Will Davis Council get serious about Climate & I-80?

Review of policy to “Strongly Support” the widening at Tuesday Meeting

By Alan “Lorax” Hirsch

On Tuesday March 5^th  Davis  Council  Meeting, there will FINALLY be a full discussion of the I-80 policy for the City of Davis. it will likely be in cryptically worded agenda item called Legislative Policy.  

This is follow-up to the January 9^th Council meeting where the city council wrote a highly critical letter about the problems with the environmental analysis for the widening.  And the June 6^th 2023 meeting Caltrans pressured the city council and said “agree to partner with us- tonight–  or you won’t get mitigation money.”

Currently,  Davis City policy is expressed in letter written to federal government and California Transportation Commission to “strongly support” the I-80 freeway widening. This is based on two lines slipped into a 10 page city council’s lobbying policy agenda item three years ago (2/16/21).  The BTSSC (Davis city transportation Commission) has never been consulted on this policy, neither has the council ever before had a in depth discussion targeting support or opposition this $465Mil project. Contining this  policy put obtains the missing $200- $350 mill need to complete construction of the project- and funding it mitigation of its GHG above real transit improvements. 

ACTIONS NEEDED:

If residents  want to speak up on this project, they can do one of these actions:

• Show up council chambers and make a 2-minute comment— (you can make comment in general comment period before 7 pm and still make an election night party)
• Leave Voice msg noon at 4pm on Tuesday 5th. 530-757-5693
• Email: Davis City Council citycouncilmembers@cityofdavis.org

Talking Points:

1. “The freeway will recongest due to induced demand. This is established science as Caltrans itself recognizes. It will not fix cut thru traffic.
2. “It harms Transit Funding: Finding the missing $200-$300million to finish construction will take funds away from ability to get transit improvements grants.
3. “It Negates Davis Climate Plan: That project will add 72M/ton GHG/year —i.e. 15% to Davis GHG carbon footprint. Its like adding 12,000 cars to the road according to Caltrans on DEIR.
4. “Having toll lane just allows the richest to opt out of congestion- and toll will cost $10+ trip peak hour congestion. The other three lanes will recongest and stay that way. (source: YoloTD interview with Autumn  Bernstein on KDRT Davisville 12/25/23).  
5. “DEIR contains no Financial Plan to prove toll revenue will fund more transit beyond 1/3 of GHG/VMT mitigation level. And YoloTD board showed the arguments the toll  lane was about funding better transit was greenwashing: It voted a 60% toll revenue cut that favors Tahoe traffic over Yolo commuters  by allowing families of 3 to ride free in the toll lane- without anyone on the board asking a single question about who pays…and who benefit from this cut. After 25 years of building carpool lanes, Caltrans has no evidence that offering toll discounts encourage more than  2% increase in car-pooling.

EXTRA BONUS: Sign the petition against the widening.