Category: Better Public Transit
STATEMENT: Call to Action for Local Officials on Equity and Sustainability
For immediate release
May 14, 2020
Contact: Stewart Schwartz | 703-599-6437 (cell)
Cheryl Cort | 202-251-7516 (cell)
A call to action for sustainable and equitable communities in the wake of COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed long-standing inequities and highlights the need and opportunities for fundamental reforms. The saying, “never waste a crisis,” is true and we urge our elected officials, government staff – all of us — to work together and take-action now to address the following 10 priorities:
1) Provide living wages and health protection for essential workers – people who work in public safety, health care, transit, grocery stores and the food supply network, pharmacies, trash collection, teachers, day care and elder care, and a range of other occupations are our essential workers, and should be paid a living wage and provided the health protection and security they need.
2) Provide affordable housing and a real economic safety net – far too many people live day-to-day with no margin of safety and need a living wage and rental assistance; affordable, clean, and secure homes; health care; day care; affordable transit; and the opportunity to save and climb the economic ladder.
3) Provide equitable access to health care and healthy environments – far too many people lack access to good health care and need nearby and equitable access to primary care and specialists, fresh healthy food, parks and recreation, safe places to walk and bike, and clean air and water.
4) Address racial disparities now – the racial disparities in COVID-19 illness and death, and in access to health care, job losses, share of workers in essential services with exposure risks, exposure to air pollution from highways, and risk of eviction and homelessness have never been more starkly exposed and must be addressed with the equivalent of a Marshall Plan.
5) Slash air pollution – air pollution has long contributed to respiratory and cardiac illness and has recently been found to contribute to higher levels of COVID-19 illness. We are seeing dramatic drops in air pollution due to the big decline in driving, with clear blue skies across the world, and should not waste this opportunity to slash air pollution from cars, trucks, and industry.
6) Slash greenhouse gas emissions – similar to other pollution, emissions of CO2 during stay-at-home orders have plunged — to 1995 levels. Oil demand has also declined 30% to 1995 levels. The health and economic causes of the decline are absolutely nothing to cheer, but the decline reminds us of the imperative and the opportunity to rapidly shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles, green buildings, and reduced driving through transit and walkable communities. Moreover, the societal and economic disruption of the pandemic illustrates why we must head off the disruption that would come from uncontrolled climate change – in which a warmer planet will fuel more disease pandemics along with rising sea levels, flooding, droughts, fires, and human dislocation.
7) Provide streets for people – the disappearance of traffic on city and suburban streets, the booming demand to walk and bike, and the lack of enough safe space for walking and bicycling, starkly illustrates how much of our public space is consumed by cars. We have a unique opportunity to widen sidewalks, and install protected bicycle lanes and dedicated bus lanes, creating more livable communities with fewer cars, and reduced air and noise pollution.
8) Expand parks and open space – we are learning how important it is to have nearby parks and greenways for our health and well-being, and that too many people lack parks and trails that they can safely walk to. We need to expand our park, greenway and trail networks as part of walkable, sustainable communities.
9) Save, restore, and expand transit – Transit, especially our buses, has been critical during COVID-19 to getting health care and other essential workers to their jobs. We’ve seen that transit is truly an essential public service. We need personal protection for transit drivers and riders, and enhanced, frequent cleaning. Looking ahead, the economic recovery of our cities and our metropolitan region will depend on the restoration of transit – which supports growth with less traffic and pollution. We will also need expanded transit to fight climate change. We must prioritize funding for transit, dedicated bus lanes and network redesigns for frequent, reliable service, and expanded access to transit for those most in need.
10) Invest in urban placemaking – The past two decades have seen a boom in our cities, towns and urbanizing suburban communities because of the economic, social, creative, health, and environmental benefits, including fighting climate change. Contrary to the charges of those who advocate against cities, what we are facing now is a health crisis and a failure to plan and act to stem a pandemic, not a failure of walkable urban places. We are social creatures and coming together has been key to the progress of civilization, innovation, the arts, and society. Looking ahead we must continue to invest in urban places while addressing the areas where we have fallen short, in affordable housing, equitable access to health care, healthy food, parks and safe streets, and in frequent, reliable and affordable public transit.
