High-Speed Rail: The Right Track for Our Future
In
December, the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted on a final
route for the high-speed rail line, connhigh-speedecting the Central Valley to
San Jose and the Peninsula up to San Francisco. After years of
planning, in November 2008 California voters will have the opportunity
to vote for a bond measure to start laying the tracks and get the train
in motion.
Overview
California has a
choice to make. On the one hand, we could hope that by spending billions each
year on roads and highways, we will meet our transportation needs. But
California’s
dependence on cars comes with high costs for our health and quality of life.
Commuters in California’s biggest cities spend an
additional 60-70 hours behind the wheel each year due to traffic congestion.
What’s more, forty-one percent of California’s global warming pollution comes
from cars. Even as we develop cleaner fuels, current projections for growing car
and airline travel will make it difficult to meet our state’s commitments to
reducing global warming pollution.
A better solution is on the table. High-speed rail will allow Californians to travel from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in two and a
half hours, without the hassle of the airport. High-speed rail is predicted to
take up to 92 million drivers off the road annually and attract 18 million
travelers who would otherwise fly. In doing so, high-speed rail would eliminate
the need for construction of 2,970 additional highway miles and 91 airport
gates.
In fact, although the price tag of $40 billion to build the
entire route may seem daunting, developing high-speed rail will be less than
half the cost of the road and airport expansions we’ll need without it. For
example, just meeting interstate requirements for Highway 99 in the Central Valley and widening it to eight lanes would cost
between $20 billion and $25 billion.
For too long, California’s leaders have
let roads take precedence over other transportation options that could help meet
our travel needs with lower costs and less pollution. Working closely with other high-speed rail supporters, from business leaders to environmentalists, CALPIRG
is helping create the momentum needed to secure funding and start laying the
tracks.
