rapid services in the University ity area (Routes /) rose to the number five spot on the list with over, daily passengers, while the I- Rapid (Route ) rose to the number eight spot on the list, with nearly, passengers per weekday. Figure. verage Weekday Transit Passenger Miles Passengers Miles (millions) Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Transit oardings (thousands)..... Table. Rail Routes by Ridership, This table excludes the Silver Line, which provides limited off-peak service in downtown San iego. Rank Rank Route Route escription Figure. verage Weekday us and Rail Ridership Transit oardings (thousands) Revenue miles (thousands) us Rail Transit Mode verage Weekday oardings U San iego lue Line Trolley merica Plaza to San Ysidro Light Rail, Green Line Trolley Orange Line Trolley Figure. verage Weekday Transit Revenue Miles Santee to owntown S / th & Imperial via La Mesa / Mission Valley l ajon to owntown S / merica Plaza via Southeastern ommunities Light Rail, Light Rail, SPRINTR Oceanside to scondido Light Rail, OSTR Oceanside to owntown San iego ommuter Rail, Figure. verage Weekday Passengers Per Revenue Mile Passengers (per revenue mile) Table. Top us Routes by Ridership, Rank Rank Route Route escription La Mesa to owntown owntown San iego to Iris venue Trolley Skyline Hills to San iego State University SSU - owntown / UT Transit enter/ U San iego Kaiser Hospital/Grantville Trolley to th Street Trolley U San iego Medical enter/hillcrest to uclid Trolley owntown San iego to scondido Transit enter UT / V Medical enter to owntown SSU Transit enter to th Street Trolley University & ollege to Old Town Transit enter Hillcrest - Grossmont Trolley Transit Mode us us us Rapid us Rapid us us us Rapid us us us us us verage Weekday oardings Source for all figures and tables on this page: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program,,,,,,,,,,,, State of the ommute

7 Performance of Rapid and Rail Services Funded by TransNet TransNet, the region s voter-approved, half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, continues to play an important role in developing major transit services in the region. TransNet funds have been invested in building new transit projects, as well as paying for the operating expenses of those new services. TransNet capital investments include infrastructure for the SPRINTR, SuperLoop, and Rapid services, as well as vehicles, such as low-floor trolley cars and buses. TransNet investment in rail infrastructure has created a network that provided transportation to more than, passengers per weekday in. (See Figure.) Under the program,. percent of net revenues are set aside to pay for continued operations of services built with TransNet funds. This funding covers the operating costs of SuperLoop Rapid services in the University ity area (Routes / and ), as well as recently deployed Rapid bus services from San iego State University to owntown San iego (Route ) and along the I- orridor (Routes and ). Future transit services implemented by TransNet, including the Mid-oast Trolley extension and South ay Rapid, will be supported by the program s operational funding. In, Rapid services combined to carry approximately, passengers on an average weekday. In, ridership across these services rose to, passengers, an increase of percent. (See Figure.) Routes / and have been highly productive, meeting or exceeding the MTS us average of. passengers per hour in and. passengers per hour in. Route (UT ast Loop) provides feeder services to Routes / and UT Transit enter. Routes and (Rancho ernardo to U San iego) provide a more commuter based service along the I- corridor, in which riders have longer trips than they would on a route operating frequently along an urban corridor. (See Figure.) With the exception of Routes /, the average weekday load factor (the percentage of seats occupied on a transit vehicle) of the TransNet-funded routes has been increasing in recent years. In, Route, which provides service throughout the day, had a load factor of. percent, significantly above the MTS us average of. percent of seats being occupied. ll-day load factors for the SuperLoop and Route are just below the MTS bus average. (See Figure.) In and, the SuperLoop Rapid and Rapid Route arrived on schedule more than percent of the time. On-time performance on Rapid Routes and were just below the Metropolitan Transit System standard of percent for Rapid services. (See Figure.) Farebox recovery on all the SuperLoop routes has ranged between and percent since the inception of the service in. Rapid services have seen a steady farebox recovery of percent over the last two years, while Rapid Figure. Regional Transit Ridership: TransNet Supported Rail Services Weekday oardings (thousands) lue Line Green Line Orange Line OSTR SPRINTR farebox recovery increased from to percent between and. Farebox recovery on the Rapid service continues to grow (up to percent in ) as the ridership base continues to form (see Figure.). Figure. Regional Transit Ridership: TransNet Supported us Services Weekday oardings (thousands) Rapid / Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid Figure. Regional Transit Productivity: TransNet Supported us Services Figure. Regional us Transit Load Factor: TransNet Supported us Services Figure. Transit On-Time Performance: TransNet Supported us Services Figure. Regional Transit Farebox Recovery: TransNet Supported us Services % Weekday average passengers per hour Weekday average percentage of seats occupied % % % % % % Weekday average percentage on-time % % % Weekday average farebox recovery % % % % % Rapid / Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid / Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid / Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid / Rapid Rapid Rapid Rapid Source for all figures on this page: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program, Hastus State of the ommute

