Streetsblog Los Angeles

(Last week, we covered the surprise announcement from Attorney General Kamala Harris to join a lawsuit against the San Diego Association of Governments’ regional plan.  If you haven’t already done so, you can read that story, here.)

If there aren't changes to SCAG's plans, will there be another lawsuit? Time will tell.

When Attorney General Kamala Harris announced her office was supporing a lawsuit against the allegedly progressive long-term transportation plan passed by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), it sent ripples through the transportation advocacy community.  Harris bluntly claimed that SANDAG can’t meet Greenhouse Gas goals set by state law by building highways now and other transportation options later.  She also noted the low amount of funding going towards walking and bicycling in the plan.

Locally, activists hope that the Attorney General’s decision influences long range planning at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG.)  The numbers and planning strategies between the SCAG draft plan and the embattled “final” plan at SANDAG are similar enough that the threat of another lawsuit looms large unless the SCAG plan undergoes some changes.

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When the San Diego Association of Governments passed its regional transportation plan, which will direct transportation spending in the region for decades, the agency hailed the plan as a national model.  This was the first plan passed that followed the standards of SB 375, the California environmental law that set greenhouse gas reduction targets based on transportation and development planning.

Kamala Harris

The agency declared victory, but many local advocates weren’t convinced.

“If this is a national and regional model, we’re in bad shape,” Dough McFetridge of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation grumbled to Streetsblog last November.  ”We have a need — a tremendous need — for transit right now, today. This proposal puts funding transit off into so far in to the future that many of us won’t be around anymore.”

McFetridge and other environmental groups pressed forward with a lawsuit claiming that the EIR for the plan was flawed because it didn’t take into account the impact new highway construction would have on vehicles miles traveled.  This week their lawsuit received a major boost when California Attorney General Kamala Harris joined their efforts.

“The 3.2 million residents of the San Diego region already suffer from the seventh worst ozone pollution in the country,” said Harris in a press release. “Spending our transit dollars in the right way today will improve the economy, create sustainable jobs and ensure that future generations do not continue to suffer from heavily polluted air.”

The lawsuit argues that the environmental review of the transit plan did not adequately analyze the public health impacts of the increased air pollution. The San Diego region already has a very high risk of cancer from particulate matter emitted by diesel engines and vehicles and there is no analysis as to whether this risk will increase.  By prioritizing highway expansion in the first years of the plan, SANDAG claims more pedestrian, bicycle and transit expansion in the plan even though those plans may never happen.  The bulk of the investment in transit and active transportation begins decades from now.

“The attorney general’s intervention in this case supports our argument that SANDAG’s plan is deeply flawed,” said Kathryn Phillips of the Sierra Club.  ”We’re encouraged that the State of California is serious about limiting air pollution and climate change pollution created by transportation in the region.”

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This Spring, the Southern California Association of Governments, representing 191 municipalities, 6 counties and over 18 million people, will vote on its regional transportation plan for the next three decades. The plan will direct how billions of dollars are spent, and currently only 1.3% of the budget is dedicated towards bicycle and pedestrian funding combined despite 21% of all trips being done on foot or on bike.

For advocates of green transportation, that dedication is woefully low.  Activists, from Transportation for Alternatives to the Safe Routes to School’s National Partnership to bicycle and pedestrian groups in Los Angeles have all called for SCAG to increase their bicycle and pedestrian funds to 5-8% of the budget.

And it’s not just new urbanists making the case anymore. The above video, simple, straightforward and effective, was produced by VC Cool, a Ventura County organization fighting global warming through better policy. At its website, VC Cool explains why clean transportation is just as important to those living in the suburbs as it is new urbanists.

…there are so many reasons our communities desperately need to switch to “Active Transportation.” From childhood obesity and diabetes, to the climate change crisis, to rising gas prices in a struggling economy, we need safe, viable bicycle and pedestrian routes. We simply cannot afford to wait another four years to start working on the solution!

If you agree with VC Cool, they’ve set up a petition to ask that cyclists and pedestrians get their fare share and you can sign it, here.

In 2008, the State of California passed SB 375, a landmark environmental law that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through better planning.  The state mandated that each of the mega-regions come up with a plan to reduce emissions by completing transit projects, mandating more walkable and bikeable communities and by developing walkable mixed-use communities.  At the time, critics complained that reaching these goals would be painful at best or just undoable at worst.

To read the plan in its entirety, click on the image.

But thanks to the passage of Measure R by L.A. County voters later that year and a new focus on building mixed use communities with improved bicycle and pedestrian networks, Los Angeles County and the surrounding counties can will meet those standards.   The region’s first draft Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), released today by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), shows that the region will meet its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target and exceed the 2035 target, double the number of people who live near high-quality transit, and reduce traffic congestion — despite the fact that the population is expected to grow by 4 million by 2035.

