Transportation Profile

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation manages a transportation system that is used daily by residents of the City, regional commuters and tourists.

The City of Los Angeles is a population and goods movement epicenter. In addition to Department of Transportation services, the City operates the bustling Los Angeles World Airports system and the Port of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is also a major rail hub, linked with the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad networks.

Because of the City of Los Angeles’ unique position, transportation-related decisions made in the City affect the greater Southern California region and have an impact even on the international scale.

Recently, the Department of Transportation has developed a Los Angeles Transportation Profile to provide data that detail the major facets of the Los Angeles transportation system. The complete
Los Angeles Transportation Profile publication is available online.

City of Los Angeles: Quick Facts
The City of Los Angeles’ 3.9 million residents drive almost 2.5 million vehicles on the City’s 6,499 miles of public streets. Each year, they traverse through 40,000 intersections in the City and pass through 4,400 traffic signals.

As they move through the City, their travels are sped up by the Department of Transportation’s Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control system at 3,300 intersections.

Commute: Quick Facts
Forty-five percent – or almost 1.7 million – of the City of Los Angeles’ residents over the age of 16 are employed. Each week, more than 95 percent of employed City residents must travel to work; less than five percent work from home.

Almost 80 percent of employed City residents drive to work in private vehicles, while 10 percent use public transportation. The remaining commuters travel to work by: walking (3.2 percent), taking a taxi or motorcycle (1.7 percent) or bicycling (0.6 percent).

Transit: Quick Facts
Riders board the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s fleet of 400 buses more than 30 million times per year. City transit programs service small sections of neighborhoods, long-distance commutes and are even available in direct, door-to-door service for seniors and persons with disabilities.

Parking: Quick Facts
The City of Los Angeles provides parking at approximately 40,000 metered-spaces and 8,000 City-owned parking lot spaces. Parking is free for more than 1,200 of the parking lot spaces. About $21 million in revenue is collected from the metered-spaces each year.

The City also maintains a parking enforcement program to ensure traffic moves efficiently through the City. Parking enforcement officers issue approximately 3.2 million citations under the LADOT program, generating over $120 million per year in revenue.

†All data is taken from the Los Angeles Transportation Profile.