Mobility Justice
The road to transportation equity. With a commitment to equity and a focus on results, we can build a transportation system that truly works for all. (Road and Bridges)
To lift up communities of color, fix public transit. A proposed payroll tax on the Portland ballot invests in Black and Brown communities. But corporations like Nike that say they support racial equity oppose it. (CityLab)
Webinar: Spatial toolkits of white supremacy. How space-based policy, from urban planning to redistricting, has entrenched racial disenfranchisement. And what we can do about it. (Tufts)
Dignity seminar series: Housing. Explore linkages between housing and public health, transportation, food security, behavioral health, and green spaces. (Thrivance Group)
Race, class and pedestrian deaths: Vision Zero webinar series. Listen to Angie Schmitt author of “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America,” and Dr. Destiny Thomas, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thrivance Group discuss Vision Zero. (Walk Bike Nashville)
Nuance is the norm with Ariel Ward & Brytanee Brown. In a complex world, we have to acknowledge that we are not, as activist Audre Lorde said, living single issue lives, meaning our solutions can’t be one-dimensional either. Ariel Ward and Brytanee Brown of At the Intersections share that the equitable solutions lie at the “epicenter of our complexities.” (TransLoc)
What does equity in smart growth really mean. A conversation between Calvin Gladney and Andre Perry. (Smart Growth)
Friday transportation seminar: At the intersection of safety + race + transportation. Join TREC to discuss how health inequities are exacerbated by lac of access to transportation, and what we can do about it. (TREC)
Transportation equity: The time is now! Tamika L. Butler will discuss institutional oppression, the importance of inclusive urban design, and how to make transportation and public spaces more equitable. (Kinder Institute)
Disability justice and the politics of inclusive design. How do we make cities inclusive for everyone? (NYU)
How can we do better? Limits on Black mobility in transportation. Black thought leaders in community and transportation planning explore limits placed on Black mobility in the US. (UCLA)
Who are streets designed for? Explore the challenges that exist when the accepted status quo for street design has been molded by generations of racism and implicit bias, and the fundamental ways that we can explode convention and build streets designed by, and for, everyone. (SPUR)
What transit equity means to a transit-dependent rider in a car-centric city. Janis Scott cares deeply about transit equity. Known in the community as the “Bus Lady,” Scott has been riding METRO all of her life and considers public transit her lifeline to the world. (Kinder Institute)
Upcoming Events:
The next event in our Transit Funding Is Transit Equity series will look at the opportunities and challenges of road pricing, and explore the unique ways panelists are taking action to design road pricing to advance and improve racial equity, mobility, and health outcomes in BIPOC communities.
How can road pricing advance equity?
November 17, 2-3 pm PST
Register here
Watch the recordings of our previous chats here.
Join us tonight for our virtual Election Night Watch Party! We will join partners at Disability Rights Washington, Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Transit Riders Union, Sierra Club Seattle, Share the Cities, and more. See you there.
What’s new
TODAY IS ELECTION DAY! Don’t forget to vote! And if you’re a Seattle resident, please consider voting for Seattle Prop 1, which will renew and modify an expiring measure to provide funding for essential bus service, affordability programs for riders, West Seattle transportation support, and ensure our transit system is efficient and reliable. For more information, check out Yes for Transit’s website here.
