San Diego should not be side-tracked from important progress on #climate and #transportation

Voice of San Diego: "4. Health and Safety: Climate change is expected to impact the San Diego region not just in sea level rise, but in increased incidence of wildfires and droughts. The largest share of pollutant and green-house gas emissions reductions at a local level comes from transportation choices. The modes of public transport in the future will significantly determine our ability to act towards achieving statewide climate change targets through 2035 and beyond. A new climate action plan that aims to aggressively meet these goals needs to be drafted, adopted and implemented. Some examples of prioritizing transit include double-tracking the Coaster, extending the trolley to University City, continuing to subsidize transit for school children and increasing the frequency on the blue line."

Los Angeles #publictransit prevents $billions in congestion costs

Energy Economics Exchange: "“Our estimates imply that the total congestion relief benefit of operating the Los Angeles transit system is between $1.2 billion to $4.1 billion per year, or $1.20 to $4.10 per peak-hour transit passenger mile.”"

Transit San Diego - kids hitchhiking on Twitter shows need for more #publictransit

Transit San Diego: ""30 years ago, 8 in 10 American 18-year-olds had a driver's license. Today, it's 6 in 10."

Maybe functional transit would be safer than Twitter?!"

Proposed Cuts in Pre-Tax Benefits for Mass Transit wrong direction

Smart Card Alliance: "“Developing a legislative plan to review and streamline our current tax code is laudable and to be encouraged. But to reduce the Transit Benefit program will disincentivize the millions of citizens and employees who use public transportation as a means of commuting to and from their place of business,” said Steve Shewmaker, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. “This works against our national interest to be energy independent, promote economic growth, reward wage earners and be pro-environment. Moreover, at a time when gasoline prices are at a record high and the U.S. trade balance so negatively impacted by oil imports, the last thing policy makers should be considering is legislation that discourages the use of public transit. The government should be encouraging our citizens to take advantage of public transportation when and where it is accessible.”"

Walking fans say Bakersfield needs more sidewalks, trees, buses

BakersfieldCalifornian.com: "Advocates of walking joined seniors and members of a Bakersfield summer camp Tuesday to promote pedestrian safety at a Kern Council of Governments meeting, where local officials continue to update their non-motorized transportation wish list for the next quarter-century.

Members of California Walks, a statewide organization dedicated to creating walkable communities, joined representatives of Bakersfield's Greenfield Walking Group, the California Alliance of Retired Americans and students from the Kern Video Voice Camp for a rally outside the meeting."

'via Blog this'

40% of new households in Los Angeles in 6 years have no car

And yet, their taxes are used to pay for the hidden costs of the auto. To make it more fair, make the buses free.

Better Institutions: Almost All of Los Angeles' Growth Is in Low-car Households: "Between 2005 and 2011, ninety percent of Los Angeles' growth was in low-car households, defined as households with fewer vehicles than working adults*. You read that right: Los Angeles, low-car. Even more incredibly, of the 20,000 households the city added over this six-year period, over 8,000 of them own zero cars. That's over forty percent."