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The main reason for traffic in major cities in California is caused by the population density  increasing, which means more people and more people are sharing the same amount of space in the city. Also, traffic causes traffic. Despite the population increase there are other factors that cause traffic such as, accidents, driving too fast or slow, and construction. Most freeways going in and out of major cities have some type of construction in progress and if that isn't bad enough people are just nosey. If an accident is on the other side of the freeway both sides will be backed up because drivers can't keep their eyes off the accidents. Distractions are a main reason for traffic. Drivers on their phones, listening to music, road rage, falling asleep, etc. Major cities also have traffic on their streets this can be caused by all of the above and obstacles in the road causing a blockage, traffic signals out of sync many times on purpose or occasionally when the computers are malfunctioning, overdevelopment in areas where the mass transit system is already overcrowded and the road system is inadequate, etc.

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Why is Transportation Important to California's major cities?

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Why is Transportation Important to California's major cities?

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Driving isn't the only source of transportation in California's major cities. Many commuters rely on trains, busses, trolleys, ferry's, etc. Public transportation contributes to a healthier environment by improving air quality and reducing oil consumption, and through better land use policies. It also helps to expand business development and work opportunities. And, it is critical for emergency situations requiring safe and efficient evacuation. Public transportation is more efficient than driving. Lets take buses for example.
- Use travel time for leisure. On a bus you can read a book, play a game, catch up on emails, read the paper or even nap.
- Faster journeys. Prioritized traffic lights and dedicated bus lanes on main routes allow buses to get through the city quickly.
-Low cost. Taking taxi or owning a car is more expensive than travelling by bus
- Convenience. With the latest bus information technology at your fingertips, you can find out more information about your next bus service.
-Make you fitter. Public bus transport makes you exercise more.

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There are many things we could do to improve traffic such as;
-We could have fewer cars and trucks on the road by increasing mass transit options and encouraging rail freight.
- Police should give tickets to double parking that causes traffic congestion.
- Schedule as much roadwork as possible for the middle of the night or when the road is not busy, although there always will be some roadwork that causes some congestion.
- widening of roads (if possible).
- Try to prevent accidents.
- Sync traffic signals. However, even when they are in sync, congestion can be caused along intersecting streets because their green time has been reduced. In those cases, parking can be banned during those hours, adding a traffic lane near the intersection for right turning vehicles.
- The only way to reduce the numbers of pedestrians crossing at an intersection is to build a pedestrian overpass.
- Increase rail freight opportunities to remove truck traffic from the roads.
-Add more railways and try and reduce or make public transportation free.

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All countries handle traffic differently but I will focus on Germany and their autobahn. For those that aren't aware what Germany's autobahn is, the Autobahn is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is Bundesautobahn, which translates as "federal motorway". The literal meaning of the word Bundesautobahn is "Federal Auto Track". Germany is famous the world over for its autobahn also known as "the highway without speed limits." But even this highway gets traffic. According to the autobahn's website, Because of Germany's location in central Europe, traffic on the autobahn is generally quite heavy. In 2004, motorists logged a staggering 218.9 billion kilometers on the Autobahn, averaging almost 50,000 vehicles per day on any given segment. As a result, traffic jams  occur frequently on the Autobahn, especially on Fridays, Sundays, holidays, and anytime after an accident or during bad weather or construction. So even with an increase or completely removing the speed limit their will eventually be traffic on highways because of many factors such as population, accidents, construction, etc. (see link given in conclusion).

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All in all traffic is something us Californians are used to. The only way to completely be rid of traffic is to have self driving cars, as long as humans are behind the wheel there will eventually be traffic. This video explains the idea of traffic very well. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHzzSao6ypE). If you're unable to copy and paste you could also search "The Simple Solution to Traffic" by CGP Grey. In reality, most people that don't take public transportation like the fact that they can leave whenever is most convenient for them. When taking buses and trains, its not likely that you will only have to take one bus or train to get to your destination. You may also have to do a lot of walking, which could be a good and bad thing. You would be getting exercise but may also result in being late to your destination or sweating, etc. With the pandemic, taking public transportation has been very skeptical and people have been taking major precautions.

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Bibliography
“Autobahn Traffic.” Autobahn Start, www.german-autobahn.eu/index.asp?page=traffic.

“Autobahn.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn.

Bartuška, Ladislav, and Jiří Hanzl. “Traffic Planning Concerning Pedestrian Traffic in Cities.” IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 960, 2020, p. 042085., doi:10.1088/1757-899x/960/4/042085.

“Driving in Germany.” Heidelberg Germany - Travel Germany on Your Vacation, www.tourism-heidelberg.com/destination/getting-around/driving/index_eng.html#:~:text=Traffic%20lights%3A%20The%20colors%20on,the%20red%20for%20a%20second.

Houston, Douglas, et al. “Structural Disparities of Urban Traffic in Southern California: Implications for Vehicle-Related Air Pollution Exposure in Minority and High-Poverty Neighborhoods.” Journal of Urban Affairs, vol. 26, no. 5, 2004, pp. 565–592., doi:10.1111/j.0735-2166.2004.00215.x.

Mielke, Howard W., et al. “Lead (Pb) Legacy from Vehicle Traffic in Eight California Urbanized Areas: Continuing Influence of Lead Dust on Children's Health.” Science of The Total Environment, vol. 408, no. 19, 2010, pp. 3965–3975., doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.05.017.

Verbavatz, Vincent, and Marc Barthelemy. “Critical Factors for Mitigating Car Traffic in Cities.” PLOS ONE, vol. 14, no. 7, 2019, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219559.