Transportation Access in the East San Gabriel Valley
Access to cost effective, time efficient and
environmentally conscious transportation is a pressing issue affecting people
around the world. In 2017, INRIX
Global Traffic Scorecard reported that traffic congestion has been
increasing year over year around the globe. INRIX also found
that the Los Angeles metro area had the worst traffic congestion in the world
for the sixth year in a row, with drivers spending an average of 102 hours in
traffic over the course of the year. Los Angeles’ traffic congestion is
environmentally harmful and poses significant threats to the quality of life for Angelenos. The severity of
traffic congestion in Los Angeles makes residents susceptible to poor air
quality and reduced access to employment outside of the area surrounding their
neighborhoods.
Over the past decade, L.A. County voters have
passed a number of historic tax increases to expand the public transit system,
including Measure R in 2008 and Measure M in 2016 that expanded both bus and
rail lines around the County. Despite
these recent investments to expand public transit and improve traffic
conditions, public transit ridership in Los Angeles County has
declined over the past five years, with just 7% of riders using
public transit to get to work according to 2016 5-year American Community Survey estimates.
The recent expansions have done little to
improve traffic flow in the East San Gabriel Valley where public transit use is
just 3% - less than half of the county average. The East San Gabriel Valley is
located directly to the east of Downtown Los Angeles on the eastern edge of the
County. Traffic in the area is especially congested as morning and evening
commuters from three separate counties, including Los Angeles, Riverside and
San Bernardino, travel through the region daily to get in and out of the Los Angeles. East San Gabriel Valley’s
limited public transit system, coupled with excessive traffic congestion in the
area, make residents particularly vulnerable to the consequences of inadequate
transportation options.
The East San Gabriel Valley
The East San Gabriel Valley includes the
twenty-four NDSC neighborhoods shown on the map below. The East San Gabriel
Valley is home to 918,250 of Los Angeles County residents; about 10% of Los
Angeles County’s total population according to the 2016 5-year American
Community Survey. Commuters in the East San Gabriel Valley rely primarily on
the interstate and state highways, with 77% of commuters in the area driving
alone to work. The San Gabriel Valley is serviced by the Metrolink Commuter
Rail as well as regional and local bus lines. With the passage of Los Angeles County
Measure M, the San Gabriel Valley Subregion Plan aimed to
improve high traffic lanes and support commute travel by expanding rail transit
and enhancing bus routes. Still, traffic in the East San Gabriel Valley is
getting worse as morning and evening commuters travel through the Valley on the
five major interstate and state highways passing through the area. According to
the CalEnviroScreen 3.0 report, East San Gabriel Valley census tracts that have
interstates running through them have some of the highest traffic density in
the state.
Hover
over a neighborhood on the map below to see its median household income, PM2.5
concentration, and public transit usage.
Environmental & Health Impacts
According to the CalEnviroScreen, excessive traffic is
associated with more noise pollution and higher vehicle-related injuries in
neighborhoods as interstate motorists often cut through residential streets to
avoid interstate traffic. Traffic is also one of the main sources of air
pollution, and areas with high traffic density tend to have lower air quality.
One way to measure air quality is the concentration of fine particulate matter
(PM2.5) in the air. PM2.5 refers to tiny particles in the air that are 2.5
micrometers or less in diameter, allowing them to penetrate the lungs. Because
PM2.5 can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, it can cause many adverse health
effects including lung and heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
estimated that for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3)
increase in fine particulate air pollution, there is an associated 4%, 6% and
8% increased risk of all-cause, cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality,
respectively. The average PM2.5 concentration in the East San Gabriel Valley is
11.58 μg/m3 – ranking it in the worst 65% in the State. The East
San Gabriel Valley’s average PM2.5 concentration is just below the EPA standard
of 12 μg/m3 as
the threshold for healthy air, demonstrating the importance of taking action to
improve environmental conditions in the area.
Planning in Unincorporated Areas
While the environmental and health effects of
traffic density impact all residents of Los Angeles County, responses to the
problem can differ across communities based on their local governance
structure. For example, the City of Los Angeles has a department dedicated to
transportation in the city and recently released the Mobility Plan 2035 to improve transportation
systems for Los Angeles City residents in addition to the work already being
done by the County through Measure M. The unincorporated areas throughout the County are
represented through their County Supervisorial Districts with dedicated field
office staff focused on transportation. In 2015, the County developed a General
Plan that provides a framework of growth over the next 20 years for
the unincorporated communities throughout the County. One of the primary
challenges in servicing unincorporated communities is the fragmentation of the
communities as compared to single municipalities, which can present challenges
in getting public input about new ideas and projects.
There are 21 unincorporated communities that
make up 25% of the East San Gabriel Valley region and fall into County
Supervisorial Districts 1, 4 and 5. In order to address policy issues in these
unincorporated areas, such as increasing traffic congestion, shortage of
developable land, and environmental concerns, the County Department of Regional
Planning has set forth an East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan (at the
recommendation of the 2015 General Plan) meant to address planning and land use
issues in these areas.
Opportunity Area: Avocado Heights
The 2015 General Plan identified the
unincorporated community of Avocado Heights as an area of opportunity for
further study in its land use. According to the Department of Regional
Planning, the area is made up of primarily single-family
residences and also contains a large industrial presence. Avocado Heights has a
population of around 10,000 people, with a Hispanic population of 84% as of the
latest American Community Survey 5-year estimates. The effects of inaccessible
transportation are particularly pronounced in the neighborhood: less than 1% of
the population uses public transit and the PM2.5 concentration in the
neighborhood is 12.05 μg/m3 – ranking in the worst 80th percent in the
state and below the threshold for healthy air.
Through the East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan,
the County will further study how Avocado Heights is using its land and make
potential recommendations for changes that will improve the quality of life for
residents. Such recommendations could include transforming some industrial land
into commercial use and improving local transportation infrastructure to help
mitigate the effects of high traffic density and pollution burden in the area.
The plan is in its early stages, and you can check for more updates about the
results of initial analysis and planned
changes here.
Los Angeles County faces some of the toughest
challenges around traffic and transportation in the world. In addition to having the worst traffic congestion of any metro area, there are many communities throughout the County like Avocado Heights that don't meet EPA standards for safe air quality. The East San Gabriel Area plan, one of many area plans adopted through the 2015 General Plan, provides an
example of how the County is working to address these challenges through smart
land use and transportation planning. However, creating a smart transportation system for Los Angeles County that improves both the roads and the environment will require the work of both the public and private sectors as well as concerned citizens and commuters. Visit the NDSC map to find out whether or not your neighborhood currently meets the EPA standards for healthy air and see whether or not the County has adopted an area plan near your community here.
Sources
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. CalEnviroscreen 3.0 Report. 2017.
Frederico, Felicia et. al., Sustainable LA Environment Report Card. UCLA, 2017.
INRIX. Global Traffic Scorecard. 2017
Pop, CA et. al., Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002.