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Bike Advocates, Environmentalists File Legal Challenge to Region's 2040 Transportation Plan
THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A STATEMENT FROM THE PSRC
Bike advocates and lefty enviros joined forces this afternoon against the Puget Sound Regional Council. The Cascade Bicycle Club, Futurewise, and the Sierra Club filed a legal challenge with the King County Superior Court against the PSRC's adoption of Transportation 2040 on the grounds that the plan does not meet state environmental laws. If the challenge succeeds, the PSRC will have to remand T2040 in order to comply with state laws.
The PSRC is a regional transportation planning and policy organization. T2040 is the 30-year plan for the Puget Sound region's highway, road, rail, bicycling, and walking infrastructure growth. The final draft was adopted by PSRC in late May. As Publicola reported, T2040 is highway-heavy with almost 1000 miles of expanded highways planned.
Cascade, Futurewise, and Sierra Club contend that T2040 has too many provisions for cars and too few provisions for mass transit and alternative transportation like bikes and walking. As such, they say it will not meet Washington State greenhouse gas greenhouse gas reduction laws, which require a reduction of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 25 percent reduction of 1990 levels by 2035 and a 50 percent reduction of 1990 levels by 2050.
“Failing to meet the state’s standard means that it will be more difficult and expensive for both the state and the
region to address the problems of global warming in the coming years,” added Tim Trohimovich, Futurewise director of planning and law.
Because T2040 was adopted, 2020 would be the next chance to revise the long-range plan, which the group says is too long to wait.
"This plan doesn't foster transportation choices for people," said David Hiller, Cascade advocacy director. "We can't wait another 10 years to revisit the issue."
Despite the legal challenge and stated concerns, the group acknowledges that T2040 is still the most progressive transportation plan in the country.
"It’s arguably the most comprehensive assessment of climate and transportation in an adopted plan in the United States. But it doesn’t get us to where state law says we’ve got to go – and that’s a problem,” said Chuck Ayers, Cascade executive director.
UPDATE:
Rick Olson, PSRC communication director, refutes the claim that it will be 10 years before the next revisions to the plan. According to him, federal law mandates revisions every four years, and state law requires revisions every two.
"We’re really proud of the Transportation 2040 plan and we’re confident it will stand up to any challenges," said Olson. "The plan offers a balanced, sensible and realistic approach to meeting our region’s transportation needs. It is one of the most proactive and progressive in the nation in the area of climate change."
Bike advocates and lefty enviros joined forces this afternoon against the Puget Sound Regional Council. The Cascade Bicycle Club, Futurewise, and the Sierra Club filed a legal challenge with the King County Superior Court against the PSRC's adoption of Transportation 2040 on the grounds that the plan does not meet state environmental laws. If the challenge succeeds, the PSRC will have to remand T2040 in order to comply with state laws.
The PSRC is a regional transportation planning and policy organization. T2040 is the 30-year plan for the Puget Sound region's highway, road, rail, bicycling, and walking infrastructure growth. The final draft was adopted by PSRC in late May. As Publicola reported, T2040 is highway-heavy with almost 1000 miles of expanded highways planned.
Cascade, Futurewise, and Sierra Club contend that T2040 has too many provisions for cars and too few provisions for mass transit and alternative transportation like bikes and walking. As such, they say it will not meet Washington State greenhouse gas greenhouse gas reduction laws, which require a reduction of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 25 percent reduction of 1990 levels by 2035 and a 50 percent reduction of 1990 levels by 2050.
“Failing to meet the state’s standard means that it will be more difficult and expensive for both the state and the
region to address the problems of global warming in the coming years,” added Tim Trohimovich, Futurewise director of planning and law.
Because T2040 was adopted, 2020 would be the next chance to revise the long-range plan, which the group says is too long to wait.
"This plan doesn't foster transportation choices for people," said David Hiller, Cascade advocacy director. "We can't wait another 10 years to revisit the issue."
Despite the legal challenge and stated concerns, the group acknowledges that T2040 is still the most progressive transportation plan in the country.
"It’s arguably the most comprehensive assessment of climate and transportation in an adopted plan in the United States. But it doesn’t get us to where state law says we’ve got to go – and that’s a problem,” said Chuck Ayers, Cascade executive director.
UPDATE:
Rick Olson, PSRC communication director, refutes the claim that it will be 10 years before the next revisions to the plan. According to him, federal law mandates revisions every four years, and state law requires revisions every two.
"We’re really proud of the Transportation 2040 plan and we’re confident it will stand up to any challenges," said Olson. "The plan offers a balanced, sensible and realistic approach to meeting our region’s transportation needs. It is one of the most proactive and progressive in the nation in the area of climate change."
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