|
|
|
Freeways are so 20th century — and though they handled our transportation needs fairly well in the 1950s and 1960s, the length of the "rush hour" has only gotten longer as the decades rolled by. Today, most of our freeways, major highways and surface streets in busy districts are near, at or over capacity. That covers most of Southern California.
We can't build our way out of this mess building more and bigger freeways and roads. Each roadway we expand only brings more cars and trucks to another location where there is a new jam up.
Twenty years ago, the ports were only a small percentage of the total demand on our roadways. Now, cargo transportation is the dominant demand on many routes — and is the fastest growing sector making demands of our roadways.
In most ways, rail is superior to trucking. It takes less energy to move goods by train. It's more cost effective. Rail jobs are generally better. Rail is safer. With modernization, rail could offer even more advantages. Rail is easier to make clean, quiet, and carbon neutral. Modernized rail can also help fight container sprawl.
We oppose the expansion or extension of any freeway or major highway for the purpose of increasing the cargo-carrying capacity of our roadways. These increases should be directed toward modernized rail. We oppose special freeways, freeway lanes, on or off ramps or transition roads being built for cargo movement — or to separate cars from trucks. All these changes will simply force more and more highway construction and will encourage more and more sprawl.
In particular, we oppose any expansion of the I-710 (Long Beach) Freeway that is designed to increase its capacity to handle more truck traffic. This work is predicated on the false economics that treats truck drivers as contractors rather than as employees. It further will draw needed funds away from electrifying and modernizing rail — a much wiser alternative.