Letter-Action to stop freeway expansion
Alessa Johns
Dear St Martin's Green list members,
The Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice, to which St. Martin's belongs, asks you to submit a letter to the Davis City Council (citycounc...@cityofdavis.org) urging them to vote against the destructive I-80 expansion. The message is from Lynne Nittler, Chair of the Interfaith Alliance.
"Alan Hirsch, a very active Davis citizen and member of Bet Haverim, has been working to minimize the expansion of the I-80 freeway which splits Davis. He encourages folks to send in letters if they share this concern about the increased traffic the highway will generate…as well as the increased emissions we will breathe in Davis. There are better solutions if we change how people commute to work in Sacramento.
You may contact Alan Hirsch: Al...@yolomobility.org and signer Roy Kaplan (kap...@aol.com) if you have more questions.
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Tips for letter writing: Please state at the beginning of your own letter something like, “I am part of the Church of St Martin community [or other group] but I am speaking for myself."
Then you can continue….
I support the following well-reasoned letter from Congregation Bet Haverim expressing these five points about the $460 million I-80 widening project. [Or write your own letter!]
1. “Research conclusively shows that freeway widening, like what is proposed for I-80, will not fix congestion for long.”
2. “The I-80 widening project will move us in the wrong direction in addressing climate change." More cars driving on the freeway will not improve the air quality.
3. “Adding freeway capacity puts pressure on Davis’s housing availability.
4. “The Caltrans climate mitigation plan relies on the unfair assumption that the poor and working class will use free bus passes to take transit so others can drive.
5. “The toll lanes continue to increase social inequity by allowing the richest among us to opt out of changes needed to address climate change.
6. You may have reasons of your own to oppose the widening of I-80. It is not a done deal yet.
I hope City council votes on March 5th to support the Davis climate plan and reject this project.