Mass Transit in California

Those California Engineers

California is home to a transportation system based on automobiles and highways. Californians drive about 180 billion vehicle miles per year. Merriam-Webster defines mass transit as “the transportation of large numbers of people by means of buses, subway trains, etc., especially within urban areas; also: the system, vehicles...” Based on extent and use, the California transportation system meets the mass-transit definition.
California-Freeway Users can offer thanks to Davius at the Pasadena Freeway (considered by many the birthplace of the grid), the four-level interchange in downtown Los Angeles, the massive Highway 5, or some other freeway close to home. The engineering standards which have emerged over time, the volume of traffic, and their durability have made California freeways worthy successors to Roman viaducts.
In Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, freeways are the “backbone” of a large transportation network, where the State owns the roadway and travelers own the vehicles. Much of the population travels from home to work early in the day and makes the return trip that afternoon or evening. By-the-way, the freeways were so named because they restrict access locations and vehicle types to keep the roadway “free” of cross traffic and obstacles such as slower-moving bicycles and pedestrians. This concept of restricted access is a key theme on this site.

California engineers follow their own commandments (no disrespect to Davius intended):
1: Build roads from where travelers (commuters) are (home or work) to where they need to go (work or home, or shopping).
2, Think inside the box (system engineering), to enable dramatic, continual progress in freeway safety.
3, Preserve engineering standards and protect inspectors who set a high bar for us who call ourselves "engineers." The integrity of inspectors - who sometimes, literally put their lives on the line - is responsible for bringing out our best efforts.