SB 713 $4 increase in VLF for congestion management is flawed

NOTE- the actual bill number will be SB 348 (Simitian).

The analysis for this bill shows some of the serious environmental harm that comes from auto usage such as copper and mercury from break lines that gets into our water supply. We also know of many others such as cancer and asthma from emissions of 10 and 2.5 micron particles and that the latter has a three day 1500 mile lifetime and will not be required to be controlled until 2015. We also know that WHO recommends measurement and mitigation at 1.8 microns because “an increasing range of adverse health effects has been linked to air pollution, and at ever-lower concentrations” page 10. Moderate air pollution can trigger heart attacks during exercise. Our kids suffer permanent lung damage within 500 feet of a major roadway. Tire dust is another carcinogen that is difficult to control as the number of vehicles increase which both MTC and ABAG acknowledge. Unlivable cities for our parents and children are such a big problem, that after obsessing all our lives over the cities we love to the point of straining our families, we can't wait to retire and get out of here.

At this point in our history a congestion management program to reduce the environmental impact of driving should reduce driving. The spending goals of this bill are misdirected toward increasing driving. A $4 fee increase is inadequate for reducing congestion through cost. Studies show that despite the recent dramatic increases in gas prices people continue to drive primarily because they feel they have no choice. Thus $4/- is not an appropriate user fees to increase cost sufficient to mitigate the impact of driving on the environment. While this fee shows some minor benefits for users, like higher speeds, it does not address the larger public which has to drink the water and breathe the air and whose children could get run over because of an inability to address congestion at its source.

25% of the total funds collected by this bill are distributed directly to the 21 jurisdictions for congestion related programs and projects such as signal timing, resurfacing, and swales. Signal timing comes under the category of intelligent transportation systems and we have already seen CCAG allocate $10M to this category to retime and control local signals so that traffic on 101 can use local streets to get to El Camino from upto 15 miles prior to a crash. Which we have already said is a problem because the traffic on El Camino should enhance the business district not be cut through traffic that hinders business by making the area polluted noisy and dangerous. Another 25% of the total fund is reserved for countywide projects such as the hydrogen stations which fortunately PG&E, following the electric car debacle, realizes is another boondoggle and has refused to support this $20M wasted program. Hydrogen like BART, Peninsula cities have found, is an illusion which aids driving by consuming huge pots of money that could go toward realistic solutions like hybrid ZEB buses. The funding also involves countywide traffic management systems currently under consideration by the C/CAG technical committees which also fit under ITS to increase driving.

There are many realistic programs that have been shown to work in reducing driving such as traffic calming, parking charges, congestion pricing, road diets, Traffic Demand Management, and just as important multi modal share development especially as co-products in multi-modal corridors like El Camino. Multi modal development on the El Camino could fund a Next bus advisory system, to take the guesswork out of using a bus, presently available in many jurisdictions, and a north south bicycle signage system for surrounding streets.

50% of the bill goes toward stormwater management. Certain traffic calming measures, it turns out, can not only make streets more ped-friendly, but also help make the city's rivers clean enough to swim in. C/CAG approved the contract with Nevue Ngan to prepare a guidance manual for designing "green streets". The guidance manual will be completed by July and contain four conceptual designs for small projects from a $900,000/- grant.

Finally there is a good reason why stormwater mitigation is an unfunded mandate. Increasing driving through signal timing, and resurfacing, which fortunately Belmont has been most level headed about, has not worked to reduce congestion. Instead the magnitude and scope of problems we need to address are increased, which taxes city budgets. Our local news is filled with the inability of city government to fund basic needs like (fire) security, sewage, health, and schools. CCAG should put forward projects under this funding which reduce congestion and improve the environment in defense of residents who would be proud to call their city home in their golden years.