The Institute of Transportation Engineers is holding its 2008 annual meeting in Anaheim California. This article provides an overview of the early history of transportation in southern California. Although southern California was very lightly settled in the mid 1800s when California became a state, it grew quickly when the Southern Pacific railroad reached Los Angeles in 1876. A privately operated regional electric rail network in the early 20th century also contributed to the suburbanization of southern California. Poor maintenance and safety concerns hindered the long-term growth of the electric railroad, and suburbanites turned to automobiles. The Los Angeles area experienced the most rapid growth of automobile usage and had the most heavily traveled intersections in the world from 1929 to 1949. The resulting need to manage traffic led Los Angeles to become a pioneer in traffic control methods, including automated traffic signals, red stop signs, the world's first pedestrian-activated signals, and the first simplified traffic ordinance.
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