No 710 Tunnel Petition

As a resident of South Pasadena, you are probably aware of the longstanding efforts of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to connect the 710 Freeway to the 210 Freeway via two 4.9-mile tunnels, each 59.5 feet in diameter, passing under South Pasadena and rising to the surface near Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.   The cities of La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, Los Angeles and Sierra Madre all join South Pasadena in formally opposing any connection between these freeways.  These cities are also joined by many neighborhood councils, school districts, environmental groups, chambers of commerce, and other organizations throughout the area.  Their objections are based on the exorbitant cost (>$5 billion), increased traffic (4-fold increase) on the 210, failure of the project to relieve surface street congestion, health risks due to increased pollution and desire for sustainable transportation options that move people rather than cars.

The No 710 Action Committee is a fast-growing association of cities, organizations, professionals and citizens who realize that the SR-710Tunnel is an unacceptable alternative to address regional transportation problems. Our mission is to promote solutions that are environmentally and fiscally sound, reduce pollution, lower health risks, relieve congestion, and eliminate public dependence on fossil fuels. The No 710 Action Committee demands that transportation authorities operate in an honest and transparent manner that is responsive to the concerns and interests of the impacted communities and the public at large.  You can learn more about the No 710Action Committee and the project at www.no710.com.

We have created an online petition at Change.org.   This petition seeks to have the tunnel option removed from the SR-710 North EIR/EIS in favor of better, more fiscally and environmentally responsible solutions.  We hope you and everyone in your household will read and sign the petition, and then recruit your friends, families and neighbors to do the same.  Every time someone signs the petition, a message is sent to the Governor, Caltrans, Metro, the California Transportation Commission, the California State Transportation Agency, and the Southern California Association of Governments.  Our goal is to collect at least 5,000 signatures by the time the draft environmental impact study report is released in the spring of 2014.