Irvine’s Master Plan prioritizes mobility, making moving in and around town more efficient. Here are some of the ways Irvine’s planned transportation system helps local residents.
All aboard: In 1990, the Irvine Station opened on land donated by Irvine Company within Irvine Spectrum District. Today, the train station is operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority and serves 1 million commuters each year, making it the most popular in OC.
Bike to work (or anywhere): Irvine’s bike paths are planned to connect residents from their villages to parks, shopping centers and business hubs. About 301 miles are on-street bike lanes. The remaining 62 miles are off-street bike paths like the San Diego Creek Trail, which takes riders from Los Olivos all the way to Upper Newport Bay without a single stop.
Making car trips vanish: Spectrumotion is a free ride-share program that helps employees, residents and students move to and from the 3,500-acre Irvine Spectrum District. Transportation planners call it “the most successful transportation management association in the nation.” And they just may be right: Since its inception, Spectrumotion has eliminated 450 million vehicle miles from Irvine’s roads – about the same as a round trip to Mars.
Easy freeway access: There was a time when I-405 was planned to cut right through University Park. Concerned with how it would impact the village, Irvine Company planners persuaded the state to jettison those plans and realign the highway. Today, Irvine residents enjoy intact village communities that also have exceptional access to Southern California freeways, including I-5 and I-405, as well as the 133, 261, 241 and 73 toll roads.
Walkability: By design, Irvine villages feature a series of pathways so you can leave the car behind on your way to neighborhood schools, shops and parks. And from those parks, you can make your way to hundreds of miles of nature trails.
Fly away: One of Irvine’s many geographic advantages, like its proximity to the coast, is the location of a major airport right outside (not within!) the city’s boundaries. John Wayne Airport reaches more than 40 nonstop destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is ranked No. 2 among North America’s large airports for customer satisfaction.