8 ommuter Route Performance: Overview SNG continues its efforts to understand just how well our transportation system is performing from the traveler s perspective. The ommute Route Performance section provides a snapshot of data focusing on major commute routes throughout the region. ommute routes are organized here into groups having similar travel patterns. For example, commutes from both San Ysidro and hula Vista to owntown San iego have been grouped together to give a more comprehensive view of the commute from the South ounty. ach commute route section reports travel times during the morning and afternoon commutes. Travel times represent trip times only during the freeway portion of the trip, rather than door-to-door commute times. Travel time data comes from the altrans Performance Measurement System (PeMS). PeMS uses information gathered by freeway detectors to estimate travel speeds for a given segment of freeway, and the system calculates the corresponding travel time and delay. Freeway travel times reflect travel on the general purpose lanes of the freeway, and do not reflect the use of HOV or xpress Lanes during the trip. Morning and evening travel times in this section assume that one enters the freeway at a.m. and p.m., respectively. ommute Route Performance: South ounty to Sorrento Valley The major inland commute route from South ounty to major employment centers in Sorrento Valley and the Golden Triangle takes place primarily on Interstate. ommuters to Sorrento Valley generally experience delays in the morning when traveling southbound and in the evening when traveling northbound up to North ounty. Sorrento Valley San iego Poway La Mesa Santee I- South ounty s shown in Figure., the majority of delay experienced on I- is in the northern portion of the corridor, where commuters directly access major employment centers, or connect to other freeways (i.e., I-, SR, and SR ) to get to and from work. This eight-lane freeway has had some of the most congested segments in the region due to heavy demand. The middle portion South ounty to Sorrento Valley Primary employment centers Northbound Starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Southbound Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage aily Traffic: I- at Governor rive, verage aily Traffic: I- at SR, of I- has seen a considerable growth in delay during the recovery period, as segments in the Mid-ity area, as well as near State Routes and, have become more congested. The southern portion of the I- has experienced the least amount of freeway delay in the I- corridor. Figure. Total Weekday Peak Period elay by Freeway Segment, I- elay (million vehicle hours) North (I- to I-) Middle (SR to I-) South (SR to SR ) ommute travel times are reported in two different ways: average and budget. The average travel time is average of all midweek travel times (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays) for a time period. The budget time, a measure of the trip reliability, is the extra time a commuter would need to add to an average trip to ensure on-time arrival percent of the time. Higher budget times are related to less reliable travel caused by variables such as incidents, accidents, inclement weather, and special events. oronado Imperial each National ity Lemon Grove South ounty hula Vista San iego Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability hula Vista to Sorrento Valley via I- verage Travel Time udget Time Figure. Sorrento Valley to hula Vista via I- verage Travel Time udget Time Tijuana,.. Source for all figures on this page: Performance Measurement System (PeMS), altrans State of the ommute

