Global Warming News

New Mexico’s transportation and land use decisions are contributing to global warming, health problems and poor air quality. At the same time that fuel economy has stagnated since the 1970s, New Mexicans are driving more than ever before. New Mexico ranks 6th in the nation for vehicle miles traveled per drive—about 18,500 miles per driver per year.

As a result, the transportation sector is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the state—and the fastest growing new source of emissions.

Cars, trucks and SUVs are also emit benzene, formaldehyde, and other air toxics, which are linked to leukemia, central nervous system depression, COPD, asthma, reproductive defects and cancer. Nationally, cars, trucks and SUVs are also a major contributor to smog, responsible for nearly one-half of all NOx and VOC emissions. Children directly exposed to traffic pollution can develop severe respiratory problems. Researchers in California found that children living closer to a highway are more likely to have asthma, more likely to wheeze and more likely to use asthma medication.

There are also other heath effects associated with our land use decisions. People in living in more sprawling communities walk less, are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, and are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), a measured used to determine if people are overweight.

Unfortunately, we drive so much because we have given ourselves little alternative. For 60 years we have built homes ever farther from workplaces, created schools that are inaccessible except by motor vehicle, and isolated other destinations—such as shopping—from work and home.  From World War II until very recently, nearly all new development has been planned and built on the assumption that people will use cars virtually every time they travel. As a larger and larger share of our built environment has become automobile-oriented, car trips and distances have increased as walking and public transit use have declined.

Luckily, we have a chance to help change this right here in Albuquerque.

The Albuquerque Planning Department will present the Great Streets Facilities Draft Plan to the Environmental Planning Commission, located at 600 2nd St NW, on Thursday May 8.

The Great Streets plan provides specific design recommendations to make streets more walkable, bikeable and pubic transportation accessible.  The report discusses what it means to be a “Great Street,” the benefits of Great Streets, the principles of creating Great Streets, and design standards and guidelines.

The Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) is an appointed, 9-member board with authority on many land use and planning issues. The EPC, in its advisory role to the City Council, reviews and provides recommendations on to the Council on land use, zoning and planning.  

Public testimony is invited, and the commission will provide a recommendation to the City Council.

Following passage, streets will be selected, public funds secured, and street segments will be designed and reconstructed to help create Great Streets. Transit corridors will also need to be constructed to link these Great Streets and make them accessible.

Please attend the May 8 meeting and let the Environmental Planning Commission know that you want walkable, transit-friendly communities.

For more information: contact Manjeet Tangri at mtangri@cabq.gov or 924-3886.