At its July meeting, the TPB took a series of actions focused on equity, safety, and making it easier for people to get around the region by foot or by bike. At the meeting the board adopted a policy statement affirming that the TPB take equity into account for every decision and work activity. The board also included this equity statement in its approval of a set of safety recommendations for the region.
Also, at the July meeting, the TPB identified 49 Transit Access Focus Areas (TAFA) and adopted the National Capital Trail Network (NCTN). These two actions are an important milestone in progressing two of the TPB’s aspirational initiatives from the 2018 long-range plan, Visualize 2045. It also approved bicycle and pedestrian projects in Maryland for funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program. Learn more about the Maryland projects.
Watch or listen to the full TPB meeting.
A Statement on Equity
Last month, TPB Chair Kelly Russell took a moment to talk about her thoughts on equity after the protests in response to police killings of Black people. In her remarks, Chair Russell talked about the legacy of racism and said that “it is our responsibility and obligation to conduct our daily activities thoughtfully; with fairness and respect for one another.” Speaking for the board she offered reassurance that “the TPB will not just continue our commitment to equity, we will work diligently and deliberately to enhance our conscious efforts toward equity in all we do.”
This month Chair Russell introduced a resolution to codify TPB’s sentiments on equity so that equity considerations are always a part of the conversation. She said that she would like to further spell out and reinforce that the TPB as an organization is fully committed to conducting all its activities in a manner that not only promotes equity but is anti-racist. Board member Christian Dorsey, speaking in support of the resolution, noted that earlier in the month the COG Board of Directors had also approved an equity statement. He suggested a few additions to the TPB’s resolution that reflected some of the sentiments in the COG resolution, including the phrase that “in addition to working toward equity, we also be anti-racist.”
The TPB unanimously passed the amended resolution.
Read the resolution.
Listen to the discussion and vote on the equity resolution.
A safety program for the region
In June, the TPB received a briefing on recommendations from the TPB commissioned regional safety study. Roadway safety has been a focus for the TPB this year. The resolution at the July meeting to accept the recommendations from the study, is the culmination of work of the past 18 months.
The resolution urges the TPB’s members to commit to working individually and/or collectively to reduce fatalities and serious injury crashes on the region’s roadways. The member agencies are called upon to take actions targeting the predominant causes and types of fatal and serious injury crashes in the region. The actions include a range of activities from engineering to create safer roadways, education about safe driving and operations, and enforcement of safe driving, all consistent with TPB’s statement on equity.
The resolution explicitly calls on members to work to increase seat belt usage and reduce unsafe speeds and impaired driving on the roads. The resolution included about 50 safety measures proven to address the predominant types of crashes observed in the region. The resolution also created a new Regional Roadway Safety Program which would be funded by the TPB with assistance from member state DOTs. This program would provide assistance to member jurisdictions as they work to improve safety and help the region implement projects, programs or policies to improve safety outcomes for all roadway users. Additionally, the resolution calls upon TPB member jurisdictions and agencies to adopt roadway safety goals consistent with Vision Zero and Towards Zero Deaths policies and develop local roadway safety plans and ensure their equitable impacts on all roadway users.
Since the June meeting, board members have expressed some concerns about recommending seatbelt laws be established as primary offense. Board members were concerned that these laws could increase interactions between people of color and the police. While recognizing how important and effective seat belts are to saving life and also noting the legacy of racial bias in the enforcement of traffic safety laws, the resolution calls for implementation of any and all safety measures, engineering, education or enforcement consistent with TPB’s equity statement and to recognize past actions that have had a disparate impact on marginalized communities and states that actions should be taken to correct these past mistakes.
Board Member Kacy Kostiuk thanked the staff and her colleagues in working through some of her concerns about primary seatbelt enforcement. But she noted that she was worried about the equity issues that seat belt laws could exacerbate. “I still have concerns about the board passing a resolution while intended to save lives could have consequences about the impact on communities of color,” she said.
Other board members said they supported all the recommendations including the primary seatbelt enforcement since it would play an important role in reducing serious injuries and death. The board approved the resolution.
Learn more about the safety recommendations.
Listen to the board discussion and vote.
Transit Access Focus Areas and the National Capital Trail Network
Also, at the July meeting two of the TPB’s aspirational initiatives focused on walking and biking reached key milestones. First, was work that came out of the initiative to improve walk and bike access to transit. Staff have identified a list of Transit Access Focus Areas or TAFAs. These are areas around high capacity transit which includes Metrorail, bus rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and streetcar, that have been selected as priority locations for improving pedestrian and bike access to transit. The work began by looking at the walksheds around transit stations. Walksheds show how easy or hard it is to get to the station and shows what barriers exists making it harder to do so. Then TPB staff worked with member jurisdictions to review all such areas and identify areas with the most need and demand for better access for the TPB to focus on.
The board unanimously approved the current list of 49 TAFAs. The TPB expects that the TAFAs will receive priority consideration for funding by the its member jurisdictions and agencies. In addition, projects at these station areas will receive additional consideration for funding through the TPB’s Transportation Land-Use Connections (TLC) and the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TAP) programs.
Learn more about the Transit Access Focus Areas.
Listen to the presentation and board discussion.
The second initiative that reached a key milestone at the meeting was the adoption of the National Capital Trail Network (NCTN) map. The NCTN is a network of long-distance, off-street facilities, connecting all parts of the national capital region, suitable for people of all ages and abilities. It is an expansion of the National Capital Trail that the TPB had adopted in 2018 which connected only the jurisdictions in the region’s core.
The board unanimously approved the proposed network and adopted the NCTN. The TPB expects that the NTCN projects will receive priority consideration for funding by the its member jurisdictions and agencies. In addition, the network will be used to prioritize funding for the TPB’s Transportation Alternatives and the Transportation Land Use Connections programs.
Learn more about the National Capital Trail Network and work with an interactive map.
Listen to the presentation and board discussion.
Other items
Public Comment: Every TPB meeting offers time on the agenda for members of the public to address the board. For virtual meetings people have been able to submit short comments for staff to relay to the board at the meeting. At the July meeting, staff received 42 comments primarily in support of the National Capital Trail Network. Other comments focused on equity and safety. Read the summary memo and comments. Listen to the presentation.
Citizens Advisory Committee: CAC Chair Nancy Abeles presented the CAC report. The CAC met on July 16. The committee received a briefing on the safety recommendations and made a statement to the board in support of the resolution. The committee also received a briefing on the National Capital Trail Network and held a discussion to provide feedback on the Visualize 2045 website. Read the CAC report. Listen to the CAC report.
Access for All Advisory Committee: Board member and AFA Chair Kacy Kostiuk reported on the AFA’s July meeting. The AFA received a presentation on COG’s activities on racial equity including on the Government Alliance on Race and Equity. The committee also received a briefing on the safety recommendations. Read the AFA report. Listen to the AFA report.
Watch or listen to the July TPB meeting.
Get TPB meeting announcements, agendas, and materials sent directly to your inbox.