9 ommute Performance: North ounty oastal to Sorrento Valley/owntown The major coastal commute route from North ounty to major employment centers in the Golden Triangle and owntown San iego takes place primarily on Interstate. ommuters to Sorrento Valley generally experience delays in the morning when traveling southbound and in the evening when traveling northbound up to North ounty. The southbound evening commute has grown considerably the past decade, with travel times becoming comparable to the major commutes in the I- orridor. Oceanside arlsbad Vista San Marcos Figure. Total Weekday Peak Period elay by Freeway Segment, I- elay (million vehicle hours) Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability Southbound I- from SR to Front Street For the commute from the north coastal portion of San iego ounty to owntown San iego, commuters use the middle and northern portions of I-, which carry a significant share of the peak period delay along the entire I-. Prior to the recession, the northern segment from I- to SR carried over percent of all peak-period delay experience on I-. This northern portion of the corridor is not only a commuter route, but also serves local and interregional needs. elays in this segment dropped more than percent in at the onset of the recession and continued to drop in with the completion of the I- HOV lane extension to Solana each. Since, delay on this segment has grown by more than percent as demands have increased due to economic recovery. The middle portion of I- from I- to I- experiences approximately one-fifth of the total delay on I-. This segment serves as the primary gateway into U San iego, the V Hospital, and other major employment sites. fter delay decreases in and, congestion on this Mid-oast segment has doubled since due to increasing demand and recent freeway construction work near I-/ Sea World rive and Genesee venue. (See Figure.) Oceanside to Sorrento Valley/owntown Oceanside to Sorrento Valley Oceanside to owntown Transit: OSTR Primary employment centers Southbound to owntown Starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Northbound from owntown Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes Southbound to University ity Starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Northbound from University ity Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage aily Traffic I- at el Mar Heights Road, verage aily Traffic I- at lairemont rive, ncinitas Solana each el Mar Sorrento Valley San iego owntown oronado Transit Ridership (thousands). Far North (SR to ounty Line) entral (SR to I-) North oast (I- to SR ) South (SR to SR ) Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Mid-oast (I- to I-) Ridership at Los Peñasquitos Lagoon for OSTR and Route bus. OSTR us Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program Figure. Northbound I- from First venue to SR verage Travel Time udget Time State of the ommute

10 ommute Performance: North ounty Inland to Miramar/owntown The primary inland commute route from North ounty to major employment centers in Kearny Mesa and owntown San iego takes place primarily on I- and SR. ommuters generally experience delays traveling southbound in the morning and traveling northbound in the evening. lthough, the southbound commute during the evening peak has recently developed into a major commute movement in the I- orridor. For the commute from the north inland portion of San iego ounty to owntown San iego, commuters use the -mile portion of I- between SR and SR, with the majority of commuters continuing into downtown via SR. This -mile segment of the I- is a critical local, commuter, and interregional route that received more than $ billion in highway and transit investments from to. Since, delay on this segment has increased due to economic recovery; however, the level of delay is still percent lower than pre-recession levels. elay on the portion of I- south of SR has grown considerably. This segment now experiences almost half of the total delay on I-. This segment serves as the primary gateway into Kearny Mesa, Mission Valley, and ultimately major activity and employment sites around San iego ay. (See Figure.) Vista owntown oronado San Marcos National ity scondido entre ity Parkway Poway Kearny Mesa La Mesa Lemon Grove ounty of San iego Santee North ounty Inland to Miramar/owntown l ajon scondido to owntown scondido to Miramar Transit: Rapid Route Primary employment centers Figure. Total Weekday Peak Period elay by Freeway Segment, I- elay (million vehicle hours) Far North (SR to Riverside ounty) Middle (SR to entre ity Parkway) Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability I- from SR to owntown via SR Southbound to owntown Starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Southbound to Miramar Starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes verage Travel Time udget Time North (entre ity Parkway to SR ) South (SR to SR ) Far South (I- to SR ) Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Note: Ridership at Miramar Way screenline for Route,,,,, and Series xpress buses Transit Ridership (in thousands) Figure. I- from owntown to SR via SR us Northbound from owntown Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes Northbound from Miramar Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage Travel Time Premium/Rapid xpress udget Time Rapid Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program verage aily Traffic I- at Poway Road, verage Weekday Ridership I- Transit Services at Miramar Way :, :, State of the ommute

11 ommute Performance: South ounty to owntown South ounty to owntown owntown San Ysidro to owntown hula Vista to owntown Primary employment centers Northbound from San Ysidro starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Northbound from hula Vista starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Southbound to San Ysidro starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes Southbound to hula Vista starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes Mesa Lemon Grove SR Toll Road Transit: U San iego lue Line Trolley Transit: Route F G H verage Weekday Transit Ridership at SR :, :, verage aily Traffic I- at ivision Street, verage aily Traffic I- at SR, Total nnual Trips SR /South ay xpressway FY :. million FY :. million Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership The commute routes from South ounty communities to owntown San iego take place primarily on I- along San iego ay, and inland on I- and SR. ommuters generally experience delays traveling into downtown in the morning and out of downtown in the evening. While travel times in these corridors did drop slightly during the recession, in most areas they remained more stable than many other commuter routes and have since increased to pre-recession levels. The U San iego lue Line Trolley is the primary transit route serving commuters from San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and the rest of South ounty into owntown San iego. long with the Route bus service, weekday transit ridership into and out of National ity ranged between, and, through. lue Line ridership shifted in and as Trolley Renewal construction efforts impacted service, and downtown Trolley realignment shortened the route and redefined the ridership base. Ridership at the Sweetwater River for lue Line Trolley and Route bus Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability San Ysidro to owntown via I- Figure. owntown to San Ysidro via I- verage Travel Time udget Time Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability hula Vista to owntown via I-/SR Figure. owntown to hula Vista via SR /I- verage Travel Time udget Time oronado F National ity Imperial each G hula Vista San iego H Transit Ridership (thousands) lue Line Trolley us verage Travel Time udget Time verage Travel Time udget Time Tijuana,.. Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program State of the ommute

