February 4, 2023
Landover, Maryland
In partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha and the Social Justice Ministry at Gethsemane United Methodist Church, the Prince George's Sierra Club celebrated Rosa Parks's birthday by observing Transit Equity Day with a special community forum at the Columbia Park Community Center in Landover on February 4. The program, Environmental Justice and You: Transportation Equity, included inspiration, conversation, and lunch with birthday cake.
Antoine Thompson of the Greater Washington Region Cleaner Cities Coalition led with a historical overview of transportation equity issues and a salute to Rosa Parks. Kyle Reeder, a community advocate from RISE Prince George’s described his experience with local public transportation and the importance of transportation options for economic opportunities. Tyrah Cobb-Davis drew connections with the work of the Climate Resident Advisory Group and implementation of the Climate Action Plan. In his keynote address, Delegate Jazz Lewis (District 24) connected the dots between transportation infrastructure, greenhouse gas emissions, health disparities, and social justice.
Fifty people attended in person and 8 more participated remotely. After hearing from the speakers, participants had small group discussions about transportation in Prince George’s CountyEach group of 6-7 had a scribe and a discussion leader/spokesperson. Some responses were written by participants on sticky notes and some were recorded by the scribe.
- What does “transportation equity” mean to you?
Participants shared ideas about helping all people, notably the disadvantaged, the elderly, students, people with disabilities, and people without cars, have the benefit of affordable, reliable, timely transportation to essential destinations such as grocery stores, health care settings, restaurants, etc. Timing of public transportation is important, especially at night and for service workers. They expressed a need for more sidewalks, more frequent buses, better Metro access, reduced traffic congestion, better options in rural areas, neighborhood circulator buses, Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, and improved convenience and safety in public transit.
Notable quotes:
“It means having the freedom to choose my daily transport rather than having the choice made for me.”
“Not pricing people out or ignoring legacy communities, but creating opportunities where more people can access needed resources more efficiently and sustainably.
“Leveling the playing field.”
“Lifting up those left behind.”
“There is no safety net to catch when a car breaks down to get to work by public transit. This keeps people poor.”
- Please share your transportation-related health and safety concerns.
Air pollution was a recurring concern, with mention of idling buses, exacerbation of asthma and other respiratory diseases, and proximity of bus lots and truck traffic to residential neighborhoods. Other prominent concerns were crime around transit stations, risk of traffic accidents, reckless driving, street racing, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and signalization. Mental health concerns included issues with passengers on metrobuses and sleep deprivation due to noise pollution. Multiple participants expressed concern about health effects of inadequate physical activity and barriers to active transportation. COVID transmission, mask wearing, and unclean conditions in transit stations, trains and buses, were also recurring concerns.
Notable quotes:
“I’ve been hit by enough cars and see how dangerous they are.”
“Too much pollution leads to respiratory disease and complications.”
“Waiting for the bus while large trucks are assaulting me with diesel exhaust and noise.”
“With public transit not an option for so many, driving becomes a right and not a privilege and responsibility that can be revoked for unsafe driving.”
“I gained 50 lbs. since moving to PGC because I can’t walk anywhere.”
“I don’t feel I’d be safe on a bike anymore because of my osteoporosis.”
“The current level of violence on Metro is very alarming, causing me to not want to take Metro as much.”
“The possibility of COVID exposure is still worrisome and scary.”
“If we don’t decrease GHG emissions, we are all cooked.”
“In my neighborhood, there is a lack of sidewalks and lighting, making it unsafe to bike/walk to shops that are close.”
- What do you think of election vehicles? Do you have one? Do you want one? What stands in the way?
Few participants owned an EV. They shared diverse ideas about potential environmental impacts and barriers to transition. They mentioned a lack of research/knowledge; issues about trust in the technology and reliability; concern about availability of charging stations and cost of installing a charging station at home; environmental impacts of heavy metal mining, battery production, and battery disposal; whether the electricity to power electric cars would come from fossil fuels; inconvenience of waiting for cars to charge; and problems with planning long trips. Several comments described a vision of EV charging stations near community areas with small businesses who can profit when people shop while their cars charge. Participants also expressed interest in electrification of buses, including school buses.
Notable quotes:
“I love my 2022 Nissan Leaf EV. It’s my dream car.”
“They are nice but they aren’t accessible.”
“They cost too much, even with tax credits.”
“They are heavier than gas-fueled cars. This will affect parking facilities and roads.”
“I’d rather walk and use transit than use a car, electric or not.”
“Insurance for EVs is more expensive.”
“What stands in the way is trip planning and range anxiety.”
- How does our transportation system work for you?
Most participants usually drive to get where they need to go. They indicated that public transit works well in the core of D.C., but in suburbs, getting to the Metro is an issue and improvements are needed in housing, connectivity, accessibility. Bus riders noted that schedules were confusing and buses were not reliably on schedule. Some expressed a desire to see more buses for popular suburban developments and more bus rapid transit. One called for overhaul of cab service to address the limitations of Metro access.
Notable quotes:
“Teleworking has enabled me to do less driving.”
“I have a bike but only use it for trails and neighborhoods, not on highway.”
“I cannot rely on public transit due to [it’s] always breaking down.”
“Metro parking costs need to be included in the fare cost.”
- What would it take to get more people to do less driving and more walking, biking, and riding public transit?
Ideas for making active transportation easier included better lighting, safer infrastructure for bikers, more bike trails and sidewalks, pedestrian-friendly lighting, safety passages with lighting on sidewalks, crosswalk strips, safer streets, and urban design for walkability. Ideas for increasing transit ridership included more convenient times and locations, improving safety features around transit services, reducing fares, removing parking, dedicated bus lanes, redesigning bus schedules for faster trips, better solutions for last mile access, incentives, and make certain days and holidays free for riders. Other ideas expressed included set a good example, advocate for change, and provide public service announcements/mass marketing/education/messaging about the benefits of not driving.
Notable quotes:
“Make public transit faster than driving.”
“I can’t access small business corner store because I have only the shoulder to walk on.”
“Teach the elderly how to use transit.”
“We need to build things near people (20 minute cities).”
“Transit-oriented development with high-density, mixed-use development near transit stations.”
“Land use policy is transportation policy.”
“Cash to low income and tax rebates for others to incentivize public transit utilization.”
SURVEY RESPONSES
Seventeen of the 50 participants responded to an informal survey. The results are displayed below:
