MetroNow Dispatch 11.2020
Our November Dispatch unpacks what the 2020 elections mean for transit, celebrates a new Transit Champion of the Month, and discusses why the way the region returns to worksites matters.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Snapshot: What the Elections Mean for Transit
As the 2020 Election season wraps up, some of us are exhausted and some of us are energized, but we all are wondering, what's next? The fate of transit was literally and figuratively on the ballot in many places around the country. Here are the Top 5 Transit Takeaways the MetroNow team is tracking from the 2020 Elections:
The Feds: President-elect Biden has staked a bold transit vision to help counter climate change in his newly launched Transition platform. However, gridlock is the likely name of the game. The potential split party leadership of the U.S. House and Senate means we aren’t likely to see the kinds of sweeping transportation bills or relief packages transit agencies, state and local governments have been hoping for. Transit agencies will continue to struggle in 2021 unless ridership returns or new funding is found. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled an openness to state and local aid, which is encouraging, but the size and timing for this aid -- and whether any funding will support transit specifically -- is still very much in flux.
The Nation: Voters know the importance of transit. A majority of transit ballot measures were approved throughout the country as tracked by the Transport Politic. When voters around the country were asked if they wanted to be taxed to spend more money on their region’s transit, most said yes.
District of Columbia: Will Councilmember-elects Christina Henderson and Janeese Lewis George be Transit Champions? CM-elect Henderson‘s campaign platform included climate justice and the need to invest in the reliability, accessibility, and coverage of our transit system, especially Metrobus. CM-elect George’s campaign platform included transportation equity as a key issue. We look forward to their new energy on the council.
Maryland: The next Governor must share the purse. Maryland voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to give state lawmakers more control over the budget. Starting in 2022, the Maryland General Assembly will be able to reallocate money within the budget as long as it doesn’t exceed the Governor’s total proposed amount. In theory, this could be used to allocate more money for transit projects, and other priorities, if the next Governor did not include them in their budget.
Virginia: Virginia is for Transit Lovers. Voters in two Northern Virginia counties voted to support WMATA funding with $29.9 million in bonds in Arlington and $160 million in bonds in Fairfax County approved to support their local share of WMATA funding.
Read More:
Public transit emerges a big winner in election (Marketplace 11.5.20)
“The 2020 election was a good one for public transit, even as the pandemic continues to drive down ridership, fares and tax revenues that support the systems. More than a dozen local transit measures passed around the country, gaining approval at an historic rate.”
Transit agencies rethink future of commuter rail (TRAINS Magazine 11.4.20)
“As transit agencies plot their recovery from the devastating effects of the 2020 pandemic, a common denominator is emerging: more riders need city buses than suburban trains. The revelation portends diminishing investment in rail.”
Transit Champion of the Month: DC TEN
Photo by GGWash: Ron Thompson, Transportation Equity Organizer at Greater Greater Washington
The Transit Champion of the month is Greater Greater Washington’s Ron Thompson, and the new coalition of more than a dozen DC-based organizations who are forming the DC Transportation Equity Network (DC TEN) to advocate for transportation policies around mobility justice. The mission of this group is to see a transportation system in the District that connects vulnerable residents to greater opportunities, improving livability through greater investment in transit, pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure, and expanded access to micromobility options.
The organizations making up DC TEN will advocate for transportation policies that rectify historic disparities in access to jobs, schools, health care, and recreation, which will expand opportunities for those who have been pushed to the margins in a thriving city. Along with Greater Greater Washington, the organizations that make up DC TEN include:
Community Connections
DC Central Kitchen
DC Education Coalition for Change
DC Families for Safe Streets
DC Primary Care Association (DCPCA)
House of Ruth
ONE DC
SMYAL
So Others Might Eat (SOME)
UNITE HERE Local 25
Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA)
Washington Interfaith Network
Read More:
Transportation advocacy in DC is getting a new voice dedicated to equity (Greater Greater Washington 10.26.20)
“People living in poverty, people of color, older adults, and people with disabilities are hit hardest by a misallocation of public goods that has favored personal automobiles over all other transportation modes. DC TEN will advocate for policies that correct this imbalance.”
Public transport is COVID-safe (UITP 10.2020)
“Today, there is enough evidence to demonstrate that, when measures recommended by the health authorities are implemented, the risk of catching on Covid-19 in public transport is very low. If we recognise that zero risk doesn’t exist, public transport remains one of the safest ways to move around the city and keep cities alive.”
Next Stop: How Will The Region Return To Worksites?
Photo by airfocus on Unsplash
The safe return to work is top of mind for business leaders across the region. For years, we’ve talked about encouraging more employers to look at Transportation Demand Management (TDM) policies such as telework, flexible commute times, charging for daily parking, and incentives like paying for transit trips or subsidizing ebikes to help mitigate congestion.
As we think about the return to work, many employers and employees appear to perceive cars as the safest way to travel to work. If we reverse course and incent more driving, the region will lose economically, buses will be stuck in more traffic, and the environment will suffer.
Before office workers return en masse to worksites, we believe jurisdictions, BIDs, and employers should use this time to craft policies that provide a better experience for employee commutes. This includes:
Support Off Peak Commuting by Shifting Hours Employees Are Expected in the Office
Design Workflows That Enable Effective Collaboration Between Employees At Home and In the Office
Encourage Local Jurisdictions to Prioritize the Bus on Roads to Make it Faster, Easier, and more Competitive with Driving
Read More:
D.C.’s 16th St NW is finally getting its dedicated bus lane (WaPo 11.7.2020)
“The work, to be completed in a year, comes after a decade of planning and will give buses priority in the corridor and improve the commutes of thousands of transit users.”
Moscow Metro to test ‘early bird’ ticketing discounts to ease crowding (Intelligent Transport 10.28.20) “Off-peak travel times for the programme are 5:30-7:15am and 8:45-9:15am. Passengers travelling from any station on the line during these times will be able to travel at a discount of 50 percent. The discount also applies even if passengers leave the metro system to change modes and make interchanges.”
Boston Adds ‘Rapid-Response Bus Lanes’ for Pandemic (Next City 11.5.20)
“The MBTA launched a Rapid Response Bus Lanes program that adds 14 miles of dedicated bus lanes in partnership with four municipalities (Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, and Everett) throughout the fall and coming spring. The “Rapid Response” program can create new bus lanes, from planning to implementation, in roughly four months.”
Take the Capital COVID Survey Round 2: Planning for the Return to Worksites
In August 2020, the Greater Washington Partnership conducted a Capital Region-wide employer survey to better understand how organizations were planning to reopen worksites and what factors prevented employers from returning to offices. The first Snapshot showed a high level of uncertainty on physical return to worksites with a gradual return expected to last well into 2021.
The intent of this effort is to enhance coordination and understanding of reopening strategies and perceptions across stakeholders and jurisdictional boundaries. Your feedback will enable employers and public agencies in the Capital Region to make informed decisions about how to safely and sustainably plan their reopening and recovery efforts. We encourage all employers in the region – private, public and non-profit – to answer a brief 10-minute survey about your organization's plans for the remainder of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The survey should be answered by a staff member with the ability to answer or estimate return to worksite timelines, policies and employee transportation trends.
Please share the survey with your employer.
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The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We launched the MetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.