TCC and Downtown on the Go sport transit t-shirts in Tacoma.
Dear friends,
As you likely know by now, June is Ride Transit Month! TCC and our partners across the state have planned fun and inspiring events to celebrate transit and transit riders. Be sure to check them out below.
While Ride Transit Month is a celebratory time, we know that a huge threat to transit looms ahead: Initiative 2117. This harmful initiative — put on the ballot by a billionaire from Texas — would repeal the primary funding source for transit, walking and biking, plus roll back fare-free transit for youth!
To close out Ride Transit Month, we’re asking transit riders to take action against I-2117 by writing letters to our local media outlets. We’ll walk you through it — attend our Lunch and Letter Writing Workshop on June 26. Together, we can flood our local media outlets with stories about why transit matters and why we must defend it at the ballot!
Read on for more news, events, and opportunities to take action this month.
Keep moving,
– Transportation Choices Coalition
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
Engaging with the Seattle Transportation Levy
At a public hearing for the Seattle Transportation Levy, TCC Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter provided testimony to the Seattle City Council on the Transportation Chair’s proposed amendments.
Kirk voiced appreciation that the Chair preserved money for bicycle safety, people streets, and transit, and commended the increased investment in Safe Routes to Schools and new sidewalks.
He also asked the Council to restore funding for the Neighborhood-Initiated Safety Partnership Program. This is a popular program, which empowers communities to identify projects that are meaningful to them. Cutting from this program would harm our city’s equity goals and processes.
The Council will next discuss and review proposed amendments from the rest of the Councilmembers on June 18 at 9:30 AM.
Sharing Another Move Ahead Success Story: Youth Ride Free in Columbia County
Two years into Move Ahead Washington, communities from Palouse to the Peninsula are benefiting from unprecedented investments in transit and active transportation. Our Move Ahead story series highlights the successes and positive impacts we have heard from agencies and riders across the state.
Our next story is from Eastern Washington, where Columbia County Public Transportation made its system fare-free for all riders, thanks to Move Ahead Washington. The result? rising ridership, particularly among youth.
Supporting the Release of Dangerous by Design 2024
In the U.S., more than 7,522 people were struck and killed while walking in 2022, marking a 40-year high in pedestrian deaths.
Smart Growth America’s 2024 edition of Dangerous by Design analyzes national trends in pedestrian fatalities and ranks the deadliest metro areas in the U.S., with state rankings coming soon.
Our Communications Manager, Natalie Lubsen, took part in a new Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program, joining 14 other individuals from across the country to build skills around data and storytelling to advance safer streets.
Check out Natalie’s case study on Aurora Ave N, and a short video she was featured in to support the release of Dangerous by Design 2024.
WHAT’S COMING UP
Join Us for Ride Transit Month Events
Events We’re Hosting
Ride Transit Night at the Ballpark
Tomorrow, June 14, at 7 PM
Get discounted tickets in our special seating block by 5 PM TODAY!
Drag Transit Trivia at the Wildrose — SOLD OUT
Tuesday, June 18, from 5:30 – 7 PM
Lunch and Letter Writing Workshop with the NO on 2117 Campaign
Wednesday, June 26, from 12 – 1 PM
Events Hosted by Our Partners
Tacoma Transit Trivia w/ Downtown On the Go, Pierce Transit, & Ride Together Pierce
Monday, June 17, from 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Move Redmond’s Open Streets Festival at Overlake Village
Saturday, June 22, from 10 AM – 3 PM
Car-Free Adventure with Transit Trekker
Saturday, June 22, from 3 – 4 PM
Take a Trip with Trailhead Direct — all month long!
Explore Spokane’s Expo ’74 — all month long!
Save the Date for Tuxes & Trains 2024
Please mark your calendars for Tuxes & Trains 2024 on Friday, October 4th, at 7 PM. We’re hosting this year’s reception-style fundraiser at the gorgeous Seattle Art Museum, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Gather with transit agency leaders, elected officials, planners, engineers, workers, and advocates from across the state as we celebrate a year of major transit project openings in Washington. This year, our gala theme celebrates “The Art of Mobility,” acknowledging the vision, skill, creativity, passion, and perseverance it takes to make these transformational projects come to bear.