The draft plan shows increases transit investments by 13 percent and even as the federal legislature debate slashing funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, the Southern California region will triple.  The current long term plan shows a $1.8 billion investment in people powered transportation, but SCAG proposes over tripling that total to $6 billion. the funding for bike and pedestrian projects. On the transit side, it plans for the build-out of 12 new rail lines and other Measure R projects.  For the rest of the region: bus rapid transit projects in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties and enhanced Metrolink service with the goal of doubling Metrolink ridership.

SCAG hardly has a reputation for progressive transportation planning, but in recent years that reputation has slowly begun the change.  Today, environmentalists and progressive transportation reformers alike praised the new draft plan for being a crucial step in creating a sustainable Southern California.

“The draft RTP/SCS shows the region is on track to meet air quality and GHG reduction goals, and to provide people with more choices about where to live and how to get around,” said Denny Zane, executive director of Move LA. “It also shows cities have been doing good planning, which will put Southern California ahead of national trends in the real estate market and the energy economy.” Read more…

In recent weeks, regional transportation agencies in Southern California have made some slow moves towards embracing a more sustainable transportation network throughout the Southland.  Local “Metropolitan Planning Organization” the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is poised to pass a long term plan that would dramatically increase bicycle and pedestrian funding while its sister agency in San Diego passed the first regional funding plan complying with the state’s ground breaking greenhouse gas emissions law SB 375 which mandates improvements in air quality with reductions in vehicles miles traveled.

Last week, SCAG’s Joint Meeting of the Regional Council and Planning Committees met to vote on a proposed long-term plan for the SCAG region which covers Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial counties, passed a measure that nearly tripled the regional investment in bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Walking and driving account for 21% of trips, but 1.3% of funding. To see a county-by-county breakdown or a larger version of this graphic, visit the Safe Routes to School California Blog.

Over thirty people testified in favor of the proposal including representatives of the Safe Routes to Schools California, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, National Resources Defense Council, and San Bernadino Council of Public Health.   At the Safe Routes to Schools blog site, Jessica Meaney lists some of the more powerful testimonies.

So bicycle and pedestrian planning is on the mark in Greater Los Angeles County.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is the near-tripling of funding is less impressive when put in a larger framework.  SCAG updates its long-term plan every four years.  In 2008, it allocated less than half of one percent to bicycle and pedestrian funding.  This year’s draft plan increases that percentage all the way to 1.3% of the future funds or about $6 billion of a $450 billion spending plan.

The Safe Routes to Schools California explains why even the higher number is alarmingly low:

And given that 21 percent of all trips are conducted via walking or biking (2009 National Household Travel Survey) and 25 percent of all roadway injuries and fatalities in this region affect bicyclist and pedestrians (2008 SWITRS data), we continue to urge SCAG’s Regional Council to invest a significant percentage of resources toward walkable and bikeable communities and neighborhoods.

But even alarmingly low is better than the status quo.  At NRDC’s Switchboard, Amanda Eaken casts a positive light on this modest victory but still calls for a more equitable funding scheme:

We couldn’t agree more.  But is funding a paltry 1.3% enough to do that?  We don’t think so.  Equity, safety and the environment demand more than that.

Fortunately, there’s time to improve the plan. The next milestone is the December 1, 2011 vote of the full Regional Council to release the preferred alternative to the public for review.

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Crossing the Street in Echo Park. Photo:Safe Routes California

Yesterday, Streetsblog looked at the funding differences in the long range planning in the San Diego County Region as compared to the “SCAG 6-County Mega-Region” that includes Los Angeles.  But instead of looking at the success in San Diego and going “why not us,” a group of advocates, notably Gloria Ohland and Beth Steckler at Move L.A. and Jessica Meaney at the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, is fighting to secure billions for active transportation in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) long range transportation plan.

And their efforts are beginning to pay off.  At yesterday’s meeting of SCAG’s Transportation Committee, Board Members began talking about the benefits of walking and biking and what they could do to get more people out of their cars.

Santa Ana City Council Member Michele Martinez, who riders her bike nearly every day commented that,  “We need to make sure this region creates a multi-modal network – that has walkable and bikable neighborhoods that connect to transit, rail and more.  Right now the City of Santa Ana has only 3 miles of bike lanes, we are working hard to change that.”

City of Compton Council member Barbara Calhoun also noted that the number of bike riders is growing, “I’ve seen more bike riders than ever before.  Maybe I’ll buy a bike”

With momentum growing, what can you do to help make sure that streets that work for all users are adequately funded going forward?  The most obvious answer is to take time on the first Thursday of every month to head to the SCAG Transportation Committee meetings at 10:00 A.M. at 818 W. Seventh Street in Downtown Los Angeles.

Another way would be to sign Safe Routes to School 2012 RTP Platform for the SCAG Region and encourage friends and organizations to do the same. Read more…

Photo: Clintus McGintus

Earlier this week, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) allocated $2.58 billion of their thirty year plan for bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.  If that seems like a big number, it is.  While Los Angeles has been celebrating it’s Bike Plan, and the Measure R set-aside that’s going to help make it a reality, we should remember that the total funding set aside for the Bike Plan hovers around $50 million of Measure R funds plus whatever grants the city earns over the same time frame as San Diego County’s multi-billion investment.

