Let's Create a World-Class Transportation System for San Diego: Our Comments to the Draft 2050 RTP
If you've ever complained that San Diego's public transit system is lacking, or that traffic congestion is impacting your quality of life--now's your chance to do something about it. You can share your comments to San Diego's $196 billion Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) here: http://www.envision2050sd.com/. (Click on "Participate") Hurry—today is the last day to comment.
What is the 2050 RTP? It’s a long-term blueprint for how the San Diego region's transportation system will evolve during the next 40 years, including enhancements to transit, highways, local roads, bike and pedestrian paths.
It also incorporates for the first time ever a new "Sustainable Communities Strategy," whose purpose is to connect jobs, homes, schools, and other activities to an efficient transportation system that leads to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. (Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from on-road transportation--which in our region is the source of nearly half of our total emissions--has the added benefit of improving air quality and related public health impacts like children's asthma hospitalization rates.)
Equinox Center submitted our comments to the draft plan yesterday. You can view those here.
In short, Equinox Center believes the 2050 RTP is an opportunity for SANDAG to distinguish San Diego, the nation’s 8th largest city, by planning for a world class transportation system that serves as a model for cities of the future. Such a system would be cost effective, time effective, and increase the security of our region and the country by reducing our dependence on imported foreign oil. It would also have the added benefits of improving air quality over time, mitigating climate change, and encouraging a prosperous economy by allowing for the efficient movement of goods to, from and through our region. In addition, it would help to create jobs in the construction and transportation sectors—well paying jobs that cannot be outsourced or exported.
Our specific recommendations included:
1) Setting ambitious but attainable goals for reducing per capita and overall VMT in the region
2) Setting ambitious but attainable goals to reduce traffic delays, not just slow the growth of delays
3) Improve our region’s air quality over time
4) Set ambitious but attainable goals to reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle trips and to increase transit ridership regionâwide.
To view our detailed comments to SANDAG's board of directors, click here.
We’ve also posted some fascinating facts, charts and infogaphics about transportation trends and opportunities on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/equinoxcenter.