Every segment of the population–individuals and families–benefits from public transportation. Not only is it a lifeline for connecting millions of people, it also builds prosperity for communities, eases traffic congestion, creates jobs, and helps promote cleaner air for our children.
President Biden has made commitments in investing in public transportation and environmental justice. His administration is putting into play the Justice40 Initiative to assure that at-risk populations are getting adequate support.
People of color and those with lower incomes are disproportionately impacted by air pollution, toxins affecting their children, and residual structural urban inequalities from redlining dating back to the 1930s.
The National Campaign for Transit Justice, organized by the Alliance for a Just Society, is amplifying how a dynamic national public transportation system is a way to promote climate justice and racial equality. On their website there’s a compiled set of principles calling for transit that is: Equitable, Sustainable, Economically Productive, Safe and Accessible, and Affordable. There is also a list of policy recommendations.
The action tapped stakeholders from over sixty transit rider organizations and those in the transportation space. Public transportation was challenged to its core by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. However, its survival is a significant component in creating a level playing field for all citizens.
The National Campaign for Transit Justice was instrumental in securing $69 billion in relief from the federal government for transit systems. The Alliance also ensured the earmark of $39 billion for transit funding in the federal infrastructure law.
I was able to speak with Libero Della Piana, a senior strategist with the Alliance, about why public transit is crucial to promoting both racial equity and climate justice goals.
We started the conversation with some background information. Della Piana explained that the principal portion of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions comes from the transportation sector (29 percent of the total). Public transit creates an option for the maximum impact on reducing those emissions.
Della Piana discussed the support of a low-emissions goal while noting that personal car ownership underpins a continued reliance on fossil fuels.
In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act set up an imbalance in funding between those with cars and those who depended on public transportation. It also baked in a racial exclusionary aspect. Last year, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reflected on how roadway designs segregated minority communities from white neighbors.
Additionally, it burdened frontline areas with highways clogged by commercial vehicles. The emissions from trucks elevated the risk (and probability of) of chronic respiratory disease, especially asthma in children.
Investing in public transit will help to move away from a “car-based” modality, creating parity between “the highway” and mass transit.
When I asked Delia Libero about electric cars and school buses, he told me, “Just converting to electric vehicles doesn’t reduce car traffic. Public transit has more impact.” He added, “We can’t put all our eggs in one basket.” While stating that electric school buses were an integral part of the equation, he returned to how public transit facilitated kids’ access to more comprehensive cultural and enrichment activities.
Covid health concerns saw “farebox” monies plummet. Riders groups, transit workers unions, and environmental activists mobilized to save country-wide systems.
Affordability is part of the plan, focusing on building in “fare-relief” for groups including seniors, students, the disabled, and low-income people.
Della Libero shared stats from the Department of Transportation:
“The more passengers that are riding a bus or train, the lower the emissions per passenger mile. American bus transit, which has about a quarter (28%) of its seats occupied on average, emits an estimated 33% lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than the average US. single occupancy vehicle.” He also pointed out that every bus takes 40 cars off the road.
The top takeaway is how and why public transportation builds a level playing field. Because it determines where people can live and work, attend schools, get health care, access food, and shopping.
An excerpt from the group’s recent report drew a succinct picture:
“Public transit is especially essential for communities of color. Nationally, 60% of all public transit riders are people of color; one-quarter are Black, and almost 20 percent are Latino/Hispanic. This, in part reflects the fact that people of color are far more likely not to have a car…compared to 6 percent of white households. Buses and trains thus connect workers of color to their jobs…Furthermore, essential workers—such as home health aides, hospital workers, and grocery workers—are more likely to use public transit and to be people of color. Investments in public transit thus contribute to economic opportunity for working communities of color.”
Investing in public transportation is an investment in the health of our communities and our children’s future.