Category: Transportation Planning

What’s the solution to the transportation mess?

TRANSDEF, the creator of this site, put forward a potential solution in 2004 that demonstrated promising results. When MTC evaluated the environmental impacts of the plan we posed, MTC determined that it had lower overall impacts than the plan it adopted. The TRANSDEF Smart Growth plan offered more benefits.  When supporters of Regional Measure 3 claim that “We have to move forward with these strategies–they are the only thing that works” you now know they are wrong.

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The Kickoff Speech

TRANSDEF’s President, David Schonbrunn, spoke on January 24th to the Bay Area Toll Authority, the name that MTC goes by for its bridge business. Here’s what he said: TRANSDEF will be campaigning against this measure, once you vote to put it on the ballot. Having watched MTC commit decades of policy mistakes, I can say for certain this is not an agency the public should give more money and power.   MTC is an entirely unaccountable agency. None of its Commissioners ever suffers consequences for their votes here. We will turn RM3 into a referendum on the job MTC has…

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Plan Bay Area Analyzed In Depth

Plan Bay Area Analyzed In Depth 06/01/17 Filed in: Transportation Planning TRANSDEF submitted extensive comments today on Plan Bay Area, the regional transportation plan for the Bay Area. A condensed version for policymakers was submitted earlier. Here’s a summary of the top points about what’s wrong with the Draft EIR: Improper assessment of GHG impacts o SB 375 calls for reducing regional emissions from cars and light trucks. Without State emission reduction measures, regional emissions increase 10%. o RTP will impede the state’s achievement of GHG emissions reductions targets set by SB 32. o Climate Initiatives from the 2013 RTP have not been funded. Why…

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ARB Scoping Plan Comments Filed

ARB Scoping Plan Comments Filed 04/10/17 Filed in: Climate Change | Transportation Planning | High-Speed Rail The Air Resources Board produces a Scoping Plan every 5 years. It is the guiding document for the GHG emissions reductions needed to implement  California’s climate policy. TRANSDEF submitted a massive comment set, made up of: 1). General Comments; 2). VMT Reduction Comments, Attachment: Comments on State-wide Strategies; 3). Environmental Assessment Comments, Attachment: Comments on CHSRA 2016 Business Plan; and 4). Comments on Regional Emissions Reduction Targets. For more climate change resources, see this page. Tags: Highway Widening, HOT, HOV, CEQA, Carbon Tax, Induced Demand

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CA is not Serious about VMT Reduction

CA is not Serious about VMT Reduction 02/05/17 Filed in: Climate Change | Transportation Planning TRANSDEF’s organizational focus is the reduction of GHG emissions from transportation. Much of our work has involved the state’s policy-setting agency for climate change, the California Air Resources Board, or ARB. ARB has produced generally excellent climate change plans, called Scoping Plans. However, it has consistently been weak in the area of reducing GHG emissions from transportation, despite determining that nearly half of the state’s GHG emissions are generated by the transportation sector. TRANSDEF suspects that high-level officials in state government are unwilling to take…

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