New transportation plan focuses on reducing greenhouse gases

SAN DIEGO – Getting from point A to point B in a more environmentally friendly way is a focus of the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is developing for the region.

“We are planning to meet this region’s needs for transportation, housing, and open spaces in a way that reduces greenhouse gases and protects the economy,” SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos said.

SANDAG is the first Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to develop a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) under new state legislation that requires cities and counties to coordinate development patterns and the transportation network, policies, and programs to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cars and light trucks.

These GHG reduction targets for the San Diego region (and other California regions) will be established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). SANDAG has been working with CARB to develop GHG targets for the San Diego region and has proposed a seven percent per capita GHG reduction for 2020 and 13 percent by 2035, relative to 2005 levels. In the San Diego region in 2005, drivers of passenger vehicles emitted an average of 26 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each weekday.

Passenger vehicles are the single largest producers of greenhouse gases in California, contributing approximately 30 percent of emissions associated with climate change.

Greenhouse gas reduction strategies that SANDAG is considering include increasing transit service; making freeway improvements to reduce bottlenecks; better connecting homes and jobs to the transportation network; and enhancing programs aimed at taking more cars off the road, such as alternative work schedules and incentives for carpooling and vanpooling.

These GHG reduction strategies will be detailed in the “Sustainable Communities Strategy” that will be included in the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan.

The draft Sustainable Communities Strategy is expected to be accepted by the SANDAG board for inclusion in the draft RTP this fall. The draft RTP will be released for public comment in early 2011, with board adoption anticipated for summer 2011.

Now is a good time to get involved in planning for the region’s future. Help define the region’s transportation priorities by completing a quick survey at http://www.sandag.org/2050rtp. Sign up for the RTP e-mail list at [email protected] and follow SANDAG on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SANDAGregion.

SANDAG is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency, providing the public forum for regional policy decisions about growth, transportation planning and construction, environmental management, housing, open space, energy, public safety and binational topics. SANDAG is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and supervisors from each of the region’s 18 cities and the county government.