By Micheal Saint
After attending city council meetings and an open house on the subject of a five-story parking garage on top of a library, my angst is that there are no references to meeting the state’s climate change mandates of AB 32 and SB 32. In Santa Cruz County and City we have our own goals for green house gas emissions (GHG) and vehicle miles traveled (VMT); as of yet these mandates are not used as a guideline for projects and planning. Instead, these mandates are being ignored or watered down by loopholes that allow continued harm to the environment.
The best way to meet these goals is the adoption of incentives for employees to switch from solo driving commutes. In 2015 three urban planning consultants met with the City Planning Commission and recommended that these incentives be implemented before considering new garage construction. Santa Cruz Metro has offered the City a plan for free bus passes to downtown employees, paid for by parking revenue. Bus passes and other incentives would save millions of dollars versus building the garage.
California and our county have taken the first steps in creating mandates to protect our environmental future. Now is the time to use these mandates for policy and behavioral changes that support generations to come. GHG and VMT targets are not just a technical exercise. They are guides to a healthier, more sustainable future.
It is crucial that we implement these goals locally to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
Failure to do so is not an option.
Micheal Saint lives in Aptos and is a member of the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation.