Bumper-to-bumper

I think this phrase is familiar to anyone living in California. With all that California has to offer, it is diffuclt to get around and experience it all because of all the traffic! California is what some consider a "natural paradise", yet we pave over everything, and connect cities by an endless amount of freeways. Its a simple equation really-more people means more roads which means more congestion which results in more traffic. It is nearly impossible to take a leisurely scenic drive without having to encounter some sort of overpopulated highway first. The Annual Urban Mobility Report estimates that the "average American spends approximately 34 hours a year commuting in their cars and the average Californian spends closer to 82". So we spend almost triple the amount of time in traffic compared to the other 49 states! The California dream of experience, that is experiencing all of the wonderful cities and natural beauty California has to offer, seems even further away by the overpopulation of people, cars, and roads.

Comments

[carol felldin]

California has an amazing amount of cars, roads and because of this, lots of traffic. These conditions allow us Californians to travel from place to place in this amazing land of plenty. Yes, California is a land of plenty, plenty of good and bad stuff. Basically there is a good and a bad side to everything a person might encounter in life. It is our reactions that make us who we are. It is a persons choice whether to focus on the good or bad aspect of people, places and things we encounter. It is our choice make the best of what we have OR we can choose to complain about what we don't. We can make the best of our lives and try to improve them or can choose to wallow in our misery. Chioice is a wonderful thing.

[Patrick Ayers]

California is really pushing the limit of being overpopulated. Everywhere I look a new shopping mall is being built, and we have too many to begin with. Even though the construction and store employees being hired will raise employment in our bad economy, I don't think it is necessary to build so many stores and houses in one small area. I would not be surprised if their is a movement of people out of California to escape the "traffic" it creates. The construction of these shopping malls and housing developments is really taking away from the natural beauty of California. I believe the new influx of migrants to California will be repulsed by the overcrowding of California and pack their bags to go back where they came from.

[Christina Lee]

i notice this california characteristic every day, perhaps even more so than others. i grew up in Arizona and just recently moved here, the traffic i experience on a daily basis is one of the major faults of this state in my opinion, though it is true that Californians definitely bring it upon themselves. California is so intent on advertising the state and bringing more people here. when people do decide to travel here, it only ups the need for extending the cities. in a road trip from here to Bakersfield which is about three hours, there is hardly any open space, and tons of traffic.

[Tyler Hay]

To Californians,congested freeways are just as common as seeing clear blue skies and sunshine. But how do sunshine and freeways relate to each other? Freeways impact our environment in many ways, whether it be through adding more area to pollute, or paving over the natural paradise. Although Californians are used to the trafic and seem to have forgotten about the beautiful landscape which had once lain beneath the freeways, there is still plenty of unscaved environment around us. The sunshine is what attracts many visitors and residents here, but it also accounts for the overpopulation and congested cities and roadways. Overall, the awesome weather in California is the reason for its overpopulation.