CAWM - Quality of Life

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Widening 101 Will Not Improve Your Quality of Life!
by Laura Hall - July 22, 1998

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." This quote, attributed to Abraham Lincoln, hung for years on the walls of my childhood home. And it finally has stirred me into action, even at the risk of being considered impolite company at future business and social gatherings.

I just have to come out and say it. I know that many in the local business and environmental communities may not appreciate my perspective. After so many years of struggle, they appear to finally be on the same page on this delicate issue. I am also aware of the taxpayers’ money spent on traffic and land use consultants and the amount of time local residents have devoted to this project. And I know that a train and a bike trail system come with the deal. And HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes. And I’ve been afraid to sound unbalanced.

But I can be silent on the issue no longer. WIDENING 101 WILL NOT IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SONOMA COUNTY RESIDENTS. There. I’ve said it.

Now, I know that all of us want to believe that our hours stuck in exhaust-filled traffic on 101 will come to an end with the addition of one more lane of asphalt. Of course we do. I want to believe it. But think about it. Do you know of any place on the planet where traffic was improved by adding more freeway lanes? Los Angeles, San Jose, the East Bay? Hasn’t adding traffic lanes meant only more lanes of congested traffic rather than less congestion? Even Caltrans has admitted that adding 11 lanes to Hwy. 880 between Fremont and San Jose would not alleviate the congestion there! Newly built Hwy. 85 in the heart of Silicon Valley became congested almost as soon as it opened.

Road widening has never decreased traffic congestion for more than a very brief period of time. The Spring 1998 issue of American Farmland cited a U.S. study done last year that was published in the Transportation Research journal (Vol. 31A, No. 3, 1997, pp. 205-218), titled, "Road Supply and Traffic in California Urban Areas." It was determined that every 10 percent increase in road capacity was followed by a 9 percent increase in traffic volume within a five-year period. And it will take at least 5 years to complete the widening of 101! (Can you imagine your quality of life during those five years?)

I recently visited Toronto, considered one of the most livable cities in the world. One of the reasons it is so beloved is that every major road widening project proposed by traffic engineers in the last 2 decades has been stopped by citizen protest. Because of that, neighborhoods were left intact and the city isn’t bisected by increasingly large freeways and expressways.

Some environmentalists who have never supported major road projects in this County will support widening 101 because HOV lanes are included in the plan. On the surface at least, this does sound environmentally correct. However, even HOV lanes, supported for the last decade by those who predicted fewer vehicles and less pollution, are now coming under increased scrutiny. A recent New York Times article (10/21/97) titled "Governor Kills Plan for Car Pool Lane, Seeing More Harm Than Good," stated that HOV lanes typically do not work. "Various studies have shown that for every car or commuter lured into the reserved lanes, another car or truck fills the vacancy, causing traffic to grow not lessen."

Others in the environmental community support the plan because of its inclusion of rail and bike systems in it. But are those good enough reasons? But they come at a huge environmental cost. Why not keep working for a sophisticated high-speed rail system and a comprehensive bicycle plan that don’t compromise our quality of life in the process?

Speaking of quality of life….. The amount of gravel needed for the construction of new freeway lanes is in the millions of cubic yards. With two new enormous, local gravel dredging permits currently before the Board of Supervisors, it is likely that much of this gravel will be dredged from our precious Russian River. According to the 1997 report of the American Rivers Association in Washington DC, the Russian River is one of "the most threatened major rivers on the North American continent." Its Middle Reach aquifer, from which this gravel would be extracted, is an 11,000-year-old natural filtering system, serving water to half a million people in Sonoma and Marin counties. The river now filters this water for us for free. But if we lose this aquifer to gravel mining, according to UC Professor Robert Curry, we could end up paying over 300 million dollars for a manmade water treatment plant. This environmental tragedy has happened up and down the State wherever rivers are dredged to provide gravel for freeway construction.

And then there’s the sales tax issue. The Sonoma County Taxpayers Association has already opposed this ludicrous means of funding a transportation project. For a family of four, this tax amounts to approximately $5,000 over the 20-year period, not including interest. A user’s tax would be a more appropriate funding mechanism.

Hmmm….. So what do we do if we don’t widen our freeway? Isn’t traffic unbearable now? Well, yes. But there are a number of things we can do if we use our collection imaginations.

We can start by challenging ourselves to change. As reported in the Final Report of the Sonoma/Marin Multi-Modal Transportation & Land Use Study, "…because of the limited capacity of alternative routes, 101 also serves many shorter distance trips that are not typically expected on highways." In other words, the freeway has become our Main Street through Sonoma County. Commuters are but a small part of the problem. If we could all eliminate even one car trip per day, it would markedly increase our quality of life.

Could we do it? Envision another OPEC oil crisis like the one in 1973 when it was very difficult to get gas. We all began to worry about getting to work, to the babysitter, to the store. We were worried because there were no other options to getting to these places other than driving. What if we started thinking of other options now, before the next crisis?

