Today, the Transit Equity Act has its hearing in the Senate, and tomorrow, in the House! This important legislation puts measures in place to ensure that Maryland transportation planning is more equitable, and prevent something like the 2015 cancelation of the Red Line project in Baltimore from ever happening again. We're proud to support this bill in collaboration with the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition and as part of the Mid-Atlantic Justice Coalition. Please take a moment to email your representatives today in support of the bill, and read our testimony below!
Testimony Supporting SB23/HB141
Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs / House Environment and Transportation Committee
January 26 / January 27, 2022
Position: SUPPORT
Dear Chair and Members of the Committee,
The undersigned 40 organizations urge a favorable report on SB23/HB141, the Transportation Equity Act sponsored by Senator Carter / Delegate Ruth.
Maryland has a shamefully long history of racist transportation policies, from highways built through and dividing Black communities to the cancellation of the Red Line route, which would have provided urgently-needed access to jobs for residents in low-income, redlined communities in Baltimore and regional economy-transforming, transit-oriented-development (TOD). Equitable transportation will play a key role in dismantling systemic racism by:
- Increasing access to good jobs, schools, education, and food;
- Providing incentives for community economic development;
- Reducing smog, air pollution, and heat islands, which disproportionately impact Black communities
Only by being intentional about equity in the transportation sector can we begin to dismantle centuries of systemic racism.
Because many people with disabilities and many low-income households do not have access to cars, lack of access to other modes of transportation disproportionately harms them. Without access to transportation, people with disabilities continue to be alienated from the economic mainstream. People with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty in part due to difficulty accessing jobs, education and medical care. Because many individuals with disabilities have increased health care needs, isolation can have a profound impact on quality of life, health, and safety. The Transportation Equity Act requires data collection and analysis of the impact of transportation on people with disabilities, and adds a representative of Disability Rights Maryland to the Commission on Transportation Equity created in the bill.
The Transportation Equity Act:
- Makes equity a primary goal in the Maryland Transportation Plan;
- Requires MDOT to annually report data on racial disparities and impact on persons with disabilities;
- Adds representatives from the Maryland State Conference NAACP and a transportation labor organization to the Attainment Advisory Committee;
- Creates a Commission on Transportation Equity as an independent body responsible for developing policies, guidelines, assurances, and performance measures to ensure an equitable transportation system;
- Requires transit equity analyses, cost benefit analysis, and outreach to affected communities before public hearings on any major service change;
- Requires cross-modal analysis;
- Increases transparency with annual reporting and service change analysis reporting
Equity should not be an afterthought or a box to check. Real people’s lives are impacted by transportation. All Marylanders, regardless of race, income, zip code, or disability, should have an equal right to the benefits of a well-planned transportation system. We urge you to support HB141 to make this vision a reality.
Sincerely,
Clean Water Action
Emily Ranson, Maryland Director
Maryland Legislative Coalition
Cecilia Plante, Co-Chair
WISE (Women Indivisible Strong Effective)
Monica O’Connor, Legislative Liaison
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland
Phil Webster, Chair, Climate Change Task Force
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Victoria Venable, Maryland Director
Our Revolution Maryland
Suchitra Balachandran, State Organizing Committee
Cedar Lane Unitarian Church
Kathleen Holmay, Environmental Justice Team
SURJ Baltimore
Jon Smeton, Legislative Team Lead
Our Revolution Baltimore City/County
Barrie Friedland, Co-chair
Takoma Park Mobilization Environment Committee
Diana Younts, Co-chair
Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Ramon Palencia-Calvo, Deputy Executive Director
Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility
Gwen DuBois M.D., M.P.H., President
HoCo Climate Action
Ruth White, Steering Committee Member
Our Revolution, Howard County, MD
David LeGrande, Vice-Chair
Our Revolution Anne Arundel County Chapter
Arthur Holt, co-chair
Our Revolution Prince Georges
Suchitra Balachandran, ORPG Steering Committee
Our Revolution Montgomery County
Kathleen Uy, Co-chair
Indivisible Howard County
Richard Deutschmann, Co-Facilitator Climate Action Team
Echotopia LLC
Diane Wittner, Principal
Maryland Public Health Association
Raimee Eck, Advocacy Committee Co-chair
DoTheMostGood
Olivia Bartlett, Co-Lead, Maryland Team
Rebuild Maryland Coalition
Wandra Ashley-Williams, Director, CXC
MD Campaign for Environmental Human Rights
Nina Beth Cardin, Director
Locust Point Community Garden
Dave Arndt, Director
Indivisible Central Maryland
Liz Enagonio, Lead Organizer
Climate Parents of Prince George’s
Joseph Jakuta, Lead Volunteer
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Robin Clarke, Maryland Staff Attorney
Greenbelt Climate Action Network
Lore Rosenthal, Program Coordinator
Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
Eric Norton, Director of Policy & Programs
Blue Water Baltimore
Alice Volpitta, Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper
Strong Future Maryland
Alice Wilkerson, Executive Director
Poor Peoples' Campaign
Carmella Gioio, Western Maryland Region
People On the Go Maryland
Ken Capone, Director
Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club
Daniel Golombek, President
Baltimore City Green Party
Andy Ellis, Steering Committee
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager
CASA
Elizabeth Alex, Chief of Organizing and Leadership
Climate Law and Policy Project
Donald M. Goldberg, Executive Director
Maryland United for Peace and Justice
Paulette Hammond, Secretary/Treasurer
Bike Maryland
Josh Feldmark, Board of Directors
