Editor,
I am confused and irritated with the recent Daily Journal articles about the Metropolitan Transportation Commission considering additional penalties for driving on our already-funded freeways and the surrounding cities that are going about their merry ways encouraging and authorizing large commercial and residential developments.
Are there any overriding authorities to scrutinize the decisions made by individual municipalities to review the relevant environmental impact studies that seem to focus only on local plans? The MTC, of which I am not a fan, seems to be in a reactive mode and will just penalize those who have no choice but to use the roads.
Yet, cities including Millbrae, San Mateo, San Carlos and Redwood City proudly announce new massive developments with resulting high-tech workers but omit to consider adequate housing or feasible transportation for these workers. Is anyone in our bloated, distributed government structure connecting the dots?
Where is the Association of Bay Area Governments? Our critical housing shortage is caused by well-paid biotech and high-tech employees, thereby driving out folks in the service segment. The latter are conveniently brandished as underrepresented and, if lucky, are mollified with promises of affordable housing. From my perspective as a 40-year plus San Mateo County resident, our respective and collective governance is either callous or totally ignorant. They waste their time on political diversion such as reach codes, sea-level rise, climate change and equity but are unable or unwilling to address the real issues and carefully avoid third-rail problems that face us.
Dirk van Ulden
Belmont
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(2) comments
Good morning, Dirk
Thanks for your LTE. Additional traffic fees? No problem. A 3.3 million square foot office/life science development proposal for Redwood City includes thousands of new parking spaces. Most of those workers on such a campus will be able to afford new tolls. Remember, the parking is "free."
You make a good point about the "folks in the service segment"... it's not likely they will be able to afford housing close to the projects in the cities you mentioned, and with low wages being paid for their services, it will be increasingly difficult for those workers to keep up with new traffic tolls and fees.
Well written, Mr. van Ulden. The sad fact is that their “political diversion” as you’ve described only works to increase the costs associated with housing, while doing little, if anything to affect global warming or emissions. Bay Area, you get the government you voted for.
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