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A new report from the California Strategic Growth Council calls for the urgent need to shift the state’s transportation funding priorities away from highways and towards sustainable mobility. Californians can You can weigh in on some of the upcoming changesTransportation funding rules for spring
Caltrans and Los Angeles County Metro are expanding Interstate 5 at Burbank, despite decades-old evidence that this will increase emissions and not reduce congestion.
California Strategic Growth Council (SGC), published a bracing assessment last month that highlighted how far the state must go to reduce carbon pollution through its transportation infrastructure investments. Core to this assessment is the finding that the state’s transportation spending is often working at cross purposes with its climate goals.
The Report, required by Assembly Bill 285 (Friedman, 2019) and prepared by University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) researchers, notes that transportation accounts for over half of California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so meeting the state’s climate goals requires making big changes in the transportation sector.
California needs a strategy to reduce carbon emissions in transportation. This strategy must include rapid vehicle electrification as well as transportation investments that allow Californians to get around more easily by rail, bus and bike. In order to reduce emissions at the speed required to reach the climate goals the state has committed to, and repeatedly reiterated, our state government must pursue both simultaneously.
What should we do?
The SGC report says the state must reverse the “historic emphasis on prioritizing driving over other modes” that has made it necessary to own a car (and bear the high cost of car ownership) in order to access the best housing, employment, social and educational opportunities the state has to offer.
While California has made much progress in funding sustainable transportation, the report notes that “too many…investments fail to move towards—and often still move away from” the vision of a sustainable transportation system.
The state still prioritizes funding wider and faster roads, making it unsafe for many people to walk, bike, and use transit in many areas. According to the report, climate and equity-focused programmes account for a significant portion of the funding. Only 2 percent of the state’s transportation spending.
The state continues down this path despite decades of evidence—Which is now Caltrans policy—that widening highways doesn’t fix congestion in cities, but does increase driving and emissions. In other words, the report notes, “there is a gap between the vision for a more climate friendly and equitable transportation system and actions and infrastructure decisions” made by the state. Indeed, that’s an understatement!
How can we close the gap?
The answer is both simple to explain and difficult to implement. Governor Gavin Newsom took a significant step by signing Executive Order N-19-19to accelerate climate action on transportation. Importantly, it said “the State Transportation Agency shall leverage the more than $5 billion in annual state transportation spending for construction, operations, and maintenance to help reverse the trend of increased fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector.”
The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), subsequently developed the California Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure in July 2021. CAPTI directly targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation in its framework while also addressing the “need to prepare and adapt” the transportation system to the effects of climate change.
What does CAPTI mean?
CAPTI takes a “fix-it-first” approach that’s consistent with the goals of the transformative Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1). By emphasizing the maintenance, and not expansion, of existing road infrastructure, CAPTI calls for funds in existing programs to be used “where feasible” on investments in “new clean transportation options in urban, suburban, and rural settings for all Californians.” Specifically, CAPTI’s investment framework includes:
- Construction of a comprehensive rail and transit system throughout the state.
- In order to create safe and accessible infrastructure for bicycles and pedestrians, especially in low-income areas and disadvantaged communities, it is important to develop networks
- increasing zero-emission vehicle infrastructure
- Promoting projects that do little to increase passenger vehicle travel.
CAPTI points to the need for more state transportation funding that is better matched to state climate goals. That means we should stop spending billions on freeways that don’t fix congestion and that keep digging our carbon pollution hole deeper.
What’s next?
The AB 285 Assessment Report reveals that the state must do a better job in transport funding. The state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals need to be reflected in what kinds of projects it funds. Fortunately, CAPTI has a plan and state officials are working on updating the rules that determine which transportation projects receive funding.
NRDC and our partners are advocating for changes that reflect CAPTI plans and shift funding from counterproductive highway expansion and road widening to transit and active transportation projects that enhance Californians’ quality of life, improve safety, increase equity of access, and reduce GHG emissions.
It is crucial to make plans for these sound investments because there is a large inflow of transportation funding from the $1.2 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Coming to CaliforniaSoon, it will include $25.3 billion for highway projects. The good news is that State Departments of Transportation are able to provide funding for highway programs. You have a lot of flexibilitySpend highway funds on projects that are beneficial to people who bike, walk, or take transit. CAPTI arrives just in the right time to ensure California has the best chance to promote healthy, sustainable and equitable mobility.
