TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Please help enact the regional Transportation and Climate Initiative!
It’s critical.

Please support the TCI. It is a critically important time to protect humans and other plants and animals from the adverse impacts of climate change. Carbon emissions from transportation are among the leading causes of climate change, and a shift to reduce carbon emissions now would be a valuable step.

Consider practical aspects as to each of the program elements and additional elements including:

Safe roads for biking and walking: Delineated bike lanes and sidewalks on one or both sides with traffic calming elements such as trees, traffic circles, etc. – see FHWA Traffic Calming course

More frequent and reliable public transportation: Shuttles on regular routes and schedules between neighborhoods and between neighborhoods and immediate destinations; extended busways and light rail in concert with shuttles to do medium length trips

Greater access to electric vehicles: Charging stations at regular gas stations

More equitable system: Penalties for/ laws to preclude idling such as in Philadelphia; surcharges for passenger car commuting; higher license fees for passenger cars; incentives for small and electric car purchases; incentives/disincentives for trip consolidation and vehicles with single person; remove tolls for electric and multi passenger vehicles and increase tolls for other traffic

Cleaner transportation options for everyone in the region: All electric/natural gas buses and rail; fully developed and connected networks with functional interface between modes.

Additional Elements:

ITS – Intelligent Transportation Systems e.g. smart signals, etc.

In short, the TCI is flawed. As mentioned by many environmental justice advocates and professionals; this and programs like RGGI do not go far enough to ensure that pollution is reduced at sites where exposure is most significant. A policy that exercises the use of the market to determine reductions allows only further loopholes into the process of assuring reductions at large, nonetheless controls over increased pollution in areas needing immediate ceasing of pollution. For these reasons, and with consideration for RGGI having been adopted, I think that we are too far along to reinvent the wheel on mechanisms similar in this policy to an ideal one, so I propose that it be changed drastically to accord with the proponents of this information or not adopted at all: https://climatejusticealliance.org/carbon-pricing-toolkit-vol-2/

The TCI should stipulate a reduction clause and anti credit stockpiling directive to ensure that communities already exposed to multiple forms of pollution, namely Newark, NJ, are enforced substantive and progressive reduction in pollution firstly and uninterrupted, all while the assurance of no overages in pollution limits and renewable energy implementations are inserted in such a locale that faces the most pressing need for intervention.

Let's do the right thing to ensure a cleaner, healthier, safer America for all of us.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide the attached comments.

Regards,

Brett Barry

I want a cap on carbon emissions of at least 99% by 2032 and an an increase in the minimum investment in overburdened and underserved communities (>99%). I request that investments be put towards active transportation like better sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and high quality public transit.