Here in San Diego, public transportation is on life support. Despite record ridership, trolley and bus service has been reduced, with some bus routes cancelled altogether. Fares are up across the board. The monthly light rail pass will be $72; three years ago it was $60.
Here in San Diego, public transportation is on life support. Despite record ridership, trolley and bus service has been reduced, with some bus routes cancelled altogether. Fares are up across the board. The monthly light rail pass will be $72; three years ago it was $60.
Thank the governor and the state legislature in the midst of the budget crisis. In February 2009, California abolished the State Transit Assistance (STA) program, a $536 million fund that covers 70% of the operating costs for transit agencies across the state. According to the California Transit Association, it is "the only source of state funding for day-to-day transit operations". The program wasn't cut, it wasn't slashed – it fully disappeared, to the dismay of many national environmental organizations.
But the state still manages to find the money to widen freeways. The Sacramento Bee reported that during the budget negotiations, Governor Schwarzenegger continued "to call for deeper cuts in spending and waivers of environmental regulations to allow at least 10 highway projects to go forward this year". In sprawling east San Diego County, $80 million is on the way to support the expansion of Highway 52, freeing local funds for further expansions on Highway 76 and Interstate-15.
A month after transit was slashed, President Obama was in Orange County touting that the stimulus-assisted expansion of State Route 91 could create 2000 jobs. Yet in the same month, Orange County voted to lay off 400 transit workers and cut bus service by 25%. No federal stimulus dollars were provided to cover transit operating costs.
So it's all about spending priorities. And California is choosing to invest in car dependency, increased air pollution and sprawl construction – an agenda that is fully at odds with the governor's and the president's promised goals on the environment and climate change. We've traveled this path before and we know where it leads.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