In summary, we call on our leaders to place top priority in the following areas for social and economic equity, opportunity, and action:
- Racial and social equity
- Affordable housing
- Tenant protection
- Living wages
- Worker safety
- Health care
- Healthy food
- Day care and elder care
- Education and teachers
- Safe streets
- Parks, greenways and trails
- Transit
- Clean air and clean water
- Climate change
- Walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented urban places
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RELEASE: A New Plan for Transit’s Future in Baltimore
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2020
Contact:
Brian O’Malley
bomalley@cmtalliance.org
(410) 419-5374
As COVID-19 Proves the Vital Importance of Public Transit,
A New Plan for Transit’s Future is Open for Comment In Metropolitan Baltimore
Advocates Encourage Riders and Employers to Weigh In on
Draft Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan by June 18th
Baltimore, MD – As the COVID-19 crisis shines a light on the vital importance of public transit service in the Baltimore region, a newly released regional transit plan provides an historic opportunity to make much needed improvements that have long been identified by riders, advocates, employers, and other regional stakeholders. The draft plan advances the process of building consensus around a bold vision for Baltimore’s transit system and advocates are preparing public comments to strengthen it further.
The Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan is the first comprehensive transit plan for the region in a generation. Advocates are pushing for a plan that provides meaningful changes in people’s lives and hope to see implementation of a strong plan begin as early as this fall, starting with feasibility studies planned by MTA and BMC for several priority transit corridors. Implementing a well-designed plan will mean better connections to jobs, medical care, and other essential destinations, as well as improving Baltimore’s poor air quality that contributes to respiratory illness, and climate change emissions.
Developed by the MTA in consultation with regional stakeholders, the plan lays out a 25-year vision for improving the system. It includes objectives, goals, and initiatives, such as increasing systemwide on-time performance to 85%, electrifying the vehicle fleet, and identifies 30 specific regional transit corridors where upgrades ranging from bus service to heavy rail subway could one day be made.
“We’ve seen in the DC region how important our extensive, well-funded rail and bus transit network has been for access to jobs and the region’s economic success. The Baltimore region and State of Maryland need to make a similar commitment,” said Jane Lyons with the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“It’s great that we will soon have a plan. It is important that Federal stimulus funds for responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 crisis are used for strategic improvements of our lacking infrastructure. They could be applied to some of the strategies and projects in the Plan. It’s important to have a vision,” said Klaus Philipsen of ArchPlan Inc.
Transit agencies across the country are scrambling to keep riders and operators safe while providing essential trips to hospitals, grocery stores, and other destinations. The draft plan includes a strategy to use transit to “respond and recover from emergencies (security threats and natural disasters)” which advocates say must be elevated and fleshed out as a priority.
“The coronavirus pandemic has drawn into focus the vital role that public transportation plays in greater Baltimore. While some parts of the country have seen transit ridership fall by 90 percent or more, the ridership on MTA’s core service is only down 50 or 60 percent. That’s partly because nearly 4 in 10 transit riders in Baltimore are essential workers in sectors like healthcare, grocery stores and food distribution,” said Brian O’Malley of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance.
“The pandemic has exacerbated challenges faced by the region’s most distressed neighborhoods,” said Tafadzwa Gwitira with Tele Farm. “A third of Baltimore households lack access to a car, but in some neighborhoods more than half do. Many people rely on the bus, train, or paratransit to get to the grocery store, or to medical appointments.”
“The vehicles we drive on our roads pollute the air we breathe, particularly in communities of color and other marginalized communities. Health experts warn that this particulate matter pollution can exacerbate the severity of respiratory diseases like COVID 19. We must heavily invest in transit to give us more healthy choices to move around so that we can protect public health and combat climate change.”- Josh Tulkin of the Maryland Sierra Club.
