Data & Methods
The Stakes
Cost of owning a car is over $1,000/month.
Source: AAA. (2026). What it costs to drive a new car in 2026
Transportation is the second highest expense for most California households
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026). Housing and transportation accounted for 50 percent of household spending in 2024
35% of Californians don’t drive or have access to a car
Source: NRDC. (2025). Who Doesn’t Have a Car?
The Vision
More than 50% of Californians live in a neighborhood where housing and transportation are affordable by 2035.
42% of Californians lived in such a neighborhood in 2022. Calculated from Center for Neighborhood Technology, Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, 2022 data release, California block-group file. Further calculations made using CNT source data. CNT bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
A neighborhood is affordable when combined housing and transportation costs are at or below 45% of area median income — the conventional 30% housing affordability standard plus CNT's 15% transportation benchmark. Center for Neighborhood Technology (2022) H&T Index Methods
44% reduction in traffic fatalities by 2035.
An average of 4,195 people were killed on California roads each year in 2022–2024. A 44% reduction means approximately 1,864 fewer Californians killed every year. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System. A three-year average is used because annual counts fluctuate significantly.
44% is the reduction required by 2035 to stay on a straight-line path to California's adopted goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2050. California Strategic Highway Safety Plan; Caltrans Director's Policy on Road Safety (2022).
50% of truck miles traveled by zero-emission vehicles by 2035
Six priority freight corridors carry more than half of all medium- and heavy-duty truck miles in California, according to the CTC's Clean Freight Corridor Assessment. These are the routes with the highest truck volumes, measured on segments of 50 miles or more. Building zero-emission charging and fueling along these corridors would cut truck emissions by about 23% by 2030 and 53% by 2040. Today, zero-emission trucks make up only a small share of trucks on the road.
Fewer than 1% of heavy-duty vehicles registered in California are zero-emission (DMV, Dec. 2025)
Top Priorities for the Next Administration: 2-pagers
Make California Communities Safe, Walkable and Bikeable
It will take 100 years to fund 10 years of bike and pedestrian safety and accessibility needs at the current funding rate
Source: California Transportation Commission. (2025). 2025 State and Local Transportation System Needs Assessment Report, California State Transportation Agency. (2026). 2027 Active Transportation Program Fund Estimate Adoption Resolution G-26-29
Make Public Transit Work Across California
California spends less than ¼ as much per person on transit operations as NY, MA, NJ and MD
Source: NRDC. (2025). Getting transportation right
Put Transportation Resources to Better Use
$215 Billion Projected 10-year gap between planned transportation projects and available funding
Source: ource: California Transportation Commission. (2025). 2025 State and Local Transportation System Needs Assessment Report
Build Homes Where it's Affordable to Get Around
Build up to 240,000 homes on transit agency land alone
Source: Enterprise Community Partners. (2026). Assessing the Potential of Transit Agency-Owned Land for Housing Development in California.
850+ homes and businesses demolished for highway expansion in 6 years
Source: Caltrans. (2025). Select State Highway System Project Outcomes
1 in 5 new California homes are built in an area prone to wildfire
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (2025). “This California town is battling the state's deepest housing conundrum”
Lead the way on Clean Freight
Nearly 33% of U.S. container imports enter through California ports
Source: Pacific Merchant’s Shipping Association. (2026). ‘USWC Shares of Container Traffic through U.S. Ports in July 2026'
About 50% of California’s toxic diesel pollution comes from freight
Source: CARB. (2015). ‘Sustainable Freight Pathways to Zero and Near-Zero Emissions Discussion Document
75% more deliveries/week from households earning over $150,000 than those earning under $50,000
Source: Portland State University. (2026). ‘Analysis of the Potential Revenue and Equity Impacts of an E-Commerce Household Delivery Fee in Oregon