Sound Transit announces fare ambassador program. This new program represents a big move away from enforcement and punitive systems, and is a critical step for access and safety for all riders. (TCC)
A win for transit! I-976 is ruled unconstitutional. This is a hard-won victory as we stand up for transportation choices across Washington, especially public transit. This ruling means rural communities can continue providing lifeline transportation to low-income seniors, that our bridges can be maintained, that the roads we travel on are decent, and that the hundreds of thousands of people who count on transit in Washington every day can get where they need to go. (TCC)
Lake Washington Boulevard has reopened to cars — but the city’s weighing a permanent closure. The closure was so popular that the city is considering making it permanent. (KUOW)
Community Transit seeking public comment on proposed 2021 budget. The budget includes an increase of approximately 4,000 hours of new service in 2021. (My Edmonds News)
163 veteran Metro bus drivers are retiring, taking 4,400 combined years of memories. You bet they have stories! They’re a group with at least 4,400 combined years of memories. (Seattle Times)
New subsidized annual pass for riders in greatest need. King County and Sound Transit are now offering a new annual pass at no cost for customers who have no income or very low income. (King County)
Seattle mayor signs minimum wage law for Uber and Lyft drivers. Seattle officially established a minimum wage standard for Uber and Lyft. (Geekwire)
Access paratransit brings food to 10,000 families in need during pandemic. “We thought, ‘If our riders can’t be mobile, could we make the resources mobile?’” (King County Metro)
WSDOT: Coping during the pandemic. This presentation will address the specifics about where we are on a larger scale with how we are each responding to this pandemic emotionally and physically at home and in the workplace. (WSDOT)
‘We decided to honor a woman warrior’: Spokane Tribe proposes new name for Fort George Wright Drive. Margo Hill doesn’t want people to forget the mid-19th century history of what is now the city of Spokane and what was then Spokane tribal territory. She wants them to know its brutal truth. (Spokesman Review)
Vancouver considers shifting street fund from paving to safety projects. City sees opportunity to reallocate after court strikes down I-976. (Columbian)
Washington Mobility Challenge. The Disability Mobility Initiative is inviting legislators from all 49 of Washington State’s legislative districts to spend time with a constituent from their district who doesn’t have access to a car and uses transit, paratransit, community transit services or walking/rolling. Are you interested in having your elected leaders spend a few hours with you? (Disability Rights Washington)
Next stop
Event: Climate leaders live: What’s next for Washington in 2021? Join Climate Solutions, Transportation Choices Coalition, and Front & Centered for a debrief of election results, overview of climate and equity priorities for Washington in 2021, and a deep dive into funding and creating the clean, just, and equitable transportation system we need. (Climate Solutions)
Webinar: Creating a safe and inclusive built environment for people with disabilities in tribal communities. Hear how we can improve inclusivity and accessibility in tribal communities. (America Walks)
Online open house: How to evaluate transportation projects. The State Legislature directed WSDOT to study performance-based evaluation tools for transportation projects to help the Legislature decide which projects to fund. (WSDOT)
Webinar: What is microtransit and how can it help rural mobility? Learn about recent successful microtransit projects in rural areas that expand mobility options for their residents. (RTAP)
Hindsight 2020 conference. Take action towards centering the Black and Brown existence in health, joy, creativity, and healing. (Hindsight)
2020 community change grants. This program will award grantees $1,500 in community stipends for projects related to creating healthy, active, and engaged places to live, work, and play. (America Walks)
Webinar: Safe transportation for the 50+. Whether you’re looking to get out of the house or attend a medical appointment, staying connected today is vital. And so is finding, safe, reliable transportation options that work for people over 50. (AARP)
Ride in the Rain Challenge is in November. Enjoy the season by staying connected to the outdoors! (Cascade Bicycle Club)
Survey: COVID and mobility. How you are sustaining the unexpected long period of partial shut-down? What are the pros and cons of “teleliving”? (UW and PSRC)
Webinar: Ride the bus with Steven Higashide. Learn how transit planning affects underserved and underrepresented riders, and how improvements can be made to ensure equity and accessibility. (Downtown on the Go)
Spokane Transit Authority: Preliminary proposal for 2022 service revisions survey. STA is seeking input on a preliminary proposal that reflects the changes that have resulted from the pandemic. (STA)
What we’re reading
What a Senate flip means for transportation. What transportation policy might look like in a blue upper chamber. (Politico)
US auto insurance industry admits systemic racism. The Black Lives Matter movement is spurring the American auto-insurance industry to acknowledge its decades-long discrimination against Black drivers — a long overdue reckoning. (Streetsblog)
Four ways cities can repeal the legacy of Robert Moses. Robert Moses’s approach to transportation planning defined American cities for generations. Now, it’s time to dismantle that dangerous and racist legacy. (Streetsblog)
9 reasons to eliminate jaywalking now. They’ve rarely protected pedestrians, and their enforcement is racially biased. Two street safety experts say there are better ways to curb traffic violence. (CityLab)
Covid-19 is not the ‘death of the city’ – it’s the rise of the neighborhood center. Transportation systems are often designed for peak commuters going downtown, which has plummeted since the pandemic. To not only recover but emerge improved, cities must invest in a travel pattern long neglected: the neighborhood trip. (Forbes)
Report: Driving down emissions. We’ll never address climate change without making it possible for people to drive less (Transportation for America)
How embracing universal design could make the world better after COVID-19. We have a chance to dramatically reset our way of doing things. One of the opportunities we have now as we look ahead to the future is in the realm of accessibility. (Seattle Times)
This spring, we all drove much less. Yet traffic deaths went up. Why? When much of the US population was under stay-at-home orders — the rate of traffic deaths per mile driven went up, not down. How is that possible? (Curbed)
Why walkability is key to a dementia-friendly city. 31% of the region’s population growth between now and 2045 will comprise people over the age of 65. Among these hundreds of thousands of people, up to a quarter will have dementia and other memory loss at some point in their lives. (Streetsblog)
Freeways without futures. ‘Freeways without Futures’ highlights the efforts of local campaign organizers and activists seeking to revitalize their communities by dismantling the city highways that burden them with the significant health hazards of vehicle exhaust, a loss of local businesses and services, and streets that are hostile to pedestrians. (CNU)
Mission in motion
Connecting people to opportunity and each other is, and always will be, essential.
