The Bottleneck Blog reports that yesterday a Superior Court Judge ruled that Metro did not violate any laws when they raised fares last July without first completing an environmental review.  The thrust of the case was that because fare increases cause fewer people to ride transit, the increases will result in greater air pollution as more people turn to the automobile.

California law has a clear exemption from environmental reviews provided that the agency can show that the increased funds are going to operating costs.  However, the NRDC argued that you could see the clear effects of the increase on passengers.  Even while Metro rail experiences record ridership numbers, bus ridership has decreased 5%.

David Petit explains the basics in NRDC’s press release:

“Today’s ruling means more people will be forced to take potentially
more polluting forms of transportation to work, school or church. MTA
should make it easier, not harder, for riders to use public
transportation. When people switch from buses to cars due to higher bus
fares, the result will be dirtier air. There’s no question that the
cost of a bus ride impacts the environment."

There is no word from either the NRDC or the Bus Rider’s Union on whether or not there will be an appeal.

Photo: Damien Newton