The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) recently voted to expand our freeways by adding carpool lanes and bus-only lanes. Research shows that even coupling freeway expansion with carpooling and transit is not an effective way to relieve traffic congestion. As transportation justice advocates we know the solution to our meeting our transportation needs in a clean and healthy way means increased public transit, bicycling and walking paths before we resort to freeway expansion.

Freeway expansion doesn’t relieve traffic congestion.

Expanded freeways lead to more driving, more pollution and more greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Freeway expansion does not lead to less traffic. Repeat: Freeway expansion does not lead to less traffic. A study at UC Berkley covering thirty California counties between 1973 and 1990 found that for every ten percent increase in roadway capacity, traffic increased nine percent with a four years’ time. If we build the roads, cars will fill them.

Freeway expansion doesn’t support our economy.

Did you know expanding only one to two miles of state route 94 costs a whopping $500-600 million? Alternatively, this money could go to significant public transit upgrades that would stimulate our economy much more than freeway expansion. Research affirms that for every $10 million invested in public transit...

• Over 570 jobs are created in transit operation
• Business sees a $30 million increase in sales
• $15 million is saved by both highway and transit users

Freeway expansion worsens air quality and the effects of climate change.

Adding lanes to a freeway (even carpool lanes) still increases the amount of pollution each freeway emits. More lanes mean more cases of asthma, heart disease and cancer for communities near freeways who are already overburdened with poor air quality.

Why building new roads doesn't ease congestion (An excerpt from Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream). By. Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. North Point Press, 2000, pp. 88-94. 

Litman, Todd. Generated Traffic and Induced Travel Implications for Transport Planning. 24 April 2014. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 

Snyder, Tanya . Study: Building Roads to Cure Congestion Is an Exercise in Futility. May 31, 2011. 

Downs, Anthony. Why Traffic Congestion Is Here to Stay... and Will Get Worse. Access. NUMBER 25, FALL 2004

Public Transportation and the Nation’s Economy: A Quantitative Analysis of Public Transportation’s Economic Impact; Prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. with Economic Development Research Group

Do you believe all neighborhoods should have equal access to alternative transportation and no communities should be overburdened with the pollution from cars on neighborhood streets or freeways?

Welcome to the team of transportation justice advocates. We need your help. 

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) plays a critical role in transportation justice because it determines what our streets look like. It decides where we get trolley stops, how much public transit costs and where bicycling and walking paths go, to name a few.

As transportation justice advocates, we demand to see transit and active transportation (biking/walking infrastructure) prioritized before we begin building more roads and expanding our freeways. We need what we're calling a transit first plan. Read below to learn more about how you can make your voice heard for your community.

What does the transportation justice community want?

We want SANDAG to:

• Adopt a plan for San Diego that prioritizes transit projects that specifically benefit overburdened communities
• Postpone freeway projects to the end of the plan because they will most negatively impact overburdened communities
• Put the transit first plan through the same review process as the other plans to ensure it's considered an equal option.

The good news:

SANDAG is developing a plan in response to the commnunity's demand for transit and active transportation (biking/walking infrastructure) projects in the early stages of the plan. This is a good thing and what the community has asked for. However, this plan hasn't completely reflected what the community needs.

The not-so-good news:

This plan falls short by scheduling freeway projects to be built at the same time as transit and active transportation options. 

This is a big problem.

Building freeways before transit and active transportation systems are fully functional is problematic for a variety of reasons.

It will deter people from using transit, negatively impact air quality and further contribute to climate change in our communities which already suffer from high air pollution and asthma rates. We want to see transit projects implemented before building freeways. This way, we can see the full the effect of our new transit systems and then evaluate if we need to expand freeways at all. 

Additionally, every plan has to undergo a thorough review process. If the transit first plan doesn't go through this, it cannot be an option for SANDAG to implement when the time comes. As of right now, only the freeway-heavy plans are being reviewed; meaning only the freeway-heavy are viable options.

We can't let the transit first plan become just another planning document that sits on the shelf. We demand it be reviewed and proposed as a real option for SANDAG to consider.

Want to get involved? 

We hope you do. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to join the transportation justice movement: (619) 474 0220 x 130.

Low-income communities of color have long struggled with racist land use policies and practices that diminish their health, safety and quality of life, resulting in incompatible community development due to the permitting of industrial facilities next to homes, schools and open spaces. At the root of this all-too-common pattern are discriminatory land use regulations, such as zoning, that do not protect the community's health.

The community of Barrio Logan, one of San Diego's oldest neighborhoods, currently contains an unhealthy mix of homes, schools, and industries, turning it into a microcosm of environmental racism, including:

• A community of color created by racially discriminatory real estate covenants
• Encroachment of industry into residential areas
• Destructive effects of highways and bridges
• Failure of government to provide services, provide protective zoning, and keep their promises, and ultimately
• The conversion of a once vibrant community into a land of junkyards, poverty, and substandard housing

Much of this transformation took place from the 1920s to 1950s, but the community was physically torn apart in the 60s. In 1963, Interstate 5 was built through the middle of Logan Heights – the area to the northeast of the freeway retained the name of Logan Heights, while the area to the southwest became known as Barrio Logan. In 1967, the Coronado Bridge was built over the new community, dissecting the new area of Barrio Logan. Thousands of homes were destroyed and families displaced by these events.

