SGC was first asked by the California Legislature to identify potential actions for how the state’s transportation and land use system can better meet state climate, equity, and other key goals.
The final report out today summarizes what they heard from hundreds of people across the state as part of an outreach process beginning in the Spring and ending this Summer. Some of the feedback they heard includes:
· Transportation is the state’s biggest contributor to climate change, a major source of air pollution, and traffic injuries and chronic diseases linked to physical inactivity and air pollution are the leading cause of premature death in California. All this spells the need for urgent action.
· People want a transportation system that achieves or exceeds our climate commitments, provides Californians with a wide range of safe and convenient travel options, brings investment into areas where there are infrastructure gaps, and supports growth within existing communities.
· There is acknowledgment that the status quo system – at all levels of government – for how we fund, plan, deliver, and experience transportation in California is not working for the climate, for our communities, for our commutes, and daily lives. The changes needed are structural in nature, and must change land use incentives to revitalize existing communities in all regions of the state.
SGC thanks participants across the state who shared their ideas and time as they explored transportation planning, funding, and project delivery, as well as the roles of various state agencies, regional governments, sales tax authorities, local governments, transit providers, and non-governmental groups statewide.