Mobility Justice
Smart Growth America’s Equity Summit. Missed the summit? Watch the recordings here. (Smart Growth America)
Transit Equity Day is February 3 and 4. Transit Equity Day is a national day of action to commemorate the birthday of Rosa Parks by declaring that public transit is a civil right. (Labor for Sustainability)
Fatal police shootings of unarmed Black people reveal troubling patterns. Since 2015, police officers have fatally shot at least 135 unarmed Black people nationwide. Many of those deaths have happened while walking, biking, and driving. (NPR)
The precipitous drop of police traffic stops in Minneapolis. The department has been making an average of 80% fewer traffic stops each week since May 25, the day of Floyd’s death. (CityLab)
Watch: Where the sidewalks end: Racism in urban design and crime prevention. What if crime prevention could be built into cities? As cities begin to explore this question, the results have not been favorable for Black and brown residents. (Downtown on the Go)
Q&A: Angie Schmitt on race, class, and traffic violence in America. The author of “Right of Way” discusses the silent epidemic surrounding pedestrian deaths in the US and the future of active transportation. (Bike Share Partnership)
BART to hire social workers instead of filling police officer vacancies to deal with social problems. The transit agency is investing in ways that address the root causes of inequities. (SF Chronicle)
Community hearing on transit equity: A national conversation. Hear voices around the country as they testify on the urgency of public transportation. (Transit Equity Network)
Removing enforcement strategies from transportation safety programs. Resources from the history of enforcement in transportation webinar. (Transportation Equity Caucus)
Why Washington Needs a Clean and Just Transportation System Now
The legislature is debating how to spend up to $26 billion in transportation investments during the 2021 legislative session. After decades of unfettered highway expansion, we must ensure that Washington’s next transportation package invests in a cleaner and more equitable system for all; one that increases access to opportunity, improves community health and reduces traffic and pollution.
Here’s the breakdown of WHY we need a better transportation system and how we’re going to get there (in blog form and tweet thread).
📢 We’re hiring a Deputy Director!
Transportation Choices Coalition seeks an experienced Deputy Director to lead the internal operations of our organization. The Deputy Director is a core part of the organization’s leadership team. They will work closely with the Executive Director to oversee fundraising and operations. The Deputy Director will set strategic goals and actively manage a talented team to meet our ambitious goals. The Deputy Director will be part of a small team determining the future of this dynamic and growing organization. Candidates must be strong leaders, creative thinkers, and enthusiastic team players.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about building an adaptive people-centered culture grounded in advancing racial equity and social justice; strong employee performance and engagement; and learning; and who brings experience in fundraising to help catalyze our growth. The ideal candidate is an emotionally-intelligent manager and a strategic thinker capable of producing consistent, high-quality work in a fast-paced and exciting environment.
What’s new
Meet with your legislators! Participate in Environmental Lobby Days in February. You’ll have the opportunity to attend online issue briefings, learn how to lobby, hear from environmental champions, and meet virtually with your elected officials to advance the Environmental Priorities Coalition’s 2021 priorities, including our Clean and Just transportation work! (Environmental Priorities Coalition)
Clean and Just Coalition statement: House Democrats roll out bold $26 billion transportation package proposal. Transit, safety, climate, and equity prioritized like never before. (Climate Alliance)
Clean and Just coalition statement: Senators drop more transportation proposals at $15-18 billion over 16 years. It’s time to speak up for strong multimodal and clean transportation investments. (Climate Alliance)
Watch: WSDOT 2021 State of Transportation presentation. Secretary Roger Millar presents ideas for our transportation future and making that vision a reality. (WSDOT)
Transportation Access for Everyone in Washington State. A storymap, featuring stories from Washingtonians across the state who rely on transit, paratransit, walking or rolling to get where we need to go. (Disability Rights Washington)
Tire dust killing coho salmon returning to Puget Sound. Check out TCC and WEC’s comic on how transportation infrastructure is one of the largest sources of stormwater runoff. (Seattle Times)
Members confirmed for I-5 bridge replacement group. All three advisory groups will provide input with the goal of completing a draft by late March. (Columbian)
Terry White has deep roots and big plans as Metro General Manager. White discusses his experience, his new role and how he hopes to shape Metro going forward. (Urbanist)
Performance-based investing for a clean and just transportation system. A new evaluation tool could help the legislature make transparent spending decisions while developing the next transportation package. (TCC)
Financial crisis forces Sound Transit to consider tough, complicated choices. Over the past few months, Sound Transit, the regional agency tasked with building light rail to Ballard and West Seattle lines as well as extending the main light-rail “spine” to Everett and Tacoma, has been dealt a double blow of bad news. (Publicola)
Why are there so many Seattle traffic fatalities when so few people are commuting? Seattle recorded the second highest number of people killed in traffic-related crashes in a decade last year even as the coronavirus pandemic kept many commuters home and traffic volumes at historical lows. (Seattle Times)
