Here’s what we can do to make transit more equitable in DC

Transit Equity Day, February 4, is when civil rights, transportation and environmental organizations celebrate Rosa Parks’ birthday by calling on government leaders to invest in equitable transportation systems. This year, several Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANC) from neighborhoods in Southeast and Northeast DC are calling on District officials to improve transportation infrastructure, enhance economic growth, and protect the environment.

Demand for transit equity is even more essential because of potential cuts to services. For example, late last year, the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) drew a dire picture of what might happen if there was no federal support for public transportation. They reported that several bus lines would be cut, significantly disrupting transportation for thousands of District residents. While a last-minute COVID relief bill took that scale of cuts off the table, WMATA has indicated that there is still a gap in funding starting next fiscal year that could further threaten our transportation. These cuts tend to disproportionately impact communities East of the River, further exacerbating transit inequities.

So what can communities, advocates and legislators do now to make sure DC offers reliable, safe, and affordable transit for everyone?

Our bus riders matter

A recent poll from Data for Progress shows enormous support for bus equity from DC residents.

• 71% of DC voters support reallocating Circulator bus routes to address transit equity
• 72% of DC voters support adding more rapid transit bus lanes to DC streets.
• 78% of DC voters believe that all regional leaders should work to help WMATA maintain all bus routes and metro hours.

All over the District, residents support improved bus service. All residents need access to the same quality and quantity of transit services provided in other areas of the city. Data show that households in NE and SE own fewer cars than residents in other parts of the city, showing that the areas that have the least transit access actually have the greatest need for transit. We urge the following actions by the city to improve bus service and invest in transit equity:

Increased bus service: Constituents within our neighborhoods have all indicated a need to have more bus service, including shorter headways, ideally reducing wait times to five minutes on weekdays and no more than ten minutes on weekends. This can be done by the city buying more bus service from WMATA, reallocating Circulator service, or any other means available to us to ensure that COVID relief for transit is allocated towards this.

Dedicated transit lanes on H St NE, Benning Rd NE, East Capitol St. SE and Minnesota Ave NE: During the last three months of 2020, three drivers crashed into stores on H St NE and caused injuries as well as significant property damage. These crashes demonstrate the need for DDOT to implement improved safety controls along the H St. corridor. We stand with the dozens of businesses along H St NE calling for a transit-only lane and also demand bus lanes on Benning Rd NE, East Capitol St NE/SE and Minnesota Ave NE so that buses can more quickly deliver bus riders, many of whom are essential workers and students, to their destinations.

More bus shelters: The climate crisis has meant more heavy downpours, which means that bus riders are more often in need of shelter from rain events that are far more than the summer thunderstorms we are used to in DC. DDOT should place more bus shelters along Benning Rd NE, East Capitol St. and many areas East of the River. Increasing the number of bus shelters will provide critical shelter for the children that take public transportation to get to school and the many essential workers that rely on the bus to get to work.

Electric buses: DC also ought to switch to electric buses in our neighborhoods, which are disproportionately affected by poor air quality and resultant asthma rates. Data from the DOEE report from the spending plan for the Volkswagen Settlement show that pollution is disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities and communities east of the river:

“African-American adults in Washington, DC had twice the rate of asthma (15.4%) than Caucasian adults (7.6%). African American students in the District’s middle and high schools have much higher lifetime asthma rates (at 28.8% and 32.6%, respectively) than their Caucasian counterparts (at 14.0% and 19.0%, respectively). Lifetime asthma rates are also higher among middle and high school students classified as Hispanic, Other, or Multiple Races, ranging from 21.3% to 35.6%.”

The Circulator has a little over a dozen electric buses right now, while WMATA has one, and the Circulator routes are not currently addressing transit equity.

Restoration of the X1 bus line and extension of the streetcar: The cut to the x1 bus line has put more pressure on the x2, resulting in crowded buses throughout the pandemic.

Extend the Street Car to the Benning Rd Metro Station: If the Street Car were extended to the Benning Road Metro station it would provide residents with additional transportation options and access to grocery stores, restaurants, and other amenities.

Avoiding dire cuts is fine, but we need more and better service

A COVID relief bill helped WMATA avoid massive cuts in service, but federal dollars won’t be enough to keep WMATA funded and we urge leaders to not look to bus riders to shoulder the burden of those cuts.

DC’s bus system already received a ‘D’ Grade, but it should become an ‘A’ rated bus system. DC cannot achieve this change alone because of the pandemic, however.

Congress should invest in public transportation for DC and around the country like never before and DDOT and WMATA should lay out what kind of transit equity we could achieve with a federal investment in public transportation for our region. What is the opposite of the draconian cuts? What is the Green New Deal version of our bus system? How many more union bus drivers could we employ? How many electric buses could we procure? How fast could our kids and essential workers get where they are going? How many more communities could get a bus stop that serves them? How many more express buses could be running? We want to see that budget.

As leaders in our communities, we are urging Congress to fund public transit, WMATA to prioritize bus service, and DDOT to implement bus lanes and bus shelters this year.

In the meantime, from 8 to 8:30 am Thursday, we will be at the intersections of 15th and Benning NE and East Capitol and Benning NE to celebrate Rosa Parks’ birthday and Transit Equity Day We’ll have signs thanking bus drivers and bus riders, as well as signs asking for bus lanes and bus shelters.

Equitable transit for all people is not an insurmountable goal, but it does take all of us, residents, lawmakers, advocates, and agencies to make it happen.