The Great Traffic Conundrum: Has San Diego's Traffic Worsened Over the Years?

Without a shadow of a doubt, San Diego's traffic has been increasing over the years, and this trend is not limited to downtown but affects the entire county.

When my parents moved here when I was an infant, the roads behind our house were made of gravel, and there were barely any people around. In fact, we lived with my grandparents for a year because our house wasn’t even built yet. The neighborhood was very quiet, and we even had pictures of me riding around in a toy truck on the gravel road behind our house.

From Quiet Neighborhood to Bustling City

Oh boy, has that changed quickly! Now the once quiet community and fairly untouched landscape has transformed into a bustling city filled with malls, schools, businesses, and shopping centers. Recreational centers and numerous houses, with many more people, have sprung up.

The elementary school I attended until 4th grade filled up with over a thousand kids. In 5th grade, about 80 of us moved to a new school closer to home, which now also has over a thousand students.

A field across from the mall, which high school students would cross to get to school, is now being paved over. More apartments and businesses are being built there, reflecting the rapid growth in the area.

Building More Housing than Roads

With more people and not enough new roads to accommodate them, there has been a significant increase in traffic. Long lines of cars at intersections can be seen next to consecutive malls and shopping centers. This issue has become so severe that even the small strip of grass in front of our mall is being paved over to create a new bus route.

A Route Unfit for Warriors

Route marked in purple, this new bus route is cutting through neighborhoods and is being built right in front of people's second-story windows. It’s the bus route cutting right through a neighborhood!

So, yes, traffic in San Diego has significantly worsened. This is not just an issue in downtown but in once-quiet suburbs of the county as well.

Government and Development

One major reason for this traffic problem is that San Diego seems to prioritize building housing developments and malls over infrastructure to support the growth. The city and county governments have a history of dubious arrangements with developers, which have led to this situation.

The mass transit system, while existing, is not well-functioning. The trolley is merely a novelty and is accessible to only a select few. This further exacerbates the transportation issues.

With a rep for being the "biggest little city," San Diego is now a big city, and it needs to act accordingly. It's high time that the city prioritizes infrastructure and transportation to alleviate the heavy traffic burden.