Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
APRIL 21, 2022
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS HAHN, SOLIS, MITCHELL, DUTRA, BONIN, AND KREKORIAN
Creating a Metro Tree Policy Motion
In FY22, Metro will spend more than $3 billion on infrastructure projects throughout LA County, including transit, highway, and street projects. Measure M alone provides more than $60 billion over the next 35 years toward capital improvements, many of which will directly impact local streets and highways.
As Metro continues to focus its efforts on increasing ridership and addressing issues of equity, the role that tree canopies play in both carbon capture and the experiences of riders traveling by foot or bike to transit stations is a critical component in the success of Metro's capital projects and transit services.
Many of LA's lower-income communities are burdened with worse urban heat island effects, poorer air quality, fewer trees, and a lack of green spaces. This directly affects riders' ability to access and ride transit in comfort. Many of these same affected communities are also areas with higher transit ridership, meaning that people more likely to rely on the bus or train as their primary means of transport are also disproportionately in hotter locations with poorer air quality. With climate resiliency as one of the top four priority pillars of the Biden Administration's "Justice40 Initiative," we have an opportunity to further demonstrate Metro's commitments to both equity and climate action with a tree policy.
As an agency heavily-invested in our region's infrastructure, Metro has a role to ensure that its capital projects do not undermine the existing urban tree canopy. And with its commitment to equity, Metro has a role to increase what urban tree canopy exists in service to transit riders across LA County.
Subject
SUBJECT: CREATING A METRO TREE POLICY MOTION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Hahn, Solis, Mitchel...
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