Environmental Health Coalition proposes designated truck route in Barrio Logan to protect public health
April 13, 2018, SAN DIEGO, CA -- Yesterday afternoon, City of San Diego Environment Committee, chaired by City Councilmember David Alvarez, unanimously voted to move the Barrio Logan Clean Air Safe Streets Ordinance to city staff for evaluation before its appearance at City Council.
The ordinance, presented by the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), proposes heavy-duty trucks use Harbor Drive as the designated route for passing through Barrio Logan and accessing the freeway. EHC, an organization fighting for social and environmental justice in the region’s low-income communities of color for more than 38 years, was joined by the Port of San Diego in celebrating yesterday’s decision as one step closer to making Barrio Logan a healthy and safe place for all people to live, work and play.
“With the current redevelopment and reoptimization of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, it’s especially important to the Port to be a good neighbor to the Barrio Logan community,” said Rafael Castellanos, chairman of the Port of San Diego. “We support the designated truck route -- it’s straightforward and common sense.”
According to EHC, the Barrio Logan Clean Air and Safe Streets Ordinance will improve quality of life in the neighborhood by routing diesel truck routes away from schools, senior living centers and other residential zones. In addition to designating a daily route, the ordinance urges the City of San Diego to enforce penalties when violations of the route occur.
To develop the ordinance, EHC worked closely with residents to record more than 20 hours of air quality data and truck activity along Boston Avenue between 28th and 32nd Street -- the only area zoned as exclusively residential in Barrio Logan. Within a two-hour period, community members recorded up to 59 industrial trucks on the residential street -- a number that they say demands swift action from City Council before the end of the year. Residents from the neighborhood attended the hearing to support the proposed ordinance yesterday as well.
For more information on EHC and its efforts to reduce pollution and bring justice to Barrio Logan, please visit www.environmentalhealth.org.
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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COALITION: Founded in 1980, Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) builds grassroots campaigns to confront the unjust consequences of toxic pollution, discriminatory land use and unsustainable energy policies. Visit online at http://www.environmentalhealth.org.