C3 Releases Report and Recommendations for Transit Equity and Climate
This Press Release was published to local, state and national outlets on Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Charlottesville, Virginia – Tuesday, September 21, 2021
The Community Climate Collaborative (C3) released a groundbreaking report today following a year-long analysis and community engagement. Transit Equity and Climate: Moving to a Cleaner Future, outlines 14 recommendations to improve and expand transit, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build a more just community.
“It’s time to move transit to the forefront of our community planning, instead of the afterthought it has been,” said Susan Kruse, Executive Director of C3. “The largest share of our greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the cars we drive, both here in the greater Charlottesville area and across the Commonwealth. We cannot reach our climate goals without a robust transit system.”
Caetano de Campos Lopes, C3’s Director of Climate Policy and report author said, “We hope this report gives voice to the residents who rely on transit every day to access essential services. We spoke to almost 300 residents over the past year, and our current transit system is not serving their needs. Without action, living in our community will become even less affordable, and our greenhouse gas emissions will increase. We must fix our core systems to move to a cleaner, more just future.”
Key recommendations from the report, Transit Equity and Climate include:
● Make fare-free transit permanent.
● Set a goal to double ridership by 2024, with an emphasis on increasing bus occupancy.
● Set a goal to have no route frequencies in excess of 30-minute intervals.
● Move swiftly to increase access to bus stops and improve their safety.
● Develop a pilot to introduce battery-electric buses to the fleet and set a target to transition a fleet with 50% of its buses being zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
● Commit to doubling investments in improving pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure, with priority placed on areas within one mile of existing and/or planned transit routes.
● Lay the groundwork for zoning reform that allows for denser, more transit-oriented development with affordable housing as a central feature.
Read the report here on our website.
Join us for the webinar:
What: Transit Equity and Climate Webinar
Where: Register here
When: Wednesday, September 29th, Noon-1pm
About Community Climate Collaborative
The Community Climate Collaborative aims to bring communities together to lead on climate by working closely with schools, businesses, citizens, and local governments to implement carbon emissions reductions, develop climate action plans, and enact equitable policies that accelerate climate action. Visit theclimatecollaborative.org.
PRESS CONTACT: Susan Kruse, Executive Director, Community Climate Collaborative, (434) 284-0870, or susan@theclimatecollaborative.org