Final answer:
The expansion of highways and freeways is a response to the increased use of automobiles, leading to the development of vast networks for efficient vehicular travel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expansion of highways and freeways is a direct consequence of the increase in automobile usage over time. To support this growth in traffic, extensive networks of local, state, and interstate highways have been developed. These roads can stretch over thousands of kilometers and primarily facilitate the motion of vehicles in straight lines or multiple lanes, enabling efficient travel over long distances. With reference to areas like New York, highways have contributed to the two-dimensional, zigzagged paths that drivers and walkers follow to reach their destinations, as seen in Figure 3.2.
In places like Los Angeles, the construction of highways like Interstate 405 has had significant effects on urban development and traffic patterns. Los Angeles's famed Sepulveda Pass has seen an exponential increase in daily traffic since its inception in 1961, indicative of sprawling suburban growth. The design of freeways with multiple lanes allows for this high volume of traffic, with considerations for traffic on-ramp times, like the 10.0 s answer that seems reasonable for a typical freeway.
Understanding traffic movement is fundamental to resolving questions related to safe road crossing and the logistics of transportation, such as bus schedules where a one-way route on a 15-minute schedule requires four buses in operation in each direction.