August 4, 2008
Causing a Rift in Santa Monica Traffic
There's a local initiative facing Santa Monicans this November regarding development in the name of traffic. The Residents' Initiative to Fight Traffic's (RIFT) ballot measure would amend the land use element of Santa Monica's general plan "to establish an annual limit on commercial development" within the city until 2023. The working theory is that traffic can't increase much if new jobs aren't made available in new developments. These days, SaMo traffic is pretty gridlocked and it's hard to imagine it getting worse. Opponents say that growth is inevitable, future planning must be smart and that if passed, it will damage the city for years to come.



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As a resident of Santa Monica I feel this proposal is far from being a real solution, and measures already in the pending LUCE reforms, should they ever pass, are the kinds of things we really need to move people in this city. I also find the marketing for this proposal quite insidious, sending petitioners with fliers to places like the eco friendly co-op market, and telling people if you sign this, we can solve traffic in Santa Monica.
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Um, how about a real transit system?
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No wonder they call it People's Republic of Santa Monica. Karl Marx would really applaud this solution. Let's not stop here, let's put limits on water, gas, and food consumption. The less we consume, the more commercial traffic decreases. Pseudo-intellectual idiots and/or thieves are controlling our lives and they think they have a right to do so.