Santa Monica : Cracking Down on Traffic

The City Council on Tuesday passed a comprehensive traffic management plan aimed at reducing peak-hour traffic in the city by 16%.

Officials said the city is the first in the four-county region served by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to write its own ordinance that goes beyond district requirements.

Besides complying with the district’s goal of 1.5 persons per car in the morning commuting hours, to reduce air pollution, Santa Monica is requiring employers to achieve the same ridership during the evening peak hours to reduce traffic congestion.

Karen Pickett, Santa Monica transportation management coordinator, said hospitals and other businesses will be required to have car pools for their swing shifts, as well as for those who go to work in the morning.

Santa Monica will also require ride-sharing programs for businesses that have 10 to 49 employees, although the air quality district only targets employers with 100 or more workers.

Pickett said about 20,000 people in the city work at businesses that have 10 to 49 employees. An equal number work in places where more than 100 people are employed. Another 9,000 are in a work force of 50 to 99.

Employers who do not develop and carry out a transportation management plan will be subject to a fine of $5 per employee per day. The program is expected to be self-supporting by 1993.