Transportation policy is a social justice issue.

Across the country, our built environment has been used to segregate Black & Brown communities. From train tracks to boulevards and highways. Our policies create or break down physical barriers to opportunity.

Everyone can agree, our transportation systems are outdated.

For decades, we have relied on an 80-20 ratio to fund highways & transit. This split has starved our cities & all our communities from needed transit investments & opportunities for the least among us.

I offer my #TransitEquity amendment which would quadruple transit funding without cutting highways, to highlight that we do not have to operate in a zero-sum game. We do not have to remain tied to over 60-year-old formulas to fund our infrastructure.

My amendment seeks parity between highways and transit funding and allows us to think about what could be with increased access to affordable transportation for ALL our communities.

Imagine:

Increased access to jobs, especially for Black, Brown, and working class people

More connectivity for city suburbs & exurbs

Improved walkability and & potential transit access in small towns

Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

We need to start a conversation about how our cities & our towns might look if we actually INVESTED in our transit systems. We need to reframe our work in @transportdems as a critical component of the fight for social justice & equity for everyone. Black, Brown, Rural, or Urban.