This period also sparked the birth of San Diego Chicano Park. The land that was promised as a park under the bridge was instead to be turned into a highway patrol station but people revolted. Eventually Chicano Park was created, an iconic area now home to world-famous murals. A free health clinic was also established, many of the junkyards were eliminated and in 1978 the Barrio Logan/Harbor 101 Community Plan was adopted.

Since 1978, this neighborhood has not seen a community plan update, making it the most outdated community plan in San Diego. Imagine for a moment the changes in your community since the late 70s; the technology, innovations and new businesses that have come to be. Then think about your neighborhood. Do you have metal-plating industries on your street? How about petroleum distributers or major metal recyclers?

Barrio Logan suffers from the outdated land-use zoning in its current 1978 community plan which allows polluting industries to operate across the street and next to homes, schools, and parks. Without areas designated for commercial, homes and industries, the residents of Barrio Logan continue breathing the toxic fumes of the factories next door and children visit the emergency room three times more than the counties average due to asthma incidents.

Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) along with community residents have fought for decades for a new community plan and zoning in the community, spending the last five years coming together to develop a new, healthier plan that works for residents and businesses. In October of 2013 the San Diego City Council approved the plan but after billion-dollar, out-of-state corporations launched a referendum to mislead San Diego voters, which resulted in placing the new adopted plan to a citywide vote. In June of 2014 the Barrio Logan community plan was overturned by citywide voters, but more than 75 percent of voters surrounding the Barrio Logan community supported the plan, making a strong and clear statement that Barrio Logan wants a healthy and safe neighborhood.

With our ever-growing community voice, we know Barrio Logan will earn a new community plan to make the neighborhood a healthy, safe place for families to thrive and grow just like the rest of San Diego. Until then, we continue to stand up for what we know every community deserves: environmental justice and a toxic-free future.

If you are interested in learning more about getting involved in your region's community planning, check out our inspirational video that empowers real people to become leaders for health and justice in their communities just the way EHC community members have. The video shows impacts of toxic pollution and discriminatory land-use policies in ways that anyone can understand, empowering everyone to become involved in planning and policymaking. You can sign in and watch the video here.

¿Qué es la Mesa Técnica del Arroyo Alamar?
Es el espacio en el que comunidad, organizaciones no gubernamentales y las dependencias de gobierno involucradas en el encauzamiento del Alamar, podremos buscar una alternativa sustentable a la canalización con concreto.

Avances Importantes
Después de varios meses de trabajar en el documento de instalación, finalmente, hace dos semanas nos reunimos en la oficina de Tijuana de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat). En la reunión estuvimos presentes Environmental Health Coalition y el Colectivo Chilpancingo Pro Justicia Ambiental, Tijuana Calidad de Vida, Remexmar, Papalotzin, Pronatura, RECIMEC y Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental. Por parte del gobierno mexicano, Semarnat, Profepa, CONAGUA, CCDS, IMPLAN, SPA, y la EPA como representante de la contraparte de Estados Unidos en calidad de observador, con miras a ofrecer asesoría técnica en el proyecto alternativo.

De la reunión salimos con el visto bueno de la CONAGUA y organizaciones de la sociedad civil del documento de instalación de la mesa de trabajo. Después de que los departamentos jurídicos de cada dependencia revisen su función estaremos listos para hacer la firma pública.

¿Qué quiere decir esto y qué sigue?
Una vez que todas las dependencias de gobierno y las organizaciones de la sociedad y los la comunidad firmemos este documento, los acuerdos y recomendaciones tomados en la mesa podrán integrarse oficialmente al proyecto que se decida hacer en la tercera etapa del Alamar. Pero muy importantemente, significa la oportunidad de tener transparencia en el trabajo que se haga y la gran oportunidad de integrar el tema de la justicia ambiental y calidad de vida de las comunidades en temas de desarrollo urbano.

Esperamos muy pronto tener fecha para el evento público de instalación de la mesa y comenzar con los trabajos.

Did you know its National Lead-Poisoning Prevention Week? EHC works to ensure our communities understand the hazards of lead poisoning and what you can do to prevent children from becoming sick.

Lead is a dangerous metal, harmful to developing brains and responsible for irreversible developmental problems. Lead can be most commonly found in the lead-based paint and paint chips from homes built before 1979. Children may get sick by breathing or ingesting dust from this paint as it deteriorates over time.

Not too long ago, lead was present in many of our favorite candies. Environmental Health Coalition, the California Attorney General's Office and partners spearheaded the early 2000s movement to regulate lead levels in candy. After a thorough investigation, lawsuit and a statewide law, California now requires candy manufacturers operate within strict legal standards and undergo regular audits to ensure compliance. As a result, candy sold in stores today has been tested for lead levels and certified as lead free.

Most children with lead poisoning do not look or act sick, which is why it's important to get a blood-lead test every year until age six. It is also important for pregnant mother’s to get their blood-lead levels tested. The test only requires a finger prick and offers results in less than three minutes. You can find information on the next free blood-lead testing here.

Please explore our website to learn more about lead poisoning in children and read our frequently asked questions about lead-free candy to learn how to keep your family healthy and safe.

If you think your home may have lead-based paint, you may be eligible to have it tested and remediated for free. Call our community organizer at (619) 474-0220 ext. 141 for more information.