Many suburban dwellers (including myself) have started to move back to the downtown areas of our cities where they are able to walk to many services. They are tired of spending so much "prime time" in their cars. In these more walkable, traditional neighborhoods, some parents feel comfortable allowing their children to walk to conveniently located schools, eliminating many car trips in the process. High school students can be encouraged to take city buses, both eliminating car trips as well as the duplication of bus services.

But what about those who live in housing subdivisions located miles away from shopping centers and other services? One farsighted approach would be to convert the acres and acres of "entry features" and "landscape buffers" currently held by homeowners associations to uses such as markets and day care centers that people can walk to. Since the land has no debt on it, it could be offered to a small grocer who could then compete with larger markets if the land were provided free of charge by the associations. Tight rules could ensure appropriate hours of operation so that nearby homeowners are not disturbed. And if the main patronage is walkers there would be no need for unsightly parking lots. The grocer could even become an informal "mayor" of the neighborhood, watching over latchkey kids.

What about getting to work though? Flex time and periodic telecommuting can have a dramatically positive impact on traffic congestion, as many cities know. Sharp entrepreneurs could even set up real estate practices that offer comprehensive transportation analyses for buyers seeking housing near their jobs.

And for those of you with the option, why not move closer to friends and family? Nearby babysitters and playmates for children could lessen the time parents spend "chauffeuring" their children around.

I know these suggestions may sound very idealistic and perhaps even unreasonable. But I would bet that if we found ourselves in the middle of an extended oil crisis, many of us would find even more creative ways to get our daily needs met without using a car.

But even if there is no alternative in your neighborhood to driving, widening 101 will not make your life easier - ever. And once we do it, it is done.

I remember a Sierra Club slogan from the sixties, "Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever." In this case we could say, "Once it’s built, it’s built forever." Roads almost never get torn out or narrowed. Even the ancient Roman road - the very first urban road - still cuts through the middle of Rome. Three lanes will never be two again. The only difference will be that we will have three congested lanes rather than two.

Sonoma County built one of the last ever dams to be built in California. Let’s not be the last ones to ignore the historic record and try to build our way out of congestion. I for one want no part of it. And I will be a coward no longer.

Laura Hall, of Fisher & Hall Urban Design, has recently moved to downtown Santa Rosa.

Citizens Against Wasting Millions
P.O. Box 4449 Santa Rosa, CA 95402-4449
(707) 523-2686


