L.A. Times: California Must Shift Transportation Spending Priorities

The Los Angeles Times editorial board takes California state leaders to task on its climate goals, charging that “when it comes to cutting the state’s biggest source of planet-warming emissions — cars, trucks, airplanes and other modes of transportation — the spending doesn’t match the rhetoric.”

The editorial references two recent reports that reveal a lack of progress on the state’s promise to cut vehicle miles driven and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One report from NextGen Policy shows that “traffic and car dependence has increased in recent years.” The board writes that this is largely because the state “continues to spend the bulk of its transportation dollars to maintain and expand car-centric roads and freeways.”

However, “Instead of doubling down on the existing system that makes it inconvenient and unsafe to travel by bike, foot and transit, California should be spending the bulk of its transportation funding to remake the urban landscape so people have real choices in how they get around.” In fact, only 19 percent of transportation funding has gone to non-driving projects such as public transit, bike lanes, and pedestrian infrastructure.

According to the editorial, “About 70% of the state’s transportation dollars go to road maintenance, as required by the state’s gas tax spending plan.” But, if used strategically, this funding could also support bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Ultimately, the board writes, “The state needs to radically redesign its transportation system to reduce the need for people to drive everywhere all the time.”