Opinion: California Clean Transportation Efforts Not Addressing Needs of Low-Income Residents

In an opinion piece in Smart Cities Dive, Marta Anadón Rosinach argues that California’s approach to clean transportation is leaving behind the lowest-income residents who need it most.

According to Rosinach, “It’s time we rethink the definition of ‘clean mobility’ to include equitable access. A zero-emission car might qualify on paper, but it won’t help a shift worker in Stockton without a dollar to spare or a teenager in San Bernardino commuting to school.” Moreover, buses and trains don’t reach all areas or don’t offer reliable service.

Rosinach calls for a wider adoption of light electric vehicles (LEVs) such as e-bikes, e-scooters, and other small vehicles that can help replace car trips at a lower cost than an electric car. LEVs are “cheaper to own and operate than motor vehicles, require less space and fewer resources, and work well in urban areas.”

Rosinach argues that cities and the state should do more to subsidize the purchase of LEVs, which could be an important mobility lifeline for low-income people. And while the Driving Clean Assistance Program and the California e-bike incentive exist, these programs are limited and underfunded, with e-bike vouchers running out within minutes of their release.

By expanding the e-bike voucher program to include secondhand bikes, the state could make funding go further to help more people. “Even beyond rebates, we need to start treating light electric transportation more like a public good, with dedicated investment into LEV infrastructure. Not just scattered bike lanes, but a statewide network of safe, physically separated routes connecting neighborhoods to schools, jobs and transit.”