TransitMatters’ Post

The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program is now accepting applications through May 22, 2025. It provides federal funds for community-based "non-traditional" projects designed to strengthen the nation's intermodal transportation system's cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/ef7A5naH. 

Today, T4MA and Transit is Essential coalitions released "Funding Our Future." It is the product of year-long engagement and conversations with experts, advocates, organizations, and communities that experience first hand the gaps in our transportation systems. Funding Our Future provides a framework for prioritizing revenue options that ensure equity and sustainability, and a lens through which revenue proposals should be viewed to protect vulnerable communities. I am grateful to all the collaborators who poured time and talent to this work, and especially to those who shared their lived experience upon which this entire report rests. Link to the report found in my piece below.

It was a great privilege moderating the panel, Reparative Planning and Alternatives to Highways, at the Transportation Research Board's 2nd Conference on Advancing Transportation Equity. I was in conversation with fellow freeway fighters, Amy Stelly, Ben Crowther, and Ally Smither to discuss key disconnects between what government agencies claim to prioritize and the impact their projects ultimately have on communities, as well as organizing for reparative justice, building coalitions to stop highway expansions, and recalibrating transportation priorities to reduce and redress place-based harm. #transportation #transportationequity #reconnect #communities #reparative

Today, transit providers nationwide are celebrating #GetOnBoardDay, spotlighting the vital role of public transportation. We are proud to collaborate with transit providers across the US, providing opportunities for #communityinput to inform strategic decisions on routes, resources, and funding. We have witnessed its profound and lasting impact on communities. Did you know? 🚶♂️ Each weekday, people board #publictransportation 34 million times. 🚌 Over 6,700 organizations provide public transportation in the US. 💰 Every $1 invested in public transportation yields about $4 in economic returns. Supporting #transportation infrastructure, especially #publictransit, fuels growth for all. Let's keep moving forward together! [Source: American Public Transportation Association via https://lnkd.in/etU99WUp]

Support the Silver Line: It’s Time to Prioritize All of Charlotte. https://lnkd.in/eQ8UQWBG? Charlotte’s Silver Line light rail project is essential to our city’s growth and connectivity. Unlike Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), light rail provides the permanence and reliability needed to attract high-density development, drive long-term economic growth, and foster thriving communities. Studies consistently show that Light Rail Transit (LRT) outperforms BRT in creating transit-oriented development and increasing property values. The east and west sides of Charlotte have been overlooked for far too long. Abandoning the Silver Line now for a temporary BRT solution would repeat the cycle of neglect and waste millions of dollars already invested in planning and property development along its route. The Silver Line ensures equitable transit access and growth for all parts of our city, just as the Blue Line has transformed the south and north. The recent acquisition of the Red Line is a fantastic opportunity, but it doesn’t mean we should abandon the Silver Line. Instead, we should leverage both projects to create a comprehensive system that connects Charlotte from north to south and east to west. If we delay the Silver Line further, costs will multiply, and the opportunity for cohesive growth will be lost. Let’s finish what we started. Support the Silver Line and ensure a brighter future for all of Charlotte. Sign the petition and let’s make it happen!

Do you take public transportation or advocate for those who do? Or do you drive or work for public transportation in your community? The Accessible Transportation Resource Center wants to hear from you!   What works well, what doesn’t work, and what can be improved about transportation accessibility in your community? Take our short survey by Friday, 12/20:  https://lnkd.in/g7yi85SR   #Transportation4All

LGA has submitted key recommendations on behalf of members to the State's Transport Strategy, shaping the 30-year vision for the state’s transport network. Our latest submission highlights several areas, including the need for integrated planning for growth, community wellbeing and priority funding for the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass. A genuine and effective bypass would remove heavy road freight off the South Eastern Freeway and off suburban streets. Councils stand united calling for funding for the bypass as a must-do priority to make our roads safer, reduce congestion and future-proof freight productivity into the future. Read our latest submission and our next steps at: https://lnkd.in/gY8SwQ5w Department for Infrastructure and Transport

Monday, 9/30, join our webinar on Transportation Equity! This webinar will feature C. Sequoia Erasmus, Associate Deputy Director of Equity and Engagement at California Transportation Commission (CTC); Nailah Pope-Harden, Deputy Director of Equity & Tribal Affairs for Caltrans; and Russell Rawlings, Statewide Community Manager for California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC). https://bit.ly/4eOGpNh This webinar provides insights on #transportationequity from advocates and policymakers at the state and local levels. What does transportation #equity look like in practice? What are the opportunities, resources, and best practices to help #transportation agencies and #localgovernments center equity in #transportationplanning and implementation? How can advocates, planners, and policymakers collaborate more effectively on equitable transportation policies and initiatives? How can planners and policymakers improve #communityengagement to be more inclusive of the people most impacted by transportation infrastructure investment? This webinar series is sponsored by AARP California. https://bit.ly/4eOGpNh

The time for bold, visionary and impactful ideas has come. A new Municipal Growth Framework would notably enable more public transport to be used more effectively and relieve congestion in our cities. Learn more: https://buff.ly/45x4IeV #FCM

A world-class transit system bolsters inclusive economic growth, ensures access to opportunity and attracts top talent to the region. That’s why it’s so important that we recognize the action taken by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration and the Maryland General Assembly this session to make smart, fiscally responsible investments in our region’s transit. Strong steps in the right direction but our work is far from over. We stand ready with GBC and the entire Baltimore’s Transit Future coalition — to include more than 70 businesses and anchor institutions — to continue elevating the priority transit receives. Read Greater Washington Partnership CEO Kathy Etemad Hollinger’s joint op-ed with Greater Baltimore Committee CEO Mark Anthony Thomas in Baltimore Banner: https://bit.ly/3UrxlW1  #BaltimoresTransitFuture #RegionalMobility #Transit