Written Testimony
of
Mike Litt, Sierra Club DC Chapter
For a Joint Public Hearing on
Bill 24-429, the Metro for D.C. Amendment Act of 2021
Before the Council of the District of Columbia’s
Committee of the Whole and
Committee on Transportation and the Environment
February 23, 2022
Good Afternoon, Chairmman Mendelson and Councilmember Cheh. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the Metro for D.C. Amendment Act of 2021 (B24-0429). And thank you, Councilmember Allen and the other nine councilmembers who introduced it.
My name is Mike Litt, and I am testifying on behalf of the Sierra Club DC Chapter. I am a car free renter in Ward 6 and a member of the DC Chapter’s energy and smart growth committees. The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest environmental advocacy group. We have 3,000 dues-paying members in DC.
The Sierra Club enthusiastically supports Metro for DC, which would establish the District Resident Transit Subsidy Program, providing a $100 per month transit subsidy for DC residents, and the Transit Equity Fund, providing at least $10 million a year for improvements and investments in areas that need it the most.
There is a lot to love about this bill, which I detail below. In brief: Metro for DC prioritizes people most in need in our community, while also benefiting everyone with improved convenience, air quality, and affordability. And by incentivizing all of us to ride Metro, it would help us reach the District’s targets for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and car commutes by 2032. We urge the Council to pass Metro for DC.
Transit service
The Transit Equity Fund would dedicate at least $10 million a year to be used for improvements, such as new bus routes, more frequent buses, and extended hours of operation in priority areas of transportation need, as identified in the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan. According to DDOT’s plan, also known as moveDC, the areas with greatest need are determined by factors such as residents’ proximity to frequent transit service and their commute times. People of color, low-income residents, and people with disabilities make up more of the population in these areas than they do in the entire District.
The Sierra Club supports this investment toward transportation equity. The Sustainable DC 2021 Progress Report indicates that the District has made moderate progress so far toward the Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan’s recommended action of improving transit connections to employment and activity centers from underserved areas, as part of its target for increased transit ridership. The Transit Equity Fund would allow us to supercharge those efforts, which are long overdue.
The Transit Subsidy Program’s $100 a month subsidy for DC residents would incentivize the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to get people to use their subsidies by providing better and more frequent service across the entire system, not just Metrobus. Earning people’s subsidies could also help Metro deal with a budget shortfall and the end of significant sources of federal funding beyond FY2023. Improved service begets more ridership and, in turn, more revenue.
Air quality
Metro for DC would improve bus transit and increase ridership in areas with higher rates of health risks associated with air pollution.
Air quality has improved significantly in the District since the 2000s. However, according to an air pollution case study for Washington, DC published last October, that improvement has been uneven across the District. The report, co-authored by researchers from George Washington University, Boston University, the District of Columbia’s Department of Health and Department of Energy & Environment, Dalhousie University, and Washington University in St. Louis, found higher rates of health risks associated with particulate matter pollution in DC neighborhoods with larger proportions of people of color and lower household income.
We are hopeful that these health inequities will be mitigated as more people ride Metro and reduce their GHG emissions. Further improvements in air quality will be realized as we transition to an electrified bus fleet. In addition to Metro for DC, the Sierra Club also supports DC Council Resolution R24-0373, passed earlier this month, which calls on WMATA to only buy electric buses moving forward. The resolution cites improved public health and increased cost savings detailed in a 2020 Sierra Club report as reasons for the commitment. Metro should heed the council’s call and formally commit to buying electric buses only.
Affordability
Metro for DC would help residents of all income brackets with their household budgets. We support the priority order for distributing the $100 a month subsidy, which would ensure people with lower incomes receive the subsidy first.
On a personal note, Metro costs are a factor for me when I plan possible trips and meetings in the District. The subsidy would certainly help me with my personal budget and would increase my use of Metro in the future.
Increases ridership, decreases global warming pollution
We don’t know exactly what will happen next with COVID-19, but we should be prepared for near-term increases in commutes and in-person activities. Incentivizing people as soon as possible with salient benefits and improvements will make it more likely that they will make Metro part of their lives instead of returning to cars for routine trips.
According to moveDC, transportation is the District’s second leading source of GHGs, accounting for 21 percent of such emissions.
The subsidy and the equity fund coupled together would help reach Sustainable DC’s targets of 60 percent GHG reduction from transportation and increased use of public transit to 50 percent of all commuter trips by 2032, parts of the District’s overarching goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
The funds would also play an important role in reaching moveDC’s goal of shifting to 75 percent non-car commuter trips by District residents by 2032. DDOT has made it clear that reaching this goal, “will require successful implementation and operation of improved bus transit.” We couldn’t agree more.
The plan notes that slow travel speeds is one of the main reasons people give for not using the bus. It also explains that transit’s convenience and attractiveness to the public is determined by high-frequency service, defined as five minutes or better for rail and ten minutes or better for bus, and convenient walking distance to a transit stop, defined as a half mile walk from rail stations and a quarter mile walk from bus stops.
That all tracks with Metro’s Bus Transformation Project Update, published in November 2021, which reports that more frequent service, followed by more reliable and faster service, were the top priorities for current and potential customers.
Metro for DC directly addresses these issues by providing funds for needed improvements, such as new bus routes, more frequent buses, and faster trips with bus lanes.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic, global warming, and inequality continue to present harms and uncertainty for our community. However, we can and must take these challenges head on. Metro is part of what makes living in the District special, so it only makes sense for Metro to be part of the solution. Metro for DC would help ensure a liveable community for all, reverse global warming, and make DC an even more special place to live. The Sierra Club, therefore, urges its speedy passage and implementation. Thank you.