How far Washington has to go to make roads safe for everyone. The state needs to spend $5.7 billion to fix roads for cyclists and pedestrians. (Crosscut)
Pierce Transit CEO announces retirement. Sue Drier will retire after 30 years in the public transportation industry. (News Tribune)
Next stop
Sign on: Transit Justice Pledge. Transit is essential, Justice is crucial. Add your name. (TransitCenter)
Watch: Queer perspectives in transit. A discussion about the varied and intersectional nature of queer marginalization in cities, what it means to create truly queer-inclusive public spaces, what responsibilities transit agencies have, and how planning professionals can mobilize to move the industry forward. (TransitCenter)
WDSOT online open houses. Weigh in on statewide transportation projects, including the active transportation plan, SR 202 corridor study, and more. (WSDOT)
Listen: Transportation and law, part II. Professor Jonathan Levine moderates a panel of four discussing the right of way and public space. (Streetsblog USA)
Community meetings: Washington State Ferries. Meet the new WSF head Patty Rubstello, ask questions and provide comments. (West Seattle Blog)
Action: Street connectivity and pedestrian accessibility in Pasco. Ask Pasco City Council to support a new street connectivity ordinance that will make our community more accessible to people walking and biking. (Futurewise)
Rides for seniors. People age 60 and over can use STA Paratransit vans to travel to their destinations. (Spokane Transit)
Action: End debt-based driver’s license suspensions. SB 5226 would stop the suspension of driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees for civil moving violations, ensuring that public safety is the focus of our state’s scarce criminal justice resources — not punishing people who are “driving while poor.” (ACLU)
What we’re reading
Opinion: Keep the trains and buses running. Public transit systems urgently need more public funding so they can continue to provide an important public service. (New York Times Editorial Board)
The future of transit. With a new president, a decarbonized, car-free future may be more than just a pipedream. (Atmos)
The pandemic doesn’t have to be an existential threat to mass transit. In countries that have committed to supporting public transport, advocates express confidence that systems will continue to provide decent service and adapt to the needs of a post-pandemic world. (City Monitor)
Report: A transit agenda for the COVID-19 emergency. Drawing on interviews with public health experts and transit agency officials, as well as a survey of more than 2,000 residents in major American cities, this brief summarizes current epidemiological knowledge about COVID-19 and transit, and explores what city dwellers think about getting back on board. This research informs recommendations to make transit service safe, effective, and appealing. (TransitCenter)
‘Make way for the one-minute city.” While the “15-minute city” model promotes neighborhood-level urban planning, Sweden is pursuing a hyper-local twist: a scheme to redesign every street in the nation. (CityLab)
The pandemic could devastate mass transit in the US — and not for the reason you think. Covid-19 is speeding up shifts in where Americans live and work, posing a long-term challenge to transit systems built around getting people to downtown workplaces. (Politico)
How Pete Buttigieg could save mass transit. Could the most consequential member of the Biden cabinet be the secretary of Transportation? (Bloomberg)
Meet the new leaders of the US Department of Transportation. A new presidential administration means a brand new set of political appointees.(Transportation for America)
Mission in motion
Let’s pass a Clean & Just Transportation Package!
Legislative session is in full swing and the House and Senate Democrats have rolled out transportation package proposals. TCC is leading the Clean and Just Transportation Coalition and working with partners to pass a transportation package that prioritizes transit, safety, climate, and equity like never before.
Here’s the Clean and Just Coalition’s analysis of the two Senate and House transportation package proposals:
- House Democrats roll our bold $26 billion transportation package proposal
- Senators drop more transportation proposals at $15-18 billion over 16 years
We are organizing and advocating virtually this year, which means more opportunities for you to get involved. Please sign up for our action alerts, read our Dispatch from Olympia blog series, and follow us on social media for the latest updates and ways you can support building a clean and just transportation system. We’ll also be tracking priority transportation bills on our bill tracker.
Our current transportation system is not working.
If we want to change our system for the better, we must change the way we fund it.
Let’s build a system that works for everyone.
By changing the way we fund transportation, we have the ability to better serve communities and our planet.
Keiko Budech
Senior Communications Manager
“To tackle the climate crisis and racial inequity, we need to run a lot more transit service.”
TransitCenter’s new video illustrates why we must keep transit moving to ensure everyone can get where they need to go. How do we do it? Federal funding for more transit service.
You are part of the collective power that will keep transit moving. Thank you for being part of the TCC family: Aleksandra & Erica Leigh S., Alex W., Andrew B., Ann M., Anna F., Anne W-R., Brynn and Joe B., Carl O., Charla S., Conrad W., Dale B., Dwight and Patty S., Edward M., Ethan M., Jasmine B., John R., Josh F., Karen U., Kate G., Kevin M., Kristina W., Luke D., Matthew L., Michael H. and Ann C., Nancy G., Nancy W., Nicholas M., Rebecca S., Rob B., Sam and Jess Z., Shawn P., Tammy K., Teri M., Tim G., and Toby C.
If we missed anyone our apologies and thank you for your support. Want a little extra TCC love? Support Transportation Choices Coalition and make a gift today!