	Widening 101 Will Not Improve Your Quality of Life! by Laura Hall - July 22, 1998
	"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." This quote, attributed to Abraham Lincoln, hung for years on the walls of my childhood home. And it finally has stirred me into action, even at the risk of being considered impolite company at future business and social gatherings. I just have to come out and say it. I know that many in the local business and environmental communities may not appreciate my perspective. After so many years of struggle, they appear to finally be on the same page on this delicate issue. I am also aware of the taxpayers’ money spent on traffic and land use consultants and the amount of time local residents have devoted to this project. And I know that a train and a bike trail system come with the deal. And HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes. And I’ve been afraid to sound unbalanced. But I can be silent on the issue no longer. WIDENING 101 WILL NOT IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SONOMA COUNTY RESIDENTS. There. I’ve said it. Now, I know that all of us want to believe that our hours stuck in exhaust-filled traffic on 101 will come to an end with the addition of one more lane of asphalt. Of course we do. I want to believe it. But think about it. Do you know of any place on the planet where traffic was improved by adding more freeway lanes? Los Angeles, San Jose, the East Bay? Hasn’t adding traffic lanes meant only more lanes of congested traffic rather than less congestion? Even Caltrans has admitted that adding 11 lanes to Hwy. 880 between Fremont and San Jose would not alleviate the congestion there! Newly built Hwy. 85 in the heart of Silicon Valley became congested almost as soon as it opened. Road widening has never decreased traffic congestion for more than a very brief period of time. The Spring 1998 issue of American Farmland cited a U.S. study done last year that was published in the Transportation Research journal (Vol. 31A, No. 3, 1997, pp. 205-218), titled, "Road Supply and Traffic in California Urban Areas." It was determined that every 10 percent increase in road capacity was followed by a 9 percent increase in traffic volume within a five-year period. And it will take at least 5 years to complete the widening of 101! (Can you imagine your quality of life during those five years?) I recently visited Toronto, considered one of the most livable cities in the world. One of the reasons it is so beloved is that every major road widening project proposed by traffic engineers in the last 2 decades has been stopped by citizen protest. Because of that, neighborhoods were left intact and the city isn’t bisected by increasingly large freeways and expressways. Some environmentalists who have never supported major road projects in this County will support widening 101 because HOV lanes are included in the plan. On the surface at least, this does sound environmentally correct. However, even HOV lanes, supported for the last decade by those who predicted fewer vehicles and less pollution, are now coming under increased scrutiny. A recent New York Times article (10/21/97) titled "Governor Kills Plan for Car Pool Lane, Seeing More Harm Than Good," stated that HOV lanes typically do not work. "Various studies have shown that for every car or commuter lured into the reserved lanes, another car or truck fills the vacancy, causing traffic to grow not lessen." Others in the environmental community support the plan because of its inclusion of rail and bike systems in it. But are those good enough reasons? But they come at a huge environmental cost. Why not keep working for a sophisticated high-speed rail system and a comprehensive bicycle plan that don’t compromise our quality of life in the process? Speaking of quality of life….. The amount of gravel needed for the construction of new freeway lanes is in the millions of cubic yards. With two new enormous, local gravel dredging permits currently before the Board of Supervisors, it is likely that much of this gravel will be dredged from our precious Russian River. According to the 1997 report of the American Rivers Association in Washington DC, the Russian River is one of "the most threatened major rivers on the North American continent." Its Middle Reach aquifer, from which this gravel would be extracted, is an 11,000-year-old natural filtering system, serving water to half a million people in Sonoma and Marin counties. The river now filters this water for us for free. But if we lose this aquifer to gravel mining, according to UC Professor Robert Curry, we could end up paying over 300 million dollars for a manmade water treatment plant. This environmental tragedy has happened up and down the State wherever rivers are dredged to provide gravel for freeway construction. And then there’s the sales tax issue. The Sonoma County Taxpayers Association has already opposed this ludicrous means of funding a transportation project. For a family of four, this tax amounts to approximately $5,000 over the 20-year period, not including interest. A user’s tax would be a more appropriate funding mechanism. Hmmm….. So what do we do if we don’t widen our freeway? Isn’t traffic unbearable now? Well, yes. But there are a number of things we can do if we use our collection imaginations. We can start by challenging ourselves to change. As reported in the Final Report of the Sonoma/Marin Multi-Modal Transportation & Land Use Study, "…because of the limited capacity of alternative routes, 101 also serves many shorter distance trips that are not typically expected on highways." In other words, the freeway has become our Main Street through Sonoma County. Commuters are but a small part of the problem. If we could all eliminate even one car trip per day, it would markedly increase our quality of life. Could we do it? Envision another OPEC oil crisis like the one in 1973 when it was very difficult to get gas. We all began to worry about getting to work, to the babysitter, to the store. We were worried because there were no other options to getting to these places other than driving. What if we started thinking of other options now, before the next crisis? Many suburban dwellers (including myself) have started to move back to the downtown areas of our cities where they are able to walk to many services. They are tired of spending so much "prime time" in their cars. In these more walkable, traditional neighborhoods, some parents feel comfortable allowing their children to walk to conveniently located schools, eliminating many car trips in the process. High school students can be encouraged to take city buses, both eliminating car trips as well as the duplication of bus services. But what about those who live in housing subdivisions located miles away from shopping centers and other services? One farsighted approach would be to convert the acres and acres of "entry features" and "landscape buffers" currently held by homeowners associations to uses such as markets and day care centers that people can walk to. Since the land has no debt on it, it could be offered to a small grocer who could then compete with larger markets if the land were provided free of charge by the associations. Tight rules could ensure appropriate hours of operation so that nearby homeowners are not disturbed. And if the main patronage is walkers there would be no need for unsightly parking lots. The grocer could even become an informal "mayor" of the neighborhood, watching over latchkey kids. What about getting to work though? Flex time and periodic telecommuting can have a dramatically positive impact on traffic congestion, as many cities know. Sharp entrepreneurs could even set up real estate practices that offer comprehensive transportation analyses for buyers seeking housing near their jobs. And for those of you with the option, why not move closer to friends and family? Nearby babysitters and playmates for children could lessen the time parents spend "chauffeuring" their children around. I know these suggestions may sound very idealistic and perhaps even unreasonable. But I would bet that if we found ourselves in the middle of an extended oil crisis, many of us would find even more creative ways to get our daily needs met without using a car. But even if there is no alternative in your neighborhood to driving, widening 101 will not make your life easier - ever. And once we do it, it is done. I remember a Sierra Club slogan from the sixties, "Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever." In this case we could say, "Once it’s built, it’s built forever." Roads almost never get torn out or narrowed. Even the ancient Roman road - the very first urban road - still cuts through the middle of Rome. Three lanes will never be two again. The only difference will be that we will have three congested lanes rather than two. Sonoma County built one of the last ever dams to be built in California. Let’s not be the last ones to ignore the historic record and try to build our way out of congestion. I for one want no part of it. And I will be a coward no longer. *Laura Hall, of Fisher & Hall Urban Design, has recently moved to downtown Santa Rosa.*