American Transportation Facts

US transportation facts may surprise you! Or, they may inspire you to explore this big country during your ESL study. Whether you hop on a bus, train, boat or plane, these transportation facts will give you a quick look at how people get around in the USA.

The US has 14,893 airports (2005).

The US has 118 heliports.

There are approximately 240,000 kilometres of mainline rail routes in the United States.

Juneau, the state capital of Alaska, is not accessible by road. Most cities and villages in the Alaska are accessible only by sea or air.

Because of its remoteness, Alaska has the highest number of pilots per capita of any US state: 8,550 out of the estimated 663,661 residents are pilots, or about one in every 78.

Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled. In modern times, dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,850 km trail from Anchorage to Nome.

In areas of Alaska not served by road or rail, primary summer transportation is by all-terrain vehicle and primary winter transportation is by snowmobile, or "snow machine," as it is commonly referred to.

Boston is known to travel agents as "America's Walking City".

Except for the Back Bay and part of South Boston, Boston has no street grid, which is confusing for nonresident drivers. Roads change names and lose and add lanes seemingly at random, and many drivers are flummoxed by rotaries. Though the streets seem unplanned--a common fiction is that they evolved from old cowpaths--in the 17th century they were designed to avoid swamps and marshes and followed shorelines.

New York City is distinguished from other cities in the United States by its significant use of public transportation. New York City has, by far, the highest rate of public transportation use of any American city, with 54.2% of workers commuting to work by this means in 2006.

New York is the only city in the United States where over half of all households do not own a car. Manhattan's non-ownership is even higher - around 75%; nationally, the rate is 8%.

New York City's uniquely high rate of public transit use makes it one of the most energy-efficient cities in the United States. It saved 1.8 billion gallons of oil in 2006 and $4.6 billion in gasoline costs. The reduction in oil consumption meant 11.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution was kept out of the air.

The New York City Subway is the largest rapid transit system in the world when measured by track mileage 1,056 km of mainline track.

The busiest ferry in the US is the Staten Island Ferry, which annually carries over 19 million passengers on the 8.4 km run between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan. Service is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and takes approximately 25 minutes each way. The Ferry has remained free of charge since 1997.

There are 13,087 taxis operating in New York City, not including over 40,000 other for-hire vehicles.

In the Los Angeles metropolitan area there are six commercial airports and many more general-aviation airports.

In Seattle, State Route 520's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is the longest floating bridge in the world at 7,578 feet (2,310 meters).

Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the United States and the third largest in the world.

At the turn of the century, the streets of Seattle were so bad that a boy named Joseph Bufonchio drowned in a sink-hole at the corner of Third and Jackson.

Seattle set its first speed limit in the 1880s, in the days of horse-drawn vehicles. At that time, traffic was limited to 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h).