The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) recently unveiled San Diego Forward: the 2021 Regional Plan to address transportation challenges such as traffic congestion, social equity, and state mandates for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“This vision considers evolving technology to create a safe, adaptable, and equitable transportation network with fast, fair, and clean choices to give every San Diegan and future generations the option to move around the region as they choose,” SANDAG Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata said in a statement.
SANDAG is required to update its Regional Plan every four years. The previous plan, adopted in 2015, met state requirements for greenhouse gas emissions reductions at the time. However, when the state established increased climate mandates for regional planning organizations across California in 2018, the SANDAG Board approved a two-year extension to develop the 2021 Regional Plan.
This extension provided SANDAG time to develop a plan that meets this mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks by 19% per capita by 2035, primarily through strategies that reduce the total miles driven in the region.
The overall investment for the 2021 Regional Plan is about $177 billion over a 30-year period. The plan is fundamentally shaped by five key strategies for mobility, collectively known as the 5 Big Moves, which SANDAG calls “transformative strategies that reimagine how we use our transportation system.”
The 5 Big Moves include:
- Complete Corridors: Smart, connected routes that accommodate all modes of transportation.
- Transit Leap: A complete network of high-capacity, high-speed, and high-frequency transit services that provide alternatives to automobiles.
- Mobility Hubs: Places of connectivity where a variety of travel options come together for a seamless travel experience.
- Flexible Fleets: On-demand, shared mobility services that connect to transit and provide personalized transportation and last mile options.
- Next Operating System (OS): The “brain” of the entire transportation network. A digital platform that uses technology and data to manage systems in real time.
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SOURCE: Southern California Partnership for Jobs
