Mobility Justice
Listen: Policing the open road. How can a minor traffic violation like failing to use a turn signal can have deadly consequences? (99% Invisible)
Berkeley will become 1st US city to remove police from traffic stops. Officials in Berkeley, California, voted in favor of a proposal to shift traffic enforcement away from the police department. (Forbes)
A rally to tear down highways that bulldozed Black neighborhoods. “The highway system, in its planning and implementation, drove a physical wedge through many parts of America.” (PEW)
Racism has shaped public transit, and it’s riddled with inequities. Many transit agencies have built two systems with different standards for “choice” and “dependent” riders (that is to say white and Black). (Rice Kinder)
Can we abolish the police without challenging car culture? On average, police spend 15% of their time enforcing traffic. The ongoing movement to defund the police demands that police funding be reallocated towards community priorities. (Next City)
Mass transit’s role in racial justice. The coronavirus pandemic has cities re-imagining transit. One transportation policy expert sees it playing a key role in racial justice. (Bloomberg)
Video: Walking towards justice in Indian Country: Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Learn how the dark history of colonialization, complex jurisdictional issues, and racialized indifference have created the circumstances in which these crimes are regularly perpetrated and rarely prosecuted. (America Walks)
The three A’s of equitable pedestrian planning. Only 40 percent of pedestrian master plans commit to concrete goals to actually reduce equity disparities. (Next City)
The forgotten history of how accessible design reshaped the streets. Curb cuts may seem like an obvious civic good now. But the protracted battle to enact them exposes a design history that focused on a normative “user” of streets. (CityLab)
Join us for our virtual event
Transit for All: Answer the Call!
TCC is taking our annual fundraising dinner virtual!
Join us Friday, October 2nd at 6:00 PM PST for the “Transit for All, Answer the Call” virtual event! It will be a creative, fun virtual gathering together to raise funds and most importantly bring the transportation community together when we need it the most. Tickets are on sale now!
Check out the sneak peek of the event below!
What’s new
Yes for Transit! Seattle transit measure heads to the ballot. Seattle City Council voted to renew the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. We must work together to pass the 0.15% sales tax measure in November to keep people moving. (TCC)
Report: More places; better connections. TCC and Puget Sound Sage partnered with four community-based organizations to engage directly with Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities in South Seattle and South King County, and published the findings in this recent report. (TCC)
Will King County public transit survive COVID-19? Fewer riders and lower fare collection are just part of the financial challenge for transportation during the pandemic. (Crosscut)
City of Kent studies future transportation projects. Street planning for the next 20 years. (Kent Reporter)
Uber and Lyft drivers in Seattle could get a raise. When customers return to TNCs, drivers will make minimum wage, even after you consider all their expenses – like car maintenance and health care. (KUOW)
Seattle Transit Advisory Board seeks new members. Help advise Seattle on challenges and opportunities related to transit and public transportation. (SDOT)
While ridership is down, Spokane Transit Authority services won’t be cut this fall. Spokane Transit Authority plans to avoid cutbacks to ensure that essential workers and others dependent on public transportation have a way to get to work. (Spokesman Review)
Video: Bellevue tunnel completion. East Link’s underground milestone. (Sound Transit)
Seattle scooter share program rolls forward. A lot has changed since Seattle announced plans to move forward with bringing scooters to Seattle. (SDOT)
Bremerton contemplates BRT. Bremerton is upgrading the pedestrian, bike, and transit facilities along the State Route 303 corridor. (Seattle Transit Blog)
Pandemic takes toll on Jefferson Transit ridership, funding. The Board will vote on six-year plan. (Peninsula Daily)
Service to be restored to near pre-pandemic levels on some state ferry routes. WSF will restore two-boat weekend service on certain routes. (WSDOT)
Next stop
