Ontario’s roadway system must meet multiple goals. It must provide convenient access and be safe, free flowing, visually appealing, multifunctional and in context with its surroundings. The roadway system should be designed to provide the necessary capacity to accommodate the traffic generated from the future buildout of the Land Use Plan while maintaining feasible Level of Service standards. The street rights-of-way also need to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, landscaping, traffic control devices, and infrastructure in a manner that is safe and aesthetically pleasing. Exhibit M-01, Roadway Classifications shows the hierarchy of our roadway system, consistent with the guidelines of the Federal Highway Administration.

In Ontario, active modes of transportation, such as walking and bicycling, promote a healthy lifestyle, improve air quality and traffic congestion by reducing the number of vehicles on the road, help to provide equitable access for people of different abilities and incomes to all areas of the City, and play a key role in creating vibrant neighborhoods, centers, corridors, and districts. Promoting development patterns and a mix of land uses that encourage active transportation combined with requiring thoughtful design of our trails, rights-of-way, buildings, and public realm to create a safe, comfortable, and convenient experience is integral to establishing a robust active transportation network.

Public transportation plays an important role in providing an equitable and comprehensive transportation system and is essential to achieving the Vision. It provides an alternative mode of transportation for motorists and a primary mode for the transit dependent. Though the development and operation of most public transit services and facilities are outside the City’s authority, the City actively promotes transit through sound land planning, urban design, and active participation in regional transportation agencies. Future features of the public transit system in Ontario could include a new multimodal transit center, more extensive and frequent local bus service, higher-speed bus rapid transit corridors for longer trips, more Metrolink trains that connect to other regional hubs, convenient transfer centers, light and high-speed rail connections, improved feeder systems, connections to the City's active transportation network, and future land use patterns that are designed to promote transit use.

Goods movement in Ontario is provided via trains, trucks, and airplanes. The movement of goods to and through Ontario is critical to our economy, enabling growth of industrial and transportation-related businesses in the City and region. However, planes, trucks, and trains generate noise and air pollutants and contribute to traffic congestion along flight paths and corridors and at railroad grade crossings. To mitigate these impacts, we are committed to building grade-separated rail crossings, designing and locating industrial and warehousing land uses, and developing truck routes to protect our neighborhoods from truck traffic.

The transportation system serving Ontario, which includes three freeways, three rail mainlines and an international airport, provides our city with unparalleled regional access and is a primary reason for our tremendous potential. However, regional transportation forecasts project more congested freeways and local streets, which could limit economic development and affect quality of life. To maximize our potential and achieve our Vision, the City needs to be an active participant and leader in identifying and developing solutions to these issues through cooperative regional and subregional planning efforts.

Traditional solutions won’t be enough to solve projected future regional traffic congestion and new approaches may be needed. The City should take a leadership role at the federal, state, regional, and subregional levels to pursue the most promising strategies.