the oakland airport connector: a civil rights and transportation justice campaign guillermo mayer,...
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The Oakland Airport Connector:A Civil Rights and
Transportation Justice Campaign
Guillermo Mayer, Senior Staff AttorneyPublic Advocates Inc.
2009 Bay Area Transit Context
Service