In response to the global COVID pandemic, TCC developed a just recovery framework for transportation in Washington State to help ensure COVID recovery policy decisions center equity, prioritize transit, and fill funding gaps.
The vision for public transit in a post-pandemic world hasn’t changed: It must be fast, frequent, reliable and affordable. What has been underscored is the urgency of addressing how we plan for and fund it. As we recover, the smart and most affordable investment we can make is to build a resilient and accessible public transit system that connects people to opportunities, creates good paying jobs, and supports our climate goals.
Here are three steps to we can take to get there:
PS. Check out our PubliCola op-ed “The path to a just transportation recovery”.
Staff pick
Keiko Budech
Communications Manager
Vox recently published a great explainer video about the history of public transit in America. The US government built huge interstate highways in the middle of the 20th century that transformed us into a car culture country, making it difficult to get around without a car. Now, politicians favor infrastructure policies that center building new roads and highways instead of investing in public transportation. Transportation is also the biggest contributor to climate pollution in our country.
We need to reimagine what our transportation system looks like in America, starting with improving public transit.
Meme in motion
To everyone who came to a virtual event, gave to an event, and kept the wheels of TCC rolling this month, we are overwhelmed by your generosity: Adam J., Adam M., Aditi P., Alex B., Alex H., Alex W., Alicia M., Alison E., Allison C., Amy G. and Matt R., Amy S., Andrew A., Andrew B., Andrew N., Anna Z., Anne W.-R., Ann F.-M. and Ruben M., Ann M., Ashlyn S., Barbara W. and Dwight G., Belen H., Bill B., Brad B., Branden H., Brian K., Brianna T., Brittney and Benn B., Bryan Townley., Brynn and Joe B., Caleb W., Candida L., Carla C. and Adam S., Carla S. and Adam E., Carl O., Carol C., Cathy J., Cesar P., Charla S., Charlene and Jim W., Chris A., Chris O., Christina M., Christine S., Chris W., Cindy L., Clarisse S., Colleen G., Conrad W., Dana W., Danielle S., Daniel T., David and Frances K., DeAnna M., Dean N., Deb O., Derek B., Derek R., Dhyana Q. S., Elena A., Ellany K., Elliot H., Emily M., Emmett H., Erin G., Ethan M., Frank C., Genesee A. and John S., Gina M., Giulia P. and Dylan M., Gregory N., Hanna B. O., Helaine H., Hester S., Isabel K.-L., Jaclyn G. and Andrew O., Jacqueline G., Jamyang N., Janice Z., Jasmine B., Jay A., Jeanne K-W., Jeff S., Jill M. and Thomas F., Joanna C., Joe K., Joe M., John R., Jonathan S., Josh F., Justin R., Kara P., Karen D., Karen U., Kate G., Kathy R., Katie H., Katie K., Kelli R., Kelly E., Kevin and Lisa C., Kevin M., Kimberly L., Kimberly P., Kirk H., Kristen S., Kristina W., Laura E., Laura S., Laurel M., Lauren D., Lawrence S., Leah M., Leslie S., Lupe G., Lynn C., Marci C., Margo D., Mark B., Martin M., Mary Beth L., Mary Jane S., Matthew L., Melissa B., Melora and Henryk H., Michael H. and Ann C., Michelle A., Miriam C. and Jordan G-L., Mitch G., Naomi B., Nicholas M., Nick R., Patience M., Patty and Les R., Phoebe H., Rebecca S., Rebecca W., Richard de Sam L., Richard R., Rob B., Rod D., Roger and Candi M., Ryan M. and Sean W., Sam and Jess Z., Sandeep K., Sara K., Savitha R.P., Stephanie P., Steven T., Sully M., Susan C., Susan G., Suzanne H., Tamiko T., Tammy K., Teri M., Tim G., Toby C., Tony C., Uriel Y., and Vince B.
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!
