Air quality goals can provide alternatives to cars

The San Joaquin Air Quality Board has a pdf on landuse changes for general plans for improving air quality. The air quality component update to the general plan is supposed to follow one year after completion of the housing element.

All cities in San Mateo are updating their housing elements right now. In the pdf pg 85 is on bikes and the enforcement is upfront on page 13.

One thing we hear is that we are in attainment of air quality goals in San Mateo. That's almost true. According to the Sustainable San Mateo County Air quality Indicator: For PM10 there was only one exceedance of the state 24-hour standard at Redwood City in the entire year of 2007. For PM2.5 there was one exceedance of the National 24-hour standard at Redwood City in the entire year of 2007. The state 24-hour standard for PM2.5 has not yet been implemented. There were no exceedances in 2007 at Redwood City for ozone, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is not measured in San Mateo County.

However we use a much lax standard than recommended by the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization (2005) has proposed tighter standards to improve public health because “an increasing range of adverse health effects has been linked to air pollution, and at ever-lower concentrations” page 10

Particle emissions kill more people than cigarettes. PM10 needs scrutiny in San Mateobecause nothing proposed- alternative vehicles, alternative fuels, or pricing- will make a dent in targets through 2035, at least for us here in the Bay Area. Same for PM2.5 which is not the national standard till 2015.

The PM10 chart showing the lack of progress from mitigation is chart 25 page 13 chart titled Reduce coarse particulate emissions (PM10) to 38 tons per day. PM2.5 is the second chart 24 on page 12.

So the mitigations to PM10 and PM25 are to reduce VMT through Freight to Rail, transit, and shifting trips to bicycles and walking. Once we accept the challenge of reducing VMT
in our housing elements and general plans we can proceed set goals that can achieve milestones for increased bicycle and walking modal shifts from single occupant vehicles which make up 40% of total Bay Area green house gas emissions. From page 25 "This is where the Air Quality Guidelines for General Plans comes in. This document provides a comprehensive set of goals and policies that promote development patterns, site designs, and transportation systems that support alternatives to the automobile."