By comparison the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has yet to release a draft of it’s long-term transportation plan, but expectations are for a much lower allocation for active transportation projects.  In the last Regional Transportation Plan, a $530 billion plan adopted just three years ago, less than 0.5 percent of funding was dedicated towards bicycle and pedestrian projects.  For SANDAG, that percentage is over five times as big.  The SCAG region includes six counties, 190 cities and more than 19 million residents.

So why is San Diego so far ahead of the SCAG mega region when it comes to allocating sources for active transportation?  One reason is that SANDAG is embracing the mandates of the state’s Smart Growth Planning Law known as SB 375.  The Union-Tribune explains: Read more…

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) launched what they’re billing a “Bike-Ped Wiki” to help increase the number and quality of public comments for their upcoming Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).  Unlike some of the Wiki efforts we’ve seen in the past such as I Bike U, which has gone to the digital graveyard, and StreetsWiki, which is sort of available here, the “SCAG Wiki” is to help create the bicycle and pedestrian portion of the Plan.

So sadly, unlike the original StreetsWiki and I Bike U, there won’t be an entry for me.

After creating a userid and logging in, users will be able to comment directly on the most recent planning documents and view other people’s comments.  This is a step forward in how agencies collect information and feedback from the public.  Can you imagine how public comment for the City of Los Angeles Bike Plan would have been improved if you could comment on virtual copies of the maps and the plan itself easily on a website?

SCAG seems pretty excited about this innovation too: Read more…

Photo: Mark Stozier via SF Streetsblog

Last Thursday, the California Air Resource Board (CARB) voted unanimously to adopt ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reductions statewide by 2020 and 2035.  Thursday’s vote, hours after the Metro Board of Directors voted to endorse high standards for the Southland, will compel Municipal Planning Organizations (MPO’s) to create development and transportation plans that will encourage Smart Growth and discourage catering to long commutes in single occupancy automobiles.

Under California’s landmark anti-sprawl bill, SB375, the state’s 18 MPOs were required to set emissions reductions targets and Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) within regional transportation plans.  Los Angeles’ MPO is the Southern California Association of Governments, a body that voted endorsed weaker standards a few weeks ago.  That vote, while politically telling, can and was overturned by CARB.  To be clear, Southern California’s targets are an eight percent reduction by 2020 and a thirteen percent reduction at 2035 of yearly greenhouse gas emissions from the 2005 emission levels.

In a press release, ARB Board Mary Nichols explains how a state mandate to meet certain development goals can be both a carrot and a stick:

“These targets are ambitious, achievable and very good news for California communities.  Improved planning means cleaner air in our cities, less time stuck in your car, and healthier, more sustainable communities,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “Cities that choose to develop Sustainable Communities Plans that meet these targets have an advantage when it comes to attracting the kinds of vibrant, healthy development that people want.” Read more…

Photo of Riverside via Miizzard/Flickr.

Last May, I had the chance to sit down with Michael Woo, the former Los Angeles City Councilman and Mayoral Candidate, urban planner, USC Professor and Climate Change activist.  Woo expressed hope that the Southern California Association of Governments would set the bar for other regions when deciding how to follow new state laws by setting high targets for emissions reductions.  The reductions are a state requirement after the passage of California’s internationally lauded Smart Growth Law in 2008, SB 375.

Yesterday, SCAG took a pass on history and sided with the sprawl lobby in endorsing reduced targets for the region which includes Los Angeles County as well as the Inland Empire, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernadino Counties.  Instead of setting the goal of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 8% in 2020 and 13% in 2035 as recommended by the state’s Air Resource Board after a lengthy public process, SCAG chose to set goals of 6% reduction in 2020 and 8% in 2035.  The 8/13 targets were rejected by a 21 to 29 vote.

Unfortunately, this means that design standards and community plans throughout the region will have less density, encourage fewer transportation options, and create less vibrant communities with less open space over the next twenty five years than they would have if SCAG would have followed the state board’s recommendations.

This rejection marks a victory for the Building Industry Association which lobbied for a 5% reduction target and distributed misinformation far and wide to preserve Southern Californians right to sprawl.  The BIA claimed the rejected benchmarks would push gas prices to $9, would cripple the economy, and were completely unrealistic anyway.  That independent reviews showed that a plan to meet the 8/13 benchmarks would increase gas costs by two cents a gallon over twenty five years, would save the average working family save $3,600 annually on transportation costs, would create design standards that would encourage growth and calls for lower reductions than the ones passed in the Sacramento and Bay regions somehow didn’t make the B.I.A.’s “hysteria sheet.”

And that the SCAG Board chose to believe these phony statistics, without a methodology showing how they came to be, over the hard work of their own staff tells us a lot about the SCAG Board.

After the vote, the BIA was crowing.  Richard Lambros, the executive director of the association told the Associated Press:

They made a decision that is both aggressive and achievable and will make a significant reduction in emissions while still protecting California’s economy.

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