Sierra Club supports transportation policy and systems that:
- minimize the impacts on and use of land, airspace and waterways, minimize the consumption of limited resources, including fuel, and reduce pollutant and noise emissions;
- provide everyone, including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users, with adequate access to jobs, shopping, services and recreation;
- provide adequate and efficient goods movement and substitute local goods for those requiring long distance movement, where feasible;
- encourage land uses that minimize travel requirements;
- strengthen local communities, towns and urban centers, and promote equal opportunity;
- eliminate transportation subsidies which handicap achievement of the above goals; and ensure vigorous and effective public participation in transportation planning.
Mission Statement
To promote the most cost-effective, equitable, least polluting, and least sprawl-inducing transportation system possible. Special attention needs to be given to rectifying the imbalance between the resources devoted to automotive transport, and other modes, specifically, bicycle, pedestrian and mass transit. The Sierra Club's challenge is that woodland, waterway, and grassland should be expanded perhaps sevenfold instead of falling victim to the latest subdivision at the end of the latest infill roadway to accommodate demand from free parking.
Post-Pandemic Transportation
The fast fair and frugal way to reduce green house gases is by making bicycling and walking safe and efficient and pricing pollution. To do that cities should:
- Convert the city’s Bicycle-Pedestrian plan's streets quickly and for low cost to a network of Slow Green Streets.
- Slow streets remove pressure for mobility from sidewalks allowing for tree roots, pollinator habitat and specified creek setbacks. Site e-micromobility options along the network.
- Congestion price parking and driving. Don’t skip this step- Behavior cannot be changed without price signals.
- Give everyone a free ebike.
- Aggressively install the things that are proven to make cities safer and more efficient for everyone: bike lanes, curb extensions, bus lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, and raised intersections.
Sierra Club on Slow Streets
Top issues: Walkable communities, getting off fossil fuels, 15 minute neighborhoods.
Campaigns: Pedestrain and Bicycle Master Plans converted to seperated bike networks, Circulation Elements, Green Streets, Measure RR to fund Caltrain, Broadband As A Public Utility
How to Get Involved
We ask volunteers to get involved with Pedestrian Master Plans, Bicycle Master Plans, Station Area Plans, Circulation Elements etc. We will provide input on how to work with staff and commissions on these plans through our the list serve. There should be no duplication of traditional transit service in any corridor and access priority should start with pedestrians, followed by bikes, modern transit, traditional transit and finally automobiles.
Interested? Contact Gladwyn d'Souza - godsouza@mac.com or the chair.