Outrageous! Local Politicians Ignore Voters, Push Destruction of Environment
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) continues to try to widen Highway 1 one piece at a time. Despite the rejection of a highway-widening ballot measure in 2004 by county voters, and a recent poll indicating that county voters would still not pass a tax measure to widen Highway 1, the RTC continues to steamroll and pave over the will of its electorate. We need to stand up against the RTC, and protect our environment and democracy.
Public Hearing to Oppose Highway Widening
Wednesday, October 29, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
(an Open House starting at 5:00pm precedes the hearing)
Santa Cruz County Government Center
701 Ocean Street
5th Floor
Now Caltrans and the RTC have released environmental study documents for the proposed addition of "auxiliary" lanes on Highway 1, between the Morrissey and Soquel exits. They claim that this would have no effect on the environment and are not doing an Environmental Impact Report. Caltrans is selling this as a small one-mile project, but it is really a next step in the larger plan underway to tragically widen Highway 1 to eight lanes (counting auxiliary lanes) all the way south to Freedom Boulevard, and to six lanes south to San Andreas Road.
Examples of projects in Santa Cruz that have full Environmental Impact Reports:
- a 1/2-mile-long bike trail
- hotel expansions
- 1-block subdivision with condominiums
None of the above projects have even a fraction of the effect on the environment that widening Highway 1 for one mile would have. Here are a few obvious impacts we need to point out to the Commission and Caltrans:
- Cars and trucks produce at least 40% of global warming gases in Santa Cruz County—locally, the leading cause.
- Highway 1 is the largest facility upon which these vehicles operate.
- Widening Highway 1 will attract more cars and trucks.
- The construction of this project would use thousands of tons of concrete—the production of which has a significant environmental impact.
- The project would pave over large open of permeable soil with vegetation with long term impacts to air and water quality.
Read the Auxiliary Lanes Initial Study. The Initial Study is also available free of charge as a CD or hard copy at the RTC offices, 1523 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz (upstairs next to Chefworks), and as reference material at the Central, Branciforte, and Live Oak library branches.
As required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the public may review and comment on the Initial Study in the 30-day period from October 13 - November 14. We strongly urge People Power members to attend the open house and public hearing (Wednesday, October 29, at the Santa Cruz County Government Center, 701 Ocean Street, 5th Floor, from 5–8 PM). The public hearing portion is scheduled from 6:30–7:30. Your presence and comments at the hearing are vital, and your written comments are also needed. Please submit comments by standard mail to:
William "Trais" Norris
Senior Environmental Planner
California Dept. of Transportation
2015 E. Shields, Suite 100
Fresno, CA 93726-5428
or email to: trais_norris@dot.ca.gov
Comments must be received by November 14. Point-by-point questioning of the Initial Study conclusions is especially valuable.
One outrageous claim made in the Initial Study is that greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by highway widening because peak-period traffic will start flowing at more efficient speeds that reduce the per-mile per-car emissions. This non-realworld scenario is narrowly based on the fact that automobiles traveling less than 30 mph emit more air pollutants than those traveling between 30 and 55 mph, and does not acknowledge that new lanes will lead to more traffic, more vehicle miles traveled, and, ultimately, more system-wide congestion.
Refuting the Caltrans logic on how to address greenhouse gas emissions could affect transportation plans throughout California. If new lanes did not generate more traffic, there would be no need to build new lanes, as existing space on the freeway would meet the demand. As soon as a freeway lane is opened, vehicles will be drawn in by the initially reduced congestion. We believe that within a few years of new lane completion, there will be so many more cars that the highway will simply be congested again. Whether the latter occurs or not, adding a lane will attract more cars and reinforce automobile dependency. More cars, at any speed, means more CO2.
In truth, the "Auxiliary Lanes" project will continue an unfortunate and unwise funding process of diverting the limited public monies from investments in sustainable transportation options that would much better reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you follow closely what scientists are uncovering today about climate change, you know there is no time to lose in shifting away from climate destruction.
The Campaign for Sensible Transportation has already submitted a detailed preliminary letter calling for an Environmental Impact Report to be prepared as required by CEQA. They will also be submitting point-by-point comments that challenge the Initial Study. For more information, or to assist in the analysis of the environmental study documents, contact Jack Nelson at 429-6149 or visit their website at www.sensibletransportation.org.