Webinar: How road user charging can influence traveler behavior. Congestion pricing can be a valuable tool for regions to address congestion and meet goals for sustainability and equity. (Eno Center for Transportation)
Webinar: Race, class, and the silent epidemic of pedestrian deaths in America. A conversation with Angie Schmitt. (AmericaWalks)
Washington Bike, Walk, Roll Summit. Join bicycle, pedestrian, and disability advocates and share plans for a future that works for all of us. (Cascade)
Webinar: Women’s safety on transit: Alternative models to policing. With public pressure mounting to eliminate police brutality, transit agencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles have started rethinking approaches to public safety within their systems. (TransitCenter)
Workshop: Planning for light rail in Snohomish County. Where and how are we going to grow over the next 20 years? (Snohomish County)
Webinar: Livable communities transportation workshop. This national workshop will explore transportation options that improve health; support vibrant neighborhoods; and connect people to economic, social and civic opportunities in their communities. (AARP)
Webinar: Federal transportation policy is a climate change issue; what is Congress doing? An in-depth explanation of why the Senate’s transportation bill is bad for the climate, why the House’s bill is much better, and what advocates can do to help. (Transportation for America)
What we’re reading
‘We’re desperate’: Transit cuts felt deepest in low-income areas. As the pandemic wreaks havoc on public transit systems across the country, experts say it is low-income residents, people of color and essential workers bearing the brunt. (New York Times)
A transit worker’s survival story. Driving a New York City bus during a pandemic and an uprising. (New Yorker)
Report: Thriving Together. A springboard for equitable recovery and resilience in communities across America. (Transportation for America)
What happens to viral particles on the subway. Masks and social distancing are essential, but good air flow is also key to reducing the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. (New York Times)
Now is the time to start biking. If you ever had an inkling that biking might be for you, now seems like a good time to try it out. (NPR)
Top Mayors pledge to build 15-minute cities for COVID-19 recovery. Nine mayors from the US are focusing on building neighborhoods where anyone can meet her basic needs without getting in a car. (Streetsblog)
TriMet launches ‘reimagining public safety’ project. The regional transit agency is seeking feedback on increasing equity throughout its system. (Portland Tribune)
The broken algorithm that poisoned American transportation. For the last 70 years, American transportation planners have been using the same model to decide what to build. There’s just one problem: it’s often wrong. (Vice)
Mission in motion
Join us for our next #TransitChat series
In this Transit Chat series, we will explore how transit funding is the foundation for transit equity. How are transportation projects currently funded on federal, state, and local levels? How do we secure transit funding to ensure we are moving towards an equitable future? And how do we get to a future where fares are free, transit is abundant and ubiquitous, and communities are connected to opportunities to work, play, and thrive?
You can watch the recording of our first webinar in the series on federal transit funding and equity with Steven Higashide from TransitCenter and Dara Baldwin from Center for Disability Rights.
Staff pick
Jaclyn Gault
Operations Manager
I love watching videos of people just doing nice things for each other. This video of bus drivers going above and beyond (from last year) makes my heart happy.
Meme in motion
To everyone who came to a virtual event, gave to an event, and kept the wheels of TCC rolling this month, thank you:
Alex P., Alex W., Andrew A., Andrew B., Ann M., Anne W-R., Barb C., Bryan T., Brynn and Joe B., Cailin H., Carl O., Carla S. and Adam E., Carmen B., Caryn W., Charla S., Chris A. Cody A., Conrad W., Daniel D., Daphne J., Darby W., David W., Elizabeth I., Emily G., Ethan M., Glenn S., Heidi W., Jacky G., Jasmine B., John L., John R., Josh F., Kara P., Karen U., Kate E., Kate G., Kevin M., Kristina W., Madeline F., MaryKylie C., Matthew L., Maura F., Meagan K., Megan J., Michael H. and Ann C., Nancy P. and David M., Nicholas M., Philip P., Rebecca S., Rob B., Sam and Jess Z., Shafaq C., Stephanie P., Tammy K., Teri M., 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 become a donor today!
