NRDC: Los Angeles Endorses New Blueprint for Making City a National Leader in Transportation
NRDC: Los Angeles Endorses New Blueprint for Making City a National Leader in Transportation
Plan Would Cut Pollution and Increase Access to More Transportation Options in Age of Ridesharing and Autonomous Vehicles
LOS ANGELES (April 12, 2018) – A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, endorsed by the City of Los Angeles, offers cutting-edge recommendations for tackling the city’s notorious transportation challenges, as technology in the form of rides-on-demand and autonomous vehicles revolutionizes how people move around in cities. The recommendations in the report could be replicated in cities around the country.
“Shared mobility has certainly made its mark in cities — sometimes for the better, but not always,” said Amanda Eaken, Director of Transportation and Climate with NRDC’s Healthy People and Thriving Communities program. “This policy framework is designed to put the city on a path to cleaner air and better access to transportation for Angelenos of all income levels—setting a model for cities nationwide to follow.”
Los Angeles is already on its way: It now ranks third in the nation for daily public transportation ridership and stands as a national leader on car-sharing, bike-sharing, and environmental sustainability. These recommendations can help the city build on the progress it has made and cement its role as a national leader in sustainable urban transportation.
“The decisions we make today will determine what kind of neighborhoods our kids will live in tomorrow,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin, who chairs the Council’s Transportation Committee and serves on the Metro Board of Directors. “Creating a future where everyone has access to safe and convenient mobility options — and where innovations like shared mobility can make it easier to live in LA without owning a car — requires good information and thoughtful consideration of the work that must be done. Thankfully, this report offers the information we need and makes recommendations for how we can approach the work ahead, and I am grateful to the teams at NRDC and LADOT for their hard work.”
Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said, “Los Angeles stands to reap the most benefits or possibly suffer the greatest negative effects of the arrival of disruptive transportation technologies and new business models that rest on the acceleration of shared mobility. This Action Plan will guide LADOT towards ensuring that these services work for all Angelenos, and provide sustainable and equitable mobility.”
Los Angeles Shared-Mobility Climate and Equity Action Plan presents a first-of-its-kind policy framework for how shared mobility—such as bike- and ridesharing services—can better help cities cut climate pollution and increase access to transportation in communities that are historically underserved. The recommendations draw on the most recent research on the impacts of shared mobility, as well as best practices from around the world, and offer a role for city government in shaping this emerging mobility marketplace.
The report takes into account the effects of ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft on congestion and the environment, the need for more infrastructure for electric cars and buses, the rapid development of autonomous vehicles, and embedded transportation structures that have neglected low-income communities.
Its recommendations include:
· Creating incentives for the use of electric vehicles in ridesharing and other shared mobility options
· Piloting a congestion pricing zone in the city to manage flow in high-traffic areas and create a sustainable funding source for low-carbon mobility choices
· Creating a single routing, booking, and payment platform to enable access to all mobility options
· Developing specifications for gathering data from mobility providers
· Creating an equity advisory committee on transportation to provide greater input into city decision-making,
· Reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements in the city zoning code
Additional information:
Action Plan: https://www.nrdc.org/resources/angeles-shared-mobility-climate-and-equity-action-plan
Medium: LA is Flipping the Script on Commuting: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/carter-rubin/flipping-script-commuting
NRDC Instagram story on shared mobility action plan: https://www.instagram.com/stories/nrdc_org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/984433705237336071
Press Release: https://www.nrdc.org/media/2018/180412