“Advocates are currently digesting the plan and hope that it can deliver a more reliable, accessible system for all,” said Jimmy Rouse of Transit Choices.“The Central Maryland region currently lacks a plan for the future of public transportation. As a result we are in a weak position to compete for private investment, state investment and federal investment. The sooner we can produce a plan the stronger position we will be in to bring resources for economic recovery here.”
The draft plan, titled ‘Connecting Our Future, a Regional Transit Plan for Central Maryland’ is available for public comment until June 18th. The MTA has set up a project web site, https://rtp.mta.maryland.gov/,that allows for online commenting and plans to announce virtual office hours when MTA staff will be available to answer questions. A final version of the plan will be published in October of 2020. Advocates say the plan is more urgent now than ever.
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Other contacts:
Josh Tulkin, Director, Maryland Sierra Club, josh.tulkin@mdsierra.org
Tafadzwa Gwitira, Founder and farmer, Tele Farm, taffy@telefarm.org
Klaus Philipsen, President, ArchPlan Inc., (410)493-6239
Brian O’Malley, President & CEO, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, (410)419-5374
Henry W. Bogdan, Director of Public Policy, Maryland Nonprofits, (443)438-2318
Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth, jane@smartergrowth.net
Jimmy Rouse, Co-Founder, Transit Choices, jimmy123rouse@gmail.com
CSG Comments on Montgomery’s Resolution to Approve FY21 Transportation Fees, Charges, and Fares
Resolution to Approve FY21 Transportation Fees, Charges, and Fares
Testimony for April 30, 2020
Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager
President Katz and Councilmembers, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the Resolution to Approve FY21 Transportation Fees, Charges, and Fares. Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading organization in the D.C. region advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities.
Firstly, we would like to thank the county for suspending Ride On fares thus far during the novel coronavirus crisis. This action has protected transit workers and riders. Transit continues to be an essential public service right now, ensuring that our front-line workers are able to get to work and that those without private vehicles are still able to get food, prescriptions, and other necessary goods.
Therefore, we urge the county to continue Ride On fare suspension throughout the duration of the public health emergency. Fare revenue this quarter is already nearly half of the budgeted fare revenue, and even under normal circumstances is less than 10 percent of total revenue in the Mass Transit Fund.
We also urge you to begin thinking about transit after COVID-19. There is an opportunity to “reopen” the county’s transportation network in a way that increases our climate resiliency, furthers racial and socioeconomic justice, and aids in our economic recovery. These functions cannot be achieved without transit. We don’t have to go back to the same congestion, dangerous roadways, and air pollution.
Further, once the immediate public health threat has been addressed, we will need to rebuild trust in public transit so that ridership may recover. To do that, transit must be attractive, easy, frequent, and safe. We urge you to consider:
- Suspending Ride On fares in perpetuity;
- Redesigning the Montgomery Ride On and WMATA bus network through a public process to improve service in a budget neutral way;
- Expanding public employees’ telework allowances;
- Rebalancing road space to prioritize walking, biking, and transit; and
- Increasing routine bus cleaning.
Thank you for your consideration.
RELEASE: CSG Joins National Alliance to Tell White House: Transit Workers Need Better Protection from COVID-19
Press Release
For immediate release
April 23, 2020
Contact: Stewart Schwartz
703-599-6437 (cell)
stewart@smartergrowth.net
Coalition for Smarter Growth Joins National Alliance To Tell White House:
Transit Workers Need Better Protection From COVID-19
Coalition for Smarter Growth and broad alliance of labor, business, and community advocates demand White House and CDC supply better protective equipment and guidance to safeguard the transit workforce who ensure other essential workers can provide medical care, food, and basic necessities.
Today, the Coalition for Smarter Growth joined dozens of unions, business groups, economic justice organizations, and local transit advocates from across the nation requesting Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, strengthen federal coordination to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for transit workers.
The Coalition for Smarter Growth also joined many other organizations in signing onto the NAACP’s letter urging Congress to pass relief funding and required hazard pay for transit workers.