Ticket registration is coming soon!
GET INVOLVED
Write a Letter to Help Defend Transit
We all have a story to tell about how transportation impacts our lives.
In this Zoom-based workshop hosted by TCC Deputy Director Kelsey Mesher and Mark Prentice of the NO on 2117 campaign, you will learn how to effectively tell your story, and gain the resources to share it with local media outlets.
Register now for our Lunch and Letter Writing Workshop.
Start Planning for the Week Without Driving
Join TCC and a broad coalition of partners for the next Week Without Driving from Monday, September 30, through Sunday, October 6, 2024.
The Week Without Driving is an opportunity for those who have the option to drive to learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face and work with nondrivers to create more accessible communities for all.
For advocates, it’s also an opportunity to build relationships with elected officials in order to secure more support for accessible public transit. By challenging elected officials to participate, we can help them gain a first-hand understanding of what it’s like to have transit as your only option for getting around.
You can help make this the largest ever Week Without Driving! Whether you get involved as a representative of an organization, in your capacity as a public servant, or as an individual, you have a role to play. Sign up here to get started.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Torpedoing NYC Decongestion Tolls Would Be National Setback — The Urbanist
“‘Congestion pricing is not just a NYC story,’ Hovenkotter told The Urbanist. ‘It’s a national story. Places across the country look to New York City for leadership.’”
Colorado’s Bold New Approach to Highways — Not Building Them — The New York Times
“In 2022, a regional planning body in Denver reallocated $900 million from highway expansions to so-called multimodal projects, including faster buses and better bike lanes. Now, other states are following Colorado’s lead.”
WA road deaths jump 10%, reaching 33-year high. What are we doing wrong? — The Seattle Times
“Kirk Hovenkotter, executive director of the statewide Transportation Choices Coalition, said a solution has less to do with motorist behavior than street design. ‘We know what works. It’s designing roadways to slow down speeds and promote people walking and riding bikes, and promote transit,’ he said.”
Free Youth Fares Come to Amtrak Cascades in Washington — The Urbanist
“’We’re hoping to inspire an entire generation to consider trains as a viable choice when traveling along the Interstate-5 corridor,’ Jason Biggs, WSDOT’s rail division head, said in a statement.”
The East Link showcases progress and enthusiasm for public transit — Transportation for America
“’The story of the East Link shows that creating substantial change comes from all different levels and actors working together to make a difference.”
STAFF PICK
There’s not much more invigorating than being connected with like-minded advocates all across the country. In 2020, when TCC was first building out our Policing and Enforcement in Transportation policy work, we had the chance to work more deeply with the Transportation Equity Caucus (TEC), a diverse coalition of organizations that are united in a vision of a transportation system that is antiracist, non-carceral, accessible, equitable, and safe for all.
Through the TEC, I had the great opportunity to work alongside some of the nation’s experts on mobility justice to develop a set of principles, policies, and strategies for reducing the harms of enforcement and policing in transportation.
The TEC’s recently released report, Decriminalizing Transportation and Movement: A Vision for Antiracist Approaches to Safety, lays out not only a strong vision, but actionable recommendations for advocates, decision-makers, and agency staff at all levels of government. Beyond that, it makes a compelling case for racial equity work that is often considered controversial in transportation spaces. I urge you to read through it with an open heart and mind.
Hester Serebrin
Policy Director
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Youth Transit Ambassadors Help Kirkland Meet Its Climate Goals
The City of Kirkland has a goal of reducing driving per capita by 20%. Check out what the youth-led Kirkland Transit Ambassadors are doing to get their peers on public transit! Read their latest newsletter here.
Sustainability Ambassadors is a youth-focused non-profit working to rapidly advance a sustainable future! Subscribe here to keep up with your local Ambassadors.
Stay Connected!
Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on the latest transit, walking, and biking news in Washington State.
