NIMBIES suing against the best interest of this city, fixing traffic

The Daily Journal/Samantha Weigel, 5/13/15.  "Federal lawsuit filed to stop Highway 1 widening project:  Pacificans, environmentalists sue Caltrans, City, Sam Trans."

Sick of environmentalists NIMBIES yet?
After 30+ years of them foiling this City,
... well, we should all be sick of them.   

.... The project site sits between two traffic lights — about 2,300 feet north of Reina Del Mar Avenue to approximately 1,500 feet south of Fassler Avenue. Community and environmental activists filed the suit last week alleging project officials have violated federal laws such as the Clean Water Act; National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA; the Federal Transportation Act; the Endangered Species Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act.

More NIMBY lawsuit "protection" for this City.
Result:  88 additional buses by 2035.

 ....  Local plaintiffs, Pacificans for a Scenic Coast and Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives, were joined by the national group the Center for Biological Diversity in filing the suit against state, county and federal authorities.  Caltrans, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, city of Pacifica, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration are named as defendants in the lawsuit seeking to halt the project.

... Caltrans approved the project and environmental impact report in late 2013 as it sought to alleviate congestion along the main coastal corridor.  According to Caltrans and a 2007 traffic study, nearly 45,800 vehicle trips are taken per day within the project zone and it’s anticipated to increase to 59,300 cars per day by 2035.  ....  According to Caltrans’ project report, it evaluated a variety of other project alternatives. One option outlined increasing public transportation, which would require an additional 88 buses per hour during morning commutes to achieve what widening the highway would.  The agency conducted an environmental impact report under the state’s California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, as well as an environmental assessment that led to finding there would be no significant impact under the National Environmental Policy Act, according to the report.

....  The federal suit is the second time the project has been called into question as the Pacificans groups also filed a September 2013 claim in San Mateo County Superior Court. In that case, the groups alleged Caltrans, SamTrans and the city of Pacifica violated state laws by not accurately describing the project during the CEQA environmental review. In March, a judge issued a preliminary ruling favoring Caltrans and refusing to grant an injunction to prevent the project from proceeding."   Read more.

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Notes:  Article framing disclaimer:  the visual/caption choices are those of the poster, not those of the submitter.   Photograph face pages. Smiley face image  from Bubblews blogging platform.  Buses image  from the Black triangle Campaign/Scotland, to protect disabled people.   

Posted by Kathy Meeh