As of this week, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of nearly 100 transit workers in the United States and 15 WMATA employees have tested positive as of April 6th.
The federal government can and must take stronger steps to prevent such loss of life.
Bus and train operators, maintenance workers, and cleaning staff at transit agencies in the DC region are putting their lives on the line as they enable essential travel and ensure the continued provision of food, medical care, and other basic goods and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without strong federal coordination to procure PPE for transit workers, they face needless risks on the job.
Based on guidance from infectious disease experts, the Coalition for Smarter Growth demands consistent provision of N95 masks and other protective gear for frontline transit workers whose duties put them in close proximity to passengers, or require exposure to hazardous disinfectants. The Coalition for Smarter Growth also urges the CDC to issue stronger guidance for WMATA and other transit agencies, including recommendations on how to ventilate transit vehicles to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
These measures must be put in place to protect the transit workforce, which in turn will strengthen the overall effort to control the pandemic and minimize the spread of COVID-19. Nearly 3 million Americans classified as essential workers typically commute on transit, according to a TransitCenter analysis of U.S. Census data.
Protective gear for transit workers will have a strong multiplier effect, since reducing risk will increase the availability of the transit workforce, leading to greater provision of transit service, less crowding on transit vehicles, and lower rates of transmission among transit riders and thus the general population.
The alliance signing on to the letter reflects the broad public interest in protecting transit workers, encompassing labor, business, transportation, economic justice, environmental, and community-based organizations from dozens of states.
Supply chain issues affect every industry seeking protective gear. However, the need for transit workers is so urgent, and the consequences of further delay so dire, that federal action must be pursued as soon as possible. These protections will save the lives of transit workers, as well as the lives of nurses, doctors, food distribution workers, and other essential workers who rely on transit.
The full letters from TransitCenter and the NAACP are linked.
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RELEASE: Broad Alliance Tells White House: Transit Workers Need Better Protection From COVID-19
For immediate release
April 22, 2020
Ben Fried, TransitCenter: 347 675-5592
David Roscow, ATU: 202 487-4990
Dozens of unions, business groups, economic justice organizations, and local transit advocates from across the nation wrote today to Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, demanding better federal coordination to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for transit workers.
As of this week, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of nearly 100 transit workers in the United States.
The victims include Scott Ryan, 41, a bus operator at Community Transit in Snohomish County, Washington; Patrick Patoir, 57, an MTA worker in New York for 33 years; Jason Hargrove, 50, a Detroit bus operator; Eugenia Weathers, a school bus driver in Lexington, Kentucky; and Michael Hill, a conductor and 30-year SEPTA veteran in Philadelphia.
The federal government can and must take stronger steps to prevent such loss of life.
Bus and train operators, maintenance workers, and cleaning staff at transit agencies around the country are putting their lives on the line as they enable essential travel for millions of Americans, ensuring the continued provision of food, medical care, and other basic goods and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without strong federal coordination to procure PPE for transit workers, they face needless risks on the job.
Based on guidance from infectious disease experts, the organizations demand the White House coordinate provision of N95 masks and other protective gear for frontline transit workers whose duties put them in close proximity to passengers, or require exposure to hazardous disinfectants. The groups also urge the CDC to issue stronger guidance for transit agencies, including recommendations on how to ventilate transit vehicles to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
These measures must be put in place to protect the transit workforce, which in turn will strengthen the overall effort to control the pandemic and minimize the spread of COVID-19. Nearly 3 million Americans classified as essential workers typically commute on transit, according to a TransitCenter analysis of U.S. Census data.
Protective gear for transit workers will have a strong multiplier effect, since reducing risk will increase the availability of the transit workforce, leading to greater provision of transit service, less crowding on transit vehicles, and lower rates of transmission among transit riders and thus the general population.
The alliance signing on to the letter reflects the broad public interest in protecting transit workers, encompassing labor, business, transportation, economic justice, environmental, and community-based organizations from dozens of states.
