At the Intersection of Active Transportation and Equity

AT THE INTERSECTION Joining Forces of Active Transportation to Make and Equity Communities Healthier and Fairer Acknowledgements AUTHORS: Sara Zimmerman, Michelle Lieberman, Karen Kramer, and Bill Sadler. CONTRIBUTOR: Keith Benjamin We would like to thank the many people who assisted in the development of this resource. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the members of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s National Active Transportation Diversity Task Force. The Safe Routes to School National We appreciate the new ideas, contrasting Partnership is a national nonprofit with perspectives, examples, and technical a mission to advance safe walking and information provided through discussion bicycling to and from schools, and in and feedback. daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children, and to This publication was made possible foster the creation of livable, sustainable through a contract between the American communities. Begun in 2005, the National Public Health Association and the Safe Partnership works not only on Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Routes to School, but also more broadly funded through cooperative agreement to support local efforts to create healthy, 1U38OT000131 between the Centers for equitable communities. A core area of Disease Control and Prevention and the work for the National Partnership is American Public Health Association. The support for health equity for low-income contents of this publication are solely the communities and communities of color, responsibility of the authors and do not identifying and overcoming the barriers to necessarily represent the official views active transportation and physical activity of the Centers for Disease Control and that reduce health for many communities. Prevention or the American Public Health Association. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................page 2 Forging Commitment ........................................page 3 What is in this Report? . page 4 Section I Why Does Walking and Bicycling Matter for Equity Advocates? ..........page 6 Who Walks and Bicycles? .....................................page 7 Damaging Effects of Limitations on Mobility .......................page 8 Importance of Active Transportation .............................page 10 Section II Transportation Inequities in America...............................page 13 Higher Rates of Injuries and Fatalities ............................page 14 Disparities in the Physical Environment for Walking and Bicycling .......................................page 15 Disparate Experiences Discourage Walking and Bicycling .............page 17 Section III State of the Movements: Active Transportation and Equity .............page 21 Section IV Transportation Planning, Policies, and Investments: How We Got Here and How to Get Where We Want to Go ...............page 24 Federal and State Transportation Investments ......................page 25 Regional Transportation Planning ...............................page 27 City and County Policy .......................................page 28 Section V State of the Country: Working Toward Transportation Equity and Justice....................page 35 Gentrification and Active Transportation ..........................page 35 Equity on the Route to School .................................page 37 Community Organizing.......................................page 40 Bike Ownership and Repair Programs ............................page 42 Changing the Culture of Recreational Bicycling......................page 44 Addressing Crime, Fear of Crime, and Racial Profiling ................page 45 Bike Share Programs........................................page 47 Key Role for Public Transit ....................................page 48 Conclusion ...................................................page 50 1 INTRODUCTION Transportation is the linchpin that allows us to function in our daily lives. Whether we move by foot, bicycle, car, bus, skateboard, or wheelchair, we all need to travel to meet everyday needs. We use transportation to buy food, find housing, get to school and work, access recreational opportunities, visit friends and family, and obtain health care and government services – as well as get to literally everything else we do outside our homes. But our society suffers from considerable inequity, that undermines health. Without safe and convenient and transportation is no exception. Low-income transportation, low-income families can remain people and people of color in the United States trapped in poverty, unable to access the employment face transportation hurdles that can mean that just and educational opportunities necessary to succeed. accessing basic needs is time consuming, dangerous, Healthy food, safe playgrounds, high-quality schools, and sometimes almost impossible. Instead of travel health care, and other services – our transportation time allowing people to safely and conveniently get system allows some to access these with ease, but the physical activity they need while accomplishing creates significant impediments for others. daily objectives, travel is instead a source of stress 2 This situation is nothing new. equitable. That means a transportation What do we mean Transportation has long been a civil system that works to get all of us to where by equity? rights issue in America. Segregation was we need to go, while also supporting commonplace on buses and other public healthy local communities. Initiatives like Equity addresses the effects of transportation until the 1960s. During the U.S. Department of Transportation’s power imbalances and the social, that time period, heavy federal investment Ladders of Opportunity pilot are looking economic, and political differences in the interstate highway system led to to restore connectivity, develop workforce the demolition of many low-income capacity, and support neighborhood that generate disparate outcomes neighborhoods and neighborhoods of revitalization. Local community groups for people in arenas like health, color, while facilitating white flight to and nonprofits are working to overcome education, and employment. Equity the suburbs, with the effect of increasing the policy and infrastructure disparities residential segregation and disparate access that can make active transportation – recognizes that different people to transportation by race and class. The another name for getting around on foot, have different barriers to living persistent scars of urban renewal have bicycle, skateboard, or wheelchair – safer healthy, fulfilled lives. In order to left highways slicing through many urban and more convenient for some than for neighborhoods, making it impossible others. Our transportation system can be allow people to get to the same to walk or bicycle to many nearby one that supports our local economies, outcome, we need to understand the destinations. Differential investments have prioritizes our local streets as a community different barriers and opportunities left some communities with rundown resource, lets children breathe clean air, roads without sidewalks, while others and allows neighbors to meet and chat that affect different groups, and have the latest multimodal infrastructure. without the menace of nearby high speed craft our approaches, policies, The operation and construction of traffic – but we will need to work together and programs with those various our transportation network reflects to achieve that vision. longstanding racial and class tensions, and challenges and needs in mind. the effect has been to privilege access for The key area of focus for this report some over access for others. While civil rights laws now require transportation Forging Commitment will be equity as it relates to race, departments, transit agencies, and other For too long, many active transportation culture, ethnicity, and income. There service providers to consider civil rights organizations have been largely white, are many other aspects of equity, and social equity when making decisions, and have primarily focused on improving these laws only go so far in addressing walking and bicycling in middle- such as gender, gender identity, underlying issues. Segregation by and upper-income neighborhoods. sexual identity, disability, class, transportation remains commonplace in Meanwhile, organizations that focus on immigration status, religion, age, many communities, especially in low- equity and social justice have worked income communities and communities of on many pressing issues facing low- homelessness, and more – we will color where people are more dependent income communities, but their work on touch on many of these, but will upon transit, bicycles, and their own feet walking and bicycling safety has been not focus in on them. There are to get around. sporadic and without a national strategy or coordination. But that is all changing. other aspects of equity as well – “Transportation justice is the The relevance of transportation equity regional equity, rural, suburban, and to the lives of low-income people has urban equity, and more. These also concept that transportation become increasingly clear, as low levels infrastructure should aim of physical activity have contributed to deserve scrutiny and exploration, to equally and equitably rising obesity and diabetes rates, combined but in this report they will be with the mounting toll of injuries and discussed only in passing. address the needs

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