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News clippings related to transit, mobility and quality of life
MoveNews #85 for the week of January 24, 2010
Regional
Opponents to high-speed rail route through Rose Canyon stand firm
San Diego News Network, January 15, 2010
A coalition of San Diego area public officials has requested that the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the state entity charged with overseeing the project, continue to study an earlier proposed route that would follow the Interstate 15 corridor from Mira Mesa to Qualcomm Stadium instead of one that would run through University City before heading south, parallel to Interstate 5.
"We do not oppose high-speed rail – we do oppose it through Rose Canyon. The I-15 to Qualcomm route has higher ridership, fewer noise impacts, is faster and cheaper."
Looking at 2010: Kathy Keehan on Two Wheels
Voice of San Diego, January 20, 2010
Encinitas leaders this week approved a plan that includes five fuIs San Diego not only behind other cities in bicycle culture or is it worse? I really enjoy reading Kathy Keehan's perspective on some things. She's the executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. What is she paying attention to in 2010? I asked her to respond to the series of questions I've been asking. ...
What decision will you be paying attention to the most in the coming year and who will be making it?
I'll be paying attention to the Regional Transportation Plan process at SANDAG. San Diego is the first county to do a transportation plan under the new greenhouse gas reduction requirements from the state (AB32 and SB375) and it's going to take some courage for our elected officials to approve a plan that meets the greenhouse gas reduction targets. More than 40 percent of the greenhouse gas production in the county is from cars and light trucks, and there's no way of us meeting the reduction targets set by the state unless we change drastically how we get around. So I'll be anxious to see how this plan changes direction from the plans of the past.
Who is the most promising leader in San Diego these days and what do you think he or she might do in 2010?
Oh, this is a hard one! My choice for community leader is Elyse Lowe from Move San Diego. She's been on the job for a little while now, and really is making some waves in support of transit and non-motorized transportation options. She's smart, passionate, and there's no way of ignoring her. I'm looking forward to seeing her in action on the regional stage as we start to make tough decisions about how much transit is going to be a part of the future San Diego.
California
For Bay Area transit agencies to emerge stronger from their plight, extensive changes will be required, most likely including new taxes and a shift in the way commuters travel and leaders plan cities.
Experts, politicians, commuters and others interviewed for this series offered many ideas that could spur ridership and help public transit providers crawl out of budget holes. But there is doubt that the region can muster the political will to make the solutions happen. Several experts say land use and planning will play a key role.
National
Six Livability Principles to help enact that Livable Communities Initiative
These six principles will help us coordinate federal transportation, environmental protection, and housing investments at our respective agencies. As I told the Senate Committee, These principles mean that we will all be working off the same playbook to formulate and implement policies and programs.
- Providing more transportation choices
- Expanding access to affordable housing, particularly housing located close to transit;
- Enhancing economic competitiveness-giving people access to jobs, education and services as well as giving businesses access to markets;
- Targeting federal funds toward existing communities to spur revitalization and protect rural landscapes;
- Increasing collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to better target investments and improve accountability;
- Valuing the unique qualities of all communities--whether urban, suburban, or rural.
Overall, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) systems are reporting improvements in travel time over previous corridor travel times or existing local bus service. Improvements range from 5 to 70 percent, with the median percentage improvement at 25 percent. The systems with the highest reported travel time savings of 40 percent or higher were those with grade-separated busways.
Source: Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida
MoveNews #85 was edited by Carolyn Chase and published by Move San Diego, Inc. as a service to our members. You may subscribe, unsubscribe, or send article suggestions by sending an email request to: info@movesandiego.org
NOTE: if there is no link provided to an item, then there is no additional content on that item. All links were current as of the date of publication.
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