KTLA News: "Reducing pollution in Los Angeles" (1973)

[Tom Bradley] Well, in my discussion with Mr. Train he indicated that since he has come aboard he...he felt that some of those things were so unreasonable they simply were not achievable and he was pleased to rethink it and to come up with new ideas and I think that's good. They are going to have to go to the Congress to get some relief because that's the law now...and uh... the only way that it can be met is to...is to abide by the one hundred percent reduction in motor vehicle miles traveled. So that it is a part of the document but they recognize that it cannot be achieved without great social and economic dislocation. [Russell Train of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaking by phone or recording] ... Certain urban areas, if we are to meet the law's 1975 deadline, for achieving control measures included to varying degrees and the plans being announced today. [Train] The first is really not a transportation control, as such at all, but a tightening of stationary source controls on hydrocarbons- a type of pollutant primarily caused by autos. [Train] Control of the hydrocarbon vapors from gasoline stations is one example of this. [Train] [Unintelligible] produces less emissions per vehicle the prime...vehicles that now have sing...automobile use station of gasoline uses, so-called gas rationing. [Train] This third category of transportation controls has generated the most debate. [Train] Reductions in downtown parking spaces or increased charges for such parking used in a number of plans to stimulate reductions in auto use in conjunction with increased carpooling and mass transit have raised much public concern in some areas. [Train] Such measures have been misconstrued by some as forcing people not to drive and this is not the case. They simply help to reduce VMT by making the economics of carpooling and mass transit more appealing to the entire population in a given area as compared to individual auto use. [Train] The other major source of concern to EPA and to the Congress as well as the public at large is the possible ultimate need for major limitations on gasoline usage itself. [Train] Achieving reductions in gasoline ... uh...I don't know that I have the exact gallon...uh... figures. Well the... Los Angeles that are outlined on the sheet that you all received and then we can discuss them after all of the statements have been made. We'll skim very quickly through stationary sources. They're essentially requirements that are pretty much in conformity with many of the existing rules and regulations that are currently in force out here in some cases making them slightly more stringent. Mobile sources item two... in this case the catalyst...catalytic retrofit has already been recommended to EPA by the State as part of the State proposal. The vacuum spark advance has already been submitted as a State proposal. The inspection maintenance and motorcycle limitations are two elements that are part and parcel of a...an effort that's been made down here in the basin by the Mayor's task force and we've adopted as much as possible most of the elements of the task force report. Inspection maintenance and motorcycle limitations and in the VMT reduction area the exclusive bus and carpool lane proposal which includes a stage program of converting or developing bus and bus carpool lanes on various freeways stage one has to do with the establishment of lane on the Ventura...to use bus tokens and reimbursement for mass transit as much of an incentive as the provision of... [Bradley] Mr. Russell Train has dramatized for us here by the official and formal promulgation of the transportation plans is something that we already know in this community by virtue of our observation with our eyes and the smarting of those eyes and the restriction of play by our children on our school grounds. We got a bad air pollution problem here and we're going to have to do many things to deal with it. Some of them seem to be rather drastic. But I think that the key to this whole matter is that we here in this community local officials have been involved in a inter-agency effort to try to respond to the problem and to work with the Environmental Protection Agency. I think we've done a pretty good job in that effort and it was our series of recommendations submitted to EPA that resulted in some of the formal statements that were made today. Some of these do create problems and we're going to have to do everything within our power to work within the framework of that which is reasonable and at the same time have some concern for our health here in the community. We believe that the fact that these proposals are so brand new that one of the essential parts of the the attitude in Washington is that even though they have been put in writing and are a part of the Registry we will be able to continue to evaluate and to negotiate on them and I think that's critical because flexibility is going to be key to success. We're pleased that some of the proposals such as the exclusive bus lanes carpooling the use of... of uh... the... mass transit incentives for employees are some of the things that we think are practical and can be implemented rather soon. I know that in our discussions with EPA that they believe that it is possible for it to take a new look at the construction of freeways. The Century Freeway, for example, has been stopped for over a year and I think that we may be looking at the possibility of transferring some of the money that was available for the construction of that freeway to the use of something that is oriented toward mass public transportation. And I'm suggesting that perhaps we ought to look at the idea of of a bus lane on that same corridor instead of a full-scale freeway. We're going to be discussing that with the officials who serve along that route and they can make proposals to the appropriate agencies for consideration of transferring those many millions of dollars to that...uh... purpose. [Unintelligible] [Bradley] Control plans that have been promulgated will require that local agencies adopt certain ordinances to bring about some of these things. The Federal Government's not going to do that but they are requiring that we do it. That will mean that the council is going to have to take some affirmative action in a number of these areas. Parking surcharge is one of them. Some of the other matters that deal with...uh... parking lot management is another. I think that it was clear to us in our inter-agency effort that the parking surcharge was at least a better alternative than some of the things were being proposed. A reduction by 20 percent at one year of the number of parking lots and so forth and some of the other things. So we were looking at the lesser of evils in this case. And we believe that there are some social benefits that will come from a parking surcharge. If, for example, it is 10 cents per hour additional charge, that money will have to be used for transportation needs. Whether it's the purchase or... of buses or other vehicles for public transportation. So, there are some pluses involved in that kind of measure. [Unintelligible] [Bradley] Not only is it prepared, I think, that some of the additional resources that are going to be made available will help us provide additional resources for that purpose. [Unintelligible] [Bradley] He drives to the convention center, and we can get additional peripheral lot to which he can drive and park his car there if he absolutely has to drive that automobile to that spot. [Reporter] Isn't his charge for parking there going to go up 10 cents an hour also? [Unintelligible] [Bradley] Well... there are a number of ways in which this can be done. We're not proposing that there be unreasonable impositions on those who are at least able to pay. And I think we're going to clearly have that in mind as we develop these kinds of alternatives.