Rialto one of 8 jurisdictions to split $2.5 million from SCAG

Rialto’s plans to use Smart Cities technology to mitigate the impact of logistics and warehousing on local traffic and air quality has received a boost from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

The city is one of eight jurisdictions in SoCal to receive funding from SCAG under the Sustainable Communities Program (SCP). SCAG’s Regional Council on Thursday (July 1) approved the awarding of $2.5 million, in total, through the SCP Smart Cities & Mobility Innovations initiative, a major element of which is to support innovative solutions to the mobility and air quality challenges associated with parking, freight and last-mile deliveries, and commerce at the curb.

“Innovative efforts such as those underway in Rialto will go a long way toward improving quality of life in communities across Southern California while also recognizing the growing importance of goods movement and e-commerce on our regional economy,” said Clint Lorimore, President of SCAG and an Eastvale City Councilmember. “We’re proud to support the groundbreaking work that’s occurring at the local level, and look forward to the positive, lasting impact these projects will have.”

The Smart Cities concept uses information and communications technology to manage assets, resources and services efficiently, while addressing challenges and improving the quality of living within a community. To qualify for SCP Smart Cities & Mobility Innovations funding, individual projects needed to address specific program goals, such as creating dynamic, connected, built environments that support multimodal mobility and reduce reliance on single-occupant vehicles; reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality by reducing driving alone, idling or searching for parking; and allocating curb space and other public resources more equitably.

Rialto will develop a Smart Cities Plan specifically focused on the unique local and regional impacts from warehousing and logistics. The plan will outline goals, policies, programs and an implementation plan for regulatory changes and investment in intelligent transportation infrastructure. It will focus on truck routes and nearby residential areas, warehousing hubs and first- and last-mile improvements.

Over the next several months, SCAG staff will work with Rialto and each of the jurisdictions receiving funding to help develop plans, scopes of work, timelines and budgets.

Those other jurisdictions are:

In the Coachella Valley: The City of Desert Hot Springs, for its downtown and light industrial parking plan.

In Los Angeles County: The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for the use of data and technology to inventory and manage curb space; the City of Long Beach, for its curb space management study; and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments for its GoSGV e-bikesharing program.

In Orange County: The City of Stanton, for its citywide curb management plan; the City of Laguna Woods, for its mobility technology plan; and the City of Garden Grove, for its curb data study.

Three other jurisdictions were identified as potential awardees, should additional funds become available: Culver City, for its Fox Hills Area parking management plan; the City of San Clemente, for its parking management plan; and the City of Torrance, for its parklet program.

Kome Ajise, SCAG Executive Director, said the Smart Cities & Mobility Innovations funding will help individual communities address their mobility and air quality challenges, while modeling innovative solutions for others to consider.

“The world is changing at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago. For cities and our region, the challenge is not only to keep up with this extraordinary rate of change, but to make sure we’re evolving the right way and building a better world in the process,” Ajise said.