NEWPORT BEACH : City to Study More Car-Pool Incentives
In the wake of a state agency’s veto of the city’s smog-reduction package, the City Council will discuss additional incentives at its afternoon study session today.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District requires Newport Beach, like other Orange County cities, to offer city employees incentives to car-pool and use public transportation in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The plan that the city originally submitted to the AQMD included establishing a bicycle loan program, preferential parking for car poolers and on-site transit subsidies.
However, in a letter rejecting the proposed package, AQMD Transportation Program Director Sarah Siwek said that the incentives listed by the city would not be sufficient to reach the goals mandated by state law.
City officials must look into such additional measures as financial incentives for car pooling, alternate work weeks and parking fees for single-occupancy cars, the letter reads. If the city does not modify its plan, it could face fines and criminal penalties.
One possibility that the council will consider is paying employees who car-pool with two or more people an extra $30 a month. Those who car-pool with one other person would receive $15 extra per month.
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