California Air Resources Board

The California Air Resources Board will be among the government agencies hosting a two-day symposium June 6 and 7 in Southern California dedicated to discussing methods of reducing private automobile use to improve air quality. 

The symposium, to be held at the Burbank Airport Hilton Hotel, will enable transportation planners to discuss successful--and unsuccessful--programs that have been used by cities, counties and private corporations to encourage motorists to use alternatives to private automobiles. The transportation systems used to reduce traffic during the Olympics will be among the case studies to be discussed, as will the City of Portland's comprehensive plan of road improvements, parking incentives, and transit system to make mass transportation more attractive to commuters. 

Presentations will include methods of forecasting transportation needs and ways of calculating how transportation measures, such as carpooling programs, bicycle lanes, and other methods of reducing traffic congestion, influence air quality. In addition, the symposium will provide information on the types of transportation changes EPA expects in order to meet air quality standards beyond 1987. 

The symposium is open to all professionals involved in planning transportation systems, including city and county urban planners, transit and air pollution officials, developers, and public works officials. 
Fees for the two days, including lunches and a banquet dinner, are $115 and $55 for one day without meals. 

The symposium will be preceded on June 5 by an afternoon tour and workshop at one of Southern California's most extensive corporate-sponsored transportation systems, Hughes Aircraft Company of El Segundo, which has used a combination of carpooling, vans, and buses to lower commuter traffic among employees. Reservations for the tour are limited to 40 persons, however, and priority will be given to those attending the full two-day symposium. The cost is $15, which includes a box lunch. 

In addition to the Air Resources Board, sponsors of the symposium include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA), Caltrans, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD}, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and the University of California's Institute of Transportation studies. 

Those wishing more information about the agenda or wanting to make reservations to attend should contact Pat Shelton, Air Resources Board, at (916) 322-6076, or at P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, CA 95812.