Governor’s Transportation Budget Stalls on Climate Change
Last month, the Governor attended key climate talks in Paris where he touted California’s success to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the world stage. Unfortunately, the Governor’s transportation budget, released today, moves the state in the wrong direction.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — January 7, 2016
Contact:
Chanell Fletcher, Senior California Policy Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
chanell@saferoutespartnership.org, 510-695-1009
Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director, California Bicycle Coalition
jeanie@calbike.org, 401-241-8559
POST-PARIS, GOVERNOR’S TRANSPORTATION BUDGET STALLS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Last month, the Governor attended key climate talks in Paris where he touted California’s success to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the world stage. Unfortunately, the Governor’s transportation budget, released today, moves the state in the wrong direction.
“The proposed budget would invest $16.2 billion in transportation dollars for programs that focus primarily on repaving and expanding roads versus moving people and advancing equity – even proposing to use money designated to fight climate change to do so,” said Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director for the California Bicycle Coalition.
“If we want to tackle climate change and address the safety and mobility need for all Californians, including low-income disadvantaged residents who lack access to a personal vehicle, we must invest in clean, and affordable transportation choices–such as bicycle paths, continuous sidewalks, safe crossings, and robust transit service –that reduce driving, congestion, and air pollution; improve public health; and advance social equity.” said Chanell Fletcher, Senior California Policy Manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
However, the 2016-17 proposed transportation budget does not shift traditional transportation funding to address climate change.
We need to make smart investments that ensure people have real choices in how they travel to where they work, live, learn, play, and go to school. This includes investing in programs such as the Active Transportation Program (ATP)–which prioritizes disadvantaged communities and provides $120 million annually for transportation projects that enable people to travel by bicycle or on foot to access work, schools, and other key destinations. In the last round, more local communities applied for the program than could be funded, which left over $800 million worth of ready-to-go projects from across California on the table.
The Governor’s budget also proposes a new program: the Low Carbon Roads Program, which provides another $100 million of climate funds for complete streets, traffic synchronization, and other streets improvements. However, the Administration’s own research demonstrates that traffic light synchronization and road repaving do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are an illegal use of climate funds. Yet, this budget establishes a new, duplicative program of the ATP that undermines efforts to improve Caltrans efficiency and opens the door for more cap- and-trade funding to go towards roads.
The Administration has an opportunity to addressing climate change while also addressing safety and mobility needs of all Californians. It’s vital the budget focus on meeting the serious transportation challenges facing California’s families and communities in the here and now–such as investing in complete streets and providing multi-modal choices that will ensure all communities can thrive.
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American Heart Association, California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Public Advocates, TransForm, and Trust for Public Land are non-profit organizations committed to advancing walking and bicycling in all communities by engaging in policy analysis, advocacy, and education with the goal of improving active transportation policies for all Californians.
