REALITY CHECK
17 million people. 11 million cars. 13,000,000 pounds of pollution per day in 10,000 square miles.
That's OUR South Coast Air District facts and figures brought to you thanks to SCAQMD.
I read these figures on "SCAQMD" paper that wasn't recycled. They frequently do better than that and I suggest they remain consistent. It should be law to only use recycled paper.
So visualize from Santa Clarita through Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties all 17 million people and 11 million cars squished into 10,000 square miles.
I can't.
And an additional 6 million more people are expected to join our ranks by 2030. Broken down if I stuck around, and I won't, in the next 10 years, there'd be close to 3 million more people and another 1.8 million more cars.
Even if everyone drove a hybrid, where are we putting these cars and people?
Why do people care if we lose business at the ports to container fees? We can afford to lose business and people.
We can't afford haphazard growth.
One solution would be if everyone who can does take public transportation.
I grew up taking buses in San Francisco, and in my twenties I took Washington, DC's metro.
It was great not having a car. I didn't buy my first car until I was thirty-five living in Los Angeles.
To find your local bus schedule in the South Coast Basin, check out:
REALITY CHECK
Above photo Los Angeles on smoggy day due to cars and trucks. Same day EPA web site declared we'd had a good air quality day. And I'm twenty-years old.