Supply chain issues affect every industry seeking protective gear. However, the need for transit workers is so urgent, and the consequences of further delay so dire, that federal action must be pursued as soon as possible. These protections will save the lives of transit workers, as well as the lives of nurses, doctors, food distribution workers, and other essential workers who rely on transit.
“Transit workers deserve every protection the government can muster,” said TransitCenter Executive Director David Bragdon. “Better coordination and provision of equipment will protect the health of hundreds of thousands of transit workers, and keep millions of other workers safe on their way to essential jobs.”
“More than 300 of the transit agencies where our members work have failed to implement critical changes needed to keep their workers and riders safe, even as a second wave of this deadly virus sweeps across the continent,” said ATU International President John Costa. “We are proud to carry emergency service, healthcare, grocery, and retail workers, and those who need care. But, as ATU International President, I cannot in good conscience encourage my members to go into the line of fire without the armor and provisions they need.”
RELEASE: Advocates Cheer DC Council’s Unanimous Vote For Flexible Commuter Benefits
For Immediate Release
April 7, 2020
Contact: Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth
T. 202-675-0016, www.smartergrowth.net/parkingcashout
Advocates Cheer DC Council’s Unanimous Vote for Flexible Commuter Benefits
Employees will be eligible for walk, bike, transit commute benefits equal to an offered parking benefit
The Coalition for Smarter Growth celebrated today the success of its three-year campaign for flexible commuter benefits. “We are thrilled that today the DC Council voted unanimously for the Transportation Benefits Equity Act (B23-148). This new law will allow an employee who is offered a parking benefit by their employer to use the equivalent value of the parking subsidy for a transit, walk, or bike commute,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“This bill incentivizes more sustainable commuting as commuters return to work on the other side of the current crisis. The importance of bicycle transportation has emerged in the crisis as an alternative to other modes, and this new law will help boost this option,” said Cort. Once workers can return to their daily routine, the new law will give many employees the opportunity to exchange a parking space for a bike (or walk or transit) commute. This could push DC’s current 18% walk and bike to work rate even higher, helping to reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and crashes.
“We have worked on this issue for a number of years, with dozens of meetings, outreach to the community, and extensive negotiations. The final legislation involved many compromises. However, the core of the bill is intact, and will start making a difference with most employers who offer subsidized parking,” said Cort.
The Transportation Benefits Equity Act requires employers who provide free or subsidized parking to employees to offer those same employees alternatives that include:
- Employer-paid transit benefits;
- Taxable cash for employees who walk, bicycle, or ride in a carpool to work, or who take transit (where cash would make up any difference between the value of the parking and transit cost);
- Increased employer contribution to an employee’s healthcare benefit;
Employers also have the option to:
- Develop a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan to reduce vehicle commute trips toward the moveDC goal of 25% or less of employees’ commute trips made by car or taxi (assisted by and approved by DC Department of Transportation);
- Pay a sizable Clean Air Compliance fee to support TDM measures for each parking benefit offered;
- Cease subsidized parking.
The law includes the following exemptions:
- Employers that currently own the parking used for employees are exempt from this law.
- Existing leased parking: if an employer has an existing lease for parking provided to employees, the employer must comply with the new rules at the end of the current lease.
- Employers that do not provide subsidized parking are exempt.
- Employers with 20 or fewer employees are exempt.
One of the largest compromises given to employers was the full exclusion of currently owned parking. This means that essentially all major institutions, like universities, are likely to be exempt. While some of these institutions also lease parking, the bill exempts them if they are running shuttles to leased parking lots half a mile or more away, or if they have a Campus Plan with a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan already approved by DC Department of Transportation.
“The bill will provide flexible commute benefits to many downtown workers, likely reducing rush hour traffic. This can reduce congestion, speed up buses, cut pollution, and even reduce crashes,” said Cort. “It will keep DC in the forefront of cities implementing more sustainable transportation.”
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Photo credit: Elvert Barnes, Flickr