12 ommute Performance: ast ounty to owntown Santee La Mesa The commute routes from ast ounty communities to owntown San iego take place primarily on I- and SR through Mission Valley, and along SR and SR. ommuters generally experience delays traveling into downtown in the morning and out of downtown in the evening. These commutes have followed a similar pattern as the rest of the region, with morning and evening travel times dropping during the economic downturn, and then increasing again in the last few years. Recent increases in inbound commute time are due to freeway congested segments on I- in Mission Valley, as well as known constraints on SR through alboa Park. Outbound travel times to l ajon do not necessarily reflect actual travel experiences, as freeway detection is lacking where known congested segments exist on SR through alboa Park, as well as on I- near I- and I-. The accuracy of the eastbound travel and budget times included in this report for Year reflects a limited travel time dataset due to lack of field detection on SR, and higher than normal travel times reported for October through ecember. The Green and Orange Line Trolley routes serving commuters from ast ounty communities into owntown San iego saw relatively flat ridership from to. Trolley Renewal efforts impacted Orange Line ridership and owntown Trolley realignment redefined both the Green and Orange Line routes. Transit ridership through the SR corridor reached nearly, weekday passengers into and out of downtown in, with a percent drop in ridership in. Transit ridership through the I- corridor reached nearly, weekday passengers into and out of San iego State University in, with a percent drop in ridership in. owntown F Lemon Grove Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Ridership at the Waring Road for Green Line Trolley, Rapid Route, and other local buses Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability l ajon to owntown via I-/SR Figure. owntown to l ajon via I-/SR oronado ast ounty to owntown l ajon to owntown: via I-/SR l ajon to owntown: via SR / Primary employment centers National ity Transit: Orange Line Trolley Transit: Green Line Trolley Transit: Rapid Route Transit Ridership (thousands) us Green Line Trolley Rapid Route Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program verage Travel Time udget Time verage Travel Time udget Time Westbound via I- starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Westbound via SR starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes verage Weekday Transit Ridership Green Line Trolley at Waring Road :, :, F astbound via I- starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes astbound via SR starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage Weekday Transit Ridership Orange Line Trolley at I- :, :, Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Transit Ridership (thousands) Ridership at I- for Orange Line Trolley, Route and other local buses Orange Line Trolley us Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability l ajon to owntown via SR / verage Travel Time udget Time Figure. owntown to l ajon via SR / verage Travel Time udget Time State of the ommute

13 ommute Performance: ast ounty to Sorrento Valley and Kearny Mesa el Mar Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability Santee to Kearny Mesa via SR Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability l ajon to Sorrento Valley via I-/I- Sorrento Valley Kearny Mesa Santee verage Travel Time udget Time verage Travel Time udget Time San iego F La Mesa l ajon Figure. Kearny Mesa to Santee via SR Figure. Sorrento Valley to l ajon via I-/I- Lemon Grove oronado ommuters from ast ounty to employment centers in Kearny Mesa and ast ounty to Sorrento Valley and Kearny Mesa Sorrento Valley can choose from a number Santee to Kearny Mesa: of possible routes. In this report, the via SR commute from Santee to Kearny Mesa Primary employment centers on SR is reported, as well as the commute from l ajon to Sorrento Valley Westbound via SR via I- and I-. ommuters generally starting at a.m. experience delays traveling westbound : minutes (and northbound) in the morning and : minutes eastbound (and southbound) in the evening. astbound via SR starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes Note: The accuracy of the eastbound travel and budget times included in this report for Year reflects a limited travel time dataset due to lack of field detection on SR, and higher than normal travel times reported for October through ecember. verage aily Traffic SR at Santo Road, l ajon to Sorrento Valley: via I-/I- F Westbound via I- starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes astbound via I- starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage aily Traffic I- at Waring Road, * verage Travel Time udget Time *based on limited data due to unavailable field detection verage Travel Time udget Time Source for all figures on this page: Performance Measurement System (PeMS), altrans State of the ommute

