San Diego Transportation Tips by pacific_sol

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: The best way to get around would be to rent a car if you're not driving into the city. Many of the things to do in San Diego are spread out, and there's no way you'd be able to walk from.. lets say the Zoo to Sea World. The only place you'll run into any problems with parking would be downtown (there are pay lots, but it can get pricey), or by the beach.

It isn't too complicated to drive in SD - the streets are mostly laid out in rough grid fashion (no round abouts or anything like that) and you have left turn arrows at stoplights (not left turn yields like in LA - those always stress me out when I'm up there!). There are 4 way stops in many communities - just make sure you fully stop and don't do a "California Rolling Stop" lest a police officer sees you and gives you a ticket for failing to stop. The freeways are also close to everything you would want to visit.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: San Diego has a public transportation system but it is not really the best way to get around like it might be in a more compact urban center like New York or San Francisco - San Diego is just more spread out than these other cities. I would still recommend driving if you can.

However, if public transporation is your only option, within San Diego proper, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is the agency that runs the buses and the trolley system. The buses follow major thoroughfares throughout the city and into other areas in the county, but you have to ensure that your destination is within walking distance to/from a bus stop. The trolley mostly runs through more urban areas like Downtown but extends out, making it to the Mexican border in San Ysidro with the southbound lines, and out to the East County after passing through Mission Valley. For more information about public transportation in San Diego County, I would suggest visiting the website for MTS, which is http://www.sdcommute.com.

For those staying in Northern San Diego County (Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, etc.), the public transportation system is run by the North County Transit District. The website for the NCTD is http://www.gonctd.com. They are on the verge of opening a light rail project that extends from east to west from Escondido to Oceanside called the Sprinter (scheduled to start running in December 2007).

There is also the Coaster, a public transportation train service that has one terminus in Downtown San Diego at the southern end, and Oceanside at the northern end. The Coaster travels down the coastline and is popular with commuters, but I would also recommend a round trip to tourists from Downtown San Diego to Downtown Oceanside. The ride is a relaxing way to get up to Oceanside, and when you get there, you're close to the Oceanside Pier and lots of charming little restaurants around there. Both the MTS and NCTD website have information on the Coaster.

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Website: http://www.sdcommute.com; http://www.gonctd.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: 511 is a free service that was launched in San Diego County this year (2007) that provides up to date information on traffic accidents and conditions on the major highways. If you find yourself stuck in traffic, you can just call 511 from your cell phone and tell the voice activated system what freeway you want information for, and the up to date recording will tell you if there's an accident up ahead. The system can also estimate driving times based on the current traffic conditions between major points in the County. If you can't get the voice activated system to work (which happens if it can't understand what you're saying), the system also uses a touch tone system to access the same information.

Unfortunately, much of San Diego's traffic congestion is due to construction on some of our major freeways, plus, drivers tend to slow down to see the non-accidents (like a driver with a flat tire)on the side of the road.

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Website: http://.transit.511sd.com