Getting there: A video recap from Part 2 of our series on transportation in the Washington region

On November 16, GGWash held the second webinar of our series, Getting There. The series takes a big-picture look at transportation patterns in the Washington region, equity and sustainability considerations, and policies for managing demand and mode shift. You can watch the recording here and below (watch the recording of the first webinar in the series here).

Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins, Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Natural Resources Defense Council and former WMATA Board Member, and Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America, joined me to discuss longstanding realities and emerging dynamics in transportation equity in the Washington region.

The panel began with identifying who transit riders are, with Gidigbi-Jenkins highlighting that bus riders are more likely to identify as lower-income and/or people of color. Many transit systems, including ours, tend to center white-collar commuters and other workforce travel, whereas a majority of trips undertaken are not commutes. This has important implications for what types of trips are prioritized for better and more reliable service, and can widen disparities by relegating riders outside of the “9-5” white-collar workforce to worse service and fewer opportunities.

Gidigbi-Jenkins observed that during her tenure on the WMATA Board, it had been a priority for her to support efforts to address the “separate but equal” status of Metro bus vs. Metro rail services, such as the Framework for Transit Equity: Metrobus Service Guidelines. The panel further noted how access to cars tends to be significantly greater as household wealth increases, throwing the need to prioritize transit in efforts to eliminate wider disparities in sharp relief. Osborne further noted connections with land use, sparking off a discussion about how the design of communities, whether urban or suburban, can exacerbate or address inequities in access. Both panelists commented on the costs of longer commutes via transit or car, noting that people’s lived experiences will often reflect wider costs than housing or transportation planners may consider and that it’s valuable to engage with people about what costs are affecting their decisions and experiences.

Turning to emerging dynamics, the panelists considered how the current environment for health and safety might impact on individual decision-making (which mode to take). Osborne observed that most fatalities and injuries are likely to happen on arterial roads at off-peak times because more open space leads to faster speeds, a dynamic which has been turned on its head during the COVID-19 pandemic because fewer drivers have been on the road without accompanying safety adjustments, which are needed to achieve Vision Zero. Gidigbi-Jenkins commented that a person’s ZIP code has a greater impact on their life expectancy than their genetic code, through dangers including traffic violence which disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities, but also cautioned against excessive policing of these communities and called for thinking “beyond Vision Zero.”

The news of the week was Congressional approval of the federal infrastructure bill, and what that could mean for funding regional transportation projects that prioritize sustainability and equity. Osborne noted significant limitations to what the bill could achieve for sustainability or equity due to a continued emphasis on highway building, but also a few opportunities for transformative regional projects.

Overall, the discussion highlighted ways that regional authorities can incentivize, or stop disincentivizing, transit by improving service and reliability in pursuit of our sustainability, equity and growth goals, especially in the context of WMATA’s recent declines in ridership due to both covid and service disruptions. Audience members posed several questions including free fares vs. frequency and reliability, and how community input processes could bring in “aspirational” elements of achieving a future-focused transportation system rather than retrenching existing problems.

What’s next?

Join us for our next webinar on Tuesday, December 7 at 1 pm, which will focus on how road pricing (also known as congestion pricing) can advance equity, mobility and sustainability.

Editor’s note: GGWash maintains a firewall between its advocacy and editorial activities, and editorial staff are not involved in advocacy. To learn more, see our editorial policy.