Marin Independent Journal Publishes TRANSDEF Opinion Piece

Today’s Marin Independent Journal published  TRANSDEF’s opinion piece explaining how suburban development leads to solo driving, which leads to congestion.

This problem is the result of our governance structure: Suburbanization is a piecemeal process, governed by local government. What’s been missed for the past 80 years is the cumulative effect of many thousands of subdivisions in dozens of jurisdictions on the region’s transportation network. That kind of analysis requires regional governance with the power and will to enforce consequences on development that has negative impacts on the region.

The editorials opposing Regional Measure 3 by the Mountain View Voice and Palo Alto Online point out the impacts of commercial development, when coupled with a failure to simultaneously require housing production, on the transportation network. The problem arises from the jurisdictions approving commercial development having no enforceable responsibility to mitigate the regional impacts of their decisions.

While CEQA has the teeth to require mitigation, it would require enforcement by a regional agency committed to protecting the region. So far, MTC–which is dominated by Commissioners with a local focus–has shown no interest in clashing with local jurisdictions over these issues, despite the obvious ongoing harm to the region.

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