2021 bright spots: Laying the tracks for a greater transportation system 

“Are we getting on another bus?” my nephew asked as we alighted from the 90 bus to walk to Yards Park on a day back in August. His weeklong visit to DC gave him his first taste of using buses and trains daily, opening his four-year-old eyes to a whole new way of moving through the world.

My nephew’s joy in our urban transit system and the opportunities that it unlocks crystallizes, for me, the value of staying on track with making transit, walking, biking, and other active modes the backbone of our urban landscape.

We’ve been working all year with many of you on exactly that. As 2021 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on the progress we’ve made, even in the face of the evolving pandemic and other challenges.

Below, we’ve shared a few highlights from our transportation work in 2021. (And make sure to check out last week’s post of highlights from our housing work, if you haven’t already!)

Making it easier to get around without a car

COVID-19 and its restrictions threw into sharp relief that transit is what made it possible to continue essential services at the worst of times. Bus ridership only dropped by about half during the peak months of the pandemic (whereas other modes like car and rail dropped far more) because so many essential workers depend on it.

And since the lion’s share of bus riders are either from lower income or Black or Brown households, the improvements, and expansion of bus services that we, together with you, continue to push for and cover each day are fundamentally about racial equity and economic justice.

Thankfully, 2021 brought renewed investment in critical infrastructure and services for both transit and active transportation. Those investments included streetscapes, 17.4 miles of new pedestrian and bike trails and 30 miles of protected bike lanes, monthly road closures in each ward for public events, the streetcar’s expansion to Benning Road, and major capital projects like the H Street bridge (a crucial piece of Union Station’s redevelopment).

All these investments should be seen through a lens of a region better placed to reduce carbon emissions, make road users safer, and increase access to opportunity, and we will be tracking the degree to which they bear fruit in the long term. The work of the Transportation Equity Network, which our policy officer Ron Thompson manages, and was established in the early months of the pandemic, is another platform for ensuring these plans translate to on-the-ground improvements for underserved communities.

Transit affordability and bus priority

Looking regionally, GGWash, as well as the DC Transportation Equity Network, have been stalwart champions for the elimination of WMATA’s bus transfer penalty. The transfer penalty is a financial burden imposed on riders who need to transfer from bus to rail – disproportionately affecting low-income riders of color. It finally got the boot this year, allowing riders to take more efficient journeys and not be penalized for not living near rail stations.

The expansive investment we’ve called for in bus priority, to keep buses from having to compete with cars for space, came to fruition this year in DC’s 2022 budget which expanded funding for bus, bike, pedestrian infrastructure, and automated traffic enforcement (cameras). And DDOT has made significant progress in installing those improvements, like the 16th Street bus lanes and similar initiatives throughout the District. We also brought a holistic look to how the region could more effectively manage demand for different trips, through the popular webinar series “Getting There.”

People first

The rise in traffic fatalities in our region and across the country means we all feel an increased sense of urgency. The loss of 39 lives in DC alone, and many more across the region, plus thousands of injuries, weighs heavily in our hearts and sharply highlights how important it is that our urban transportation systems stop putting cars and their drivers first and people last. We need your help to push our cities to think more clearly about who is benefiting from an outdated, car-dependent system that many cities across the world are already leaving behind.

From the response of readers and supporters, it is clear that the energy and determination exists to transform our region’s approach to transportation to prevent these tragedies.

You make this future possible

As we reflect on where we’d be as a region without these changes, and how much work remains to be done, we’re struck by the simple fact that all progress happens thanks to your support. (We’ve got at least one new acolyte this year, as my nephew’s favorite birthday present was a toy Metrobus from us: “The wheels WORK!”).

So as we rub our hands and put together our work plans for a 2022 full of both risks like a reckless driving environment and possibilities like the infrastructure bill, we’re asking you to keep riding with us by making a contribution to our year-end campaign.

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