Time Has Come to Wean Angelenos From Freeways

by D. Malcolm Carson

Every day of the week, morning or afternoon, truck traffic on the Long Beach Freeway, Interstate 710, grinds to a halt. Thousands of diesels idle, their engines spewing thick, black, carcinogenic smoke into the surrounding neighborhoods as schoolchildren play nearby and old women walk to and from neighborhood commercial centers. A similar scenario plays out on a regular basis on the Hollywood and Ventura freeways as suburban commuters crawl along U.S. 101 as it travels through densely populated neighborhoods.

It doesn't have to be this way.

In recent weeks, the Los Angeles region has faced long-term decisions with respect to these two important regional freeways. State and local transportation officials recently have proposed spending billions of our tax dollars to widen and/or double-deck these freeways. Environmental activists and community groups have opposed the freeway expansion plans for a host of reasons, among them a further deterioration of air quality for nearby residents, and the potential loss of hundreds of homes, schools, parks and businesses.

These decision-making processes present a historic opportunity for Los Angeles to reject the discredited path of endless freeway building, poor air quality and traffic congestion. By adopting a more holistic, multimodal approach, we can address congestion in a way far more likely to deliver real results while also bringing about long-overdue improvements in the health and well-being of some of our most environmentally and economically distressed communities.

It is not news that both of these freeways are overburdened with traffic. U.S. 101 is crowded because of the explosive growth of suburban sprawl in the West San Fernando Valley and Ventura County. And I-710 is packed because of the huge growth in truck traffic serving the ever-expanding international trade coming through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The question is what to do about it.

Because residents have made their opposition clear, transportation officials have formally shelved the U.S. 101 freeway expansion plan and opted to focus on alternative strategies to relieve congestion in the corridor as a whole, while continuing to push for the expansion of I-710. This raises the specter that, once again, the quality of life concerns of communities of color in places like Southeast Los Angeles will take a back seat when compared with those of the predominantly white residents of places like the West San Fernando Valley. Federal and state environmental laws and administrative orders, including Presidential Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority and Low-Income Populations, and California Government Code Section 11135, prohibit this kind of environmental racism.

The wider question, however, is whether there is a role at all for freeway expansions in solving the intractable traffic congestion that plagues the L.A. area. After more than a half a century of freeway building, transportation professionals and citizens alike have concluded that new or expanded freeways do not solve traffic congestion. Instead, they simply and temporarily move the congestion to another choke point further down the road while encouraging even more suburban sprawl leading to more drivers and more traffic.

Furthermore, even were new or expanded freeways capable of solving the traffic congestion problem, the increased capacity would result in unacceptable increases in noise and air pollution and greater aesthetic effects on nearby communities. Already, the communities adjacent to the Long Beach Freeway suffer from some of the most unhealthful air quality in the nation, largely due to diesel emissions. The cumulative effects of multiple sources of pollution are rarely considered during the environmental review process for these kinds of projects. Transportation officials responsible for planning the I-710 expansion are refusing to conduct a full environmental review of the various options available to them at this time.

What's needed in our region is a moratorium on new freeway construction and a complete shift to a multimodal strategy that emphasizes passenger and freight rail, clean-fuel buses and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The recently completed $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor Project, a below-surface rail line, runs parallel to the Long Beach Freeway and is operating at less than half of its capacity. Also running parallel to I-710 is the Blue Line, already one of the most heavily used light rail lines in the nation. And there are two planned Rapid Bus Lines, one on Atlantic Boulevard and one on Long Beach Boulevard. By providing additional support and funding to projects like these, transportation officials can successfully address congestion without expanding freeways.

Additionally, for the I-710 corridor in particular, it is irresponsible for transportation officials to even begin to consider adding additional capacity for trucks until the air quality issues are addressed. With 70 percent of our region's toxic air pollutants coming from diesel emissions, it is time for an end to the use of diesel fuel and for far stricter emissions requirements for trucks, buses, freight trains and ships. Better, safer and, most important, cleaner technologies, such as compressed natural gas, biofuels and even hydrogen, are or will soon be readily available. The first priority for any money spent on transportation issues in that corridor should be to address air quality issues.

The transportation officials who acted in response to the outpouring of community sentiment against the U.S. 101 freeway expansion should be applauded. Hopefully, the planners of the I-710 expansion will pay similar attention to the voices and concerns of the predominantly low-income, minority communities adjacent to that freeway. By doing so, Los Angeles will begin the process of finally saying no to the freeway builders who would once again sacrifice our quality of life for short-term gain, and saying yes to a new era of environmental justice, clean air and a true multimodal transportation system.

D. Malcolm Carson is a staff attorney in the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles' Community Economic Development unit.

This commentary originally ran in the Monday, July 7, 2003 edition of the Daily Journal.

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