Transportation Equity
A fair and balanced transportation system will unite us, not
divide us. It will ensure equal access to transportation resources
and to the destinations that are important to everyone’s
lives – jobs, shopping, medical facilities, entertainment,
friends, family, and other social occasions. In the New
York and New Jersey region, lack of an automobile should limit
no one’s opportunities.
Generally, an extensive mass transit system can provide this
sort of equality of access. Advocacy for good transit
service, affordable fares and transit system expansion is advocacy
for broader social access to travel within the region.
So too, walking and cycling infrastructure and safety programs
can promote very low cost mobility, and need to be extended
and maintained well in all parts of the region. In some
parts of the region, people of color suffer a disproportionate
number of injuries and fatalities caused in vehicle-pedestrian
crashes. For example, 67% of pedestrian fatality victims
in Nassau County in 2003 were African-American or Hispanic,
even though those groups made up only about 21% of the county’s population
in 2000.
Other transportation impacts are also borne disproportionately
by particular parts of the population. Much of our transportation
infrastructure is located in lower income communities of color.
Health studies in the South Bronx, for instance, suggest that
the interstate highways surrounding this dense urban area increase
exposure to harmful air pollutants. This has led to overall
higher levels of asthma in neighborhoods near highways, and
other respiratory illness.
The Campaign works for an equitable transportation system
that does not require the disadvantaged to take on the additional
financial burden of car ownership. It also ensures that the
transit-dependent are provided the reliable and efficient transportation
service they need and deserve.
Some of the projects the Campaign is involved in that have
an equity component are:
Suburban Bus Riders
Suburban bus riders, to a greater degree than their urban counterparts, are
likely to be the elderly, students, the handicapped, lower-income
people of color, or others that are not able to own a car.
Poor transit service impacts their ability to get to work,
jobs, school, or child care, putting them at a further disadvantage.
Long Island Bus Riders
Long Island Bus is run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority
and provides service in Nassau County, western Suffolk County,
and parts of Queens. For years Long Island Bus has
suffered from a lack of funding, particularly from the county
level, despite a large growth in ridership. In 2005, Nassau County Executive Suozzi increased county
funding for the system, but levels are still lower than
they were in 1999. Tri-State has worked with Long Island
ACORN and other civic groups to provide a strong voice for
bus riders calling for adequate funding and reliable service. In 2006, the Nassau County Legislature approved a $300,000 increase in funding for the system. While good news, the agency needs much more in years to come to keep up with rapid ridership growth.
Bring the Bus System Up to Speed, October 2006 Newday op-ed by TSTC
More funding for LI Bus study, October 2006 Newsday article
Nassau
Leaders Ride the Bus, Oct. 2005
MTR
514: Nassau Dems Miss the Bus
Keep
Long Island Bus Running Strong Next Year (2001)
Westchester Bee-Line Bus
The Bee-Line Bus offers commuters mass transit in Westchester County,
with connections to Rockland County and the Bronx. Though it is comparable in size and ridership to Long Island Bus, it received much less state funding between 2000 and 2003 - $25 million/year compared to $34 million for Long Island Bus. Governor Pataki’s
2006 budget increased state operating aid to the Bee-Line
and provided funds in order to make it Metrocard compatible -
a good sign for bus riders. The system began accepting Metrocard in April 2007 and has seen increased ridership since. However, increasing labor costs and
a lack of a stable funding source could easily put the system
back in the red in future years.
Sheridan Expressway Removal
The Sheridan Expressway extends from the Bruckner Expressway
to the Cross Bronx Expressway along the Bronx River in the
South Bronx. Due to its diminutive length and its redundancy
(the Bruckner and Cross-Bronx are directly connected to the
east and by the Deegan Expressway to the west) the road sees
relatively light vehicle traffic.
In the mid-90s, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign
came up with an idea to remove the Sheridan Expressway to reduce
the burden of transportation infrastructure on the surrounding
environmental justice community. Now, the Southern Bronx River
Watershed Alliance, a group working for the replacement of
the 1.25 mile roadway with more favorable land uses, such as
housing, commercial development, and parks. Other members of
SBRWA are Sustainable South Bronx, Pratt Institute Center for
Environmental and Economic Development, Mothers on the Move,
and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. SWRBA’s community
plan to remove the roadway is in the state DOT’s environmental study,
which will decide the roadway’s fate.
Among other advocacy work, the Tri-State Campaign convened
a symposium in 2004 at the Bronx Botanic Garden to discuss
urban highway removal. Former Mayor of Milwaukee Jon Norquist
and San Francisco’s urban designer Boris
Dramov discussed the benefits of removing highways along their waterfronts
with Bronx politicians and local leaders.
A More Livable Hempstead Village
The Tri-State Campaign is working with Long Island ACORN in Hempstead Village in Nassau County to improve pedestrian saftey conditions, and promote affordable housing development around Hempstead Transit Center.
View report and photos from walking tour of Hempstead Village.
Safer Streets in Newark
The Campaign is working with community groups like La Casa de Don Pedro in Newark to promote the use of transportation investment to spur economic development. Our work is meant to recreate Newark into streets meant for people, rather than streets built to move cars. Safer and more attractive streets for pedestrians and better bus service mean more customers for local business.
Read our five point transportation for redevelopment platform
View report and photos from walking tour of Bloomfield Ave in Newark.
NJ Transit Fare Hike
In February 2007 NJ Transit announced its third fare hike since 2002, a period in which it has raised no revenue from any other source. This will disproportionately impact low-income New Jerseyans and bus riders.
Fact sheet on NJ Transit Fare Hike