14 ommute Performance: North ounty Inland to North ounty oastal The major commute route between coastal and inland North ounty takes place on SR. This critical east-west freeway provides commuters with the only major roadway connecting the coastal communities with inland employment centers and vice versa. Furthermore, SR provides access to employment sites directly off the freeway, as well as along Palomar irport Road/ San Marcos oulevard in the western half of the corridor. ommuters generally experience delays traveling eastbound in the evening toward I-. (See Figure.) Though delays have been increasing in the corridor, travel times have remained stable. Oceanside arlsbad Mar Vista rive Vista San Marcos scondido Figure. Total Weekday Peak Period elay by Freeway Segment, SR elay (million vehicle hours) Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability scondido to Oceanside via SR The transit commute from coastal and inland North ounty occurs primarily on the SPRINTR rail line and supporting RZ buses, both operated by North ounty Transit istrict. Since the inception of SPRINTR service in, weekday ridership now exceeds, weekday passengers between the Vista Transit enter and the ivic enter Vista Station. (See Figure.) ncinitas Solana each scondido to Oceanside Oceanside to scondido: SR Poway Westbound starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes Transit Ridership (thousands) ast (Mar Vista rive to I-) Figure. verage Weekday Transit Ridership Ridership at Vista Village rive for SPRINTR West (I- to Mar Vista rive) verage Travel Time udget Time Figure. Oceanside to scondido via SR Transit: SPRINTR Primary employment centers astbound Starting at p.m. : minutes : minutes verage Weekday Transit Ridership SPRINTR Rail at Vista Village rive :, :, Source: San iego Metropolitan Transit System, North ounty Transit istrict, SNG Passenger ounting Program verage Travel Time udget Time verage aily Traffic SR at arham Road, State of the ommute

15 ommute Performance: North ity Inland to North ity oastal ncinitas Solana each el Mar armel Valley Rancho Peñasquitos San iego Poway nother major east-west corridor for commuters is SR, which connects the coastal and inland communities in the northern portion of the ity of San iego. Like SR to the north, this critical east-west freeway provides commuters with the only major roadway connecting I- and inland communities in Poway and Rancho ernardo with I- and coastal employment centers in Sorrento Valley and the Golden Triangle. ommuters generally experience delays traveling westbound toward I- in the morning and eastbound toward I- in the evening. Note: The accuracy of the eastbound travel times included in this report may be affected by the lack of detection at the both ends of the freeway corridor, particularly at the eastern terminus where the freeway transitions into Ted Williams Parkway at the interchange with I-. (See Figure.) Figure..M. Travel Time and Reliability Rancho Peñasquitos to armel Valley via SR Future fforts Understanding freeway delay Understanding freeway delay is critical in planning for future transportation improvements to address existing congestion and meet future needs. Future efforts will explore the different facets of freeway congestion, as studies have indicated that potentially half of all freeway delay is caused by accidents, weather, and other unplanned events. Improved travel time data SNG continues its efforts to provide more robust and accurate travel time data, including freeway and arterial roadways, as more data sources become available. These sources use vehicle probe data (such as information gathered from cell phone activity), instead of roadway detector stations, which may be more reliable and less susceptible to weather, roadway construction impacts, equipment failure, etc. More arterial data and performance With the use of vehicle probe data, more data for local streets and arterials can be incorporated into the reporting on the performance of commute routes. North ity Inland to North ity oastal, SR Rancho Peñasquitos to armel Valley Primary employment centers Westbound starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes astbound starting at a.m. : minutes : minutes verage aily Traffic SR at armel reek Road, Source for all figures on this page: Performance Measurement System (PeMS), altrans verage Travel Time udget Time Figure. armel Valley to Rancho Peñasquitos via SR verage Travel Time udget Time icycle & Pedestrian Performance SNG continues its efforts to provide a reliable source of bicycle and pedestrian data through previous efforts by the ounty of San iego and San iego State University. s consistent bicycle and pedestrian data sources become available, we can begin to report on the role this mode plays in the daily commute and in overall travel in the region. More analytics s more performance data becomes available, there will be more and better opportunities to study and analyze the information. s stated above, understanding how accidents and weather play a role in freeway delay is critical to deciding how to improve and operate the freeway system. SNG continues to explore the potential of big data analytics and how to incorporate these up-and-coming analytical tools into performance monitoring and reporting. State of the ommute