The city of Santa Cruz’s Transportation and Public Works Commission voted in support of the city’s Climate Action Plan on Monday. The plan is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city 30 percent from 1990s levels by 2020 by encouraging alternative energy use, conservation and—most controversially—reducing car trips by 30 percent over the next 10 years.
The decision could prove unpopular with motorists. Commission members voted to encourage the city to fight the expansion of Highway 1, as well as the addition of new parking spaces through capital improvement projects. All such projects would have to be assessed in terms of how they impact the city’s greenhouse gas reduction goals before they are approved. There is, however, good news for cyclists and pedestrians in the Commission’s recommendations, which called on the city to increase its sidewalks and bike lanes as an alternative to motor vehicle traffic.
At the same meeting, the Commission also voted to recommend a ban on single use plastic bags for the city of Santa Cruz but recommended that the impact of such a ban on small businesses and restaurants be studied before it is imposed. According to the Commission’s proposal, the city would have a year to examine what exceptions should be made for the ban. A proposal to initiate the ban only in large grocery and drug stores was rejected by a vote of 4-3. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel.
