Commentary : Key to Quality Life: Cities Hold Power to Ease Traffic, Manage Growth

Every morning in Orange County, hundreds of thousands of motorists head from their hometowns to work, leaving behind tailpipe vapor trails that become smog.

Traveling in every direction--from Fullerton to Irvine, Mission Viejo to Santa Ana and to and from other counties--they pull into the downtowns, industrial parks and shopping malls that are the county economy’s backbone.

Each motorist identifies closely with his hometown but may only scarcely think about those cities along the way. Yet, what happens in the other cities of Orange County and the region affects how individuals live in their hometowns.

This is because the actions that cities take can either alleviate or exacerbate traffic jams and smog, which are regional ills that know no city boundaries. In short, Orange County cities hold much of the power to ease smog and traffic, and residents should urge their local governments to act now, each in its own way.

Air quality in the region is the worst in the nation. And traffic congestion, a major cause of the pollution, will grow steadily worse unless improvements are made.

Fortunately, solutions are at hand, laid out clearly in the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s recently adopted air quality management plan.

AQMD can carry out part of the plan, but its overall success will depend on local elected officials working cooperatively. They don’t need to march in lock step; each city can contribute in its own way.

Clean air is consistent with the values expressed by Orange County residents, with 72% seeing smog as a major problem and the majority supporting cleanup actions. The trick for cities is to respond to this common hue and cry, given their individual circumstances. This is not only appropriate but the way the residents of our remarkably diverse cities want it.

In this context, cities have a broad menu of cleanup actions to choose from. To reduce traffic congestion, cities can adopt local ordinances that go beyond AQMD’s ride-sharing program and require car-pooling incentives, compressed workweeks and telecommuting options for firms with as few as 25 employees. Cities can further help by requiring mitigation of traffic when major new land-use developments are approved through such measures as reduced on-street parking, discouraging employer-subsidized parking and requiring park-and-ride lots and shuttle bus service.

Another key strategy is to reduce truck traffic at rush hour by restricting trucks on surface streets, charging trucks to use those streets at rush hours and requiring shippers and receivers to move shipments during off-peak hours.

In growth management, local governments have a pivotal role. By 2010, the Southland’s population will grow 50% to some 18 million, mostly from births occurring here. That can only worsen present traffic conditions.

Cities need to keep up by working with developers to ensure that housing and other facilities are provided. However, the shape of new development--its mix, location, density and design--can work either for the region’s quality of life or against it.

As the primary land-use authorities under the law, city and county elected officials hold the key to shaping future development. If trends continue, most new housing will be built in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and most new jobs will be in Orange and Los Angeles counties, putting an incredible strain on freeways and adding to smog.

A small change in this forecast can make an immense improvement in congestion. A shift of some job growth from the west to the east and a shift of some new housing growth to the west from the east could alleviate projected congestion and air pollution.

Cities--and cities alone--can make this happen by giving developers incentives and modifying general plans and zoning ordinances. Housing densities could be increased in the west and more land zoned for commercial and industrial development inland.

Local governments also should join together through working groups and intercity agreements to coordinate land-use policies within subregions, such as Northwest Orange County.

The measures that cities and counties must take to clean the region’s air and relieve traffic congestion are neither new nor threatening.

Many of these steps already have been taken, such as in Orange County where car-pool lanes are being built at a rapid clip. But cities must go further and faster and cooperate more to ensure that the region remains livable well into the next century.

Finally, the residents of Orange County cities should participate in these governments closest to the people, to encourage clean-air actions and monitor progress. They should urge their city halls to join the clean air team.