Reimagining our Transportation Systems

Car culture has saddled us with immense air pollution at the same time that it has spawned sprawling suburbias with little access to jobs, food, healthcare, and recreation. Layers of oppression have been baked into the structure of how we live and move through our neighborhoods. Predominantly Black communities face a higher risk of premature death from particle pollution than whites do. This is due to the long-lasting effects of racialized housing policies, which resulted in greater exposure to things like busy, dirty highways. Specifically, Richmond neighborhoods redlined in the 1930s remain some of the hottest in the city today with little tree cover–leaving residents more susceptible to negative health outcomes. And highways that bisect poor communities like Route 1 disproportionately expose residents to harmful air pollution from cars and shipping.

The easiest way to reduce vehicle miles is to get Virginians out of their cars. This means making public transit between urban centers more affordable, accessible, and reliable, as well as creating bikeable and walkable communities. 

But currently, many communities have little to no access to public transportation. In 2018, riders of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) had to deal with 18,653 scheduled buses that never showed up. And two of our state’s biggest bus systems—HRT and the Greater Richmond Transit Company—were ranked two of the three worst-funded public transit systems in the country per capita.

We’re campaigning to increase funding for public transportation across the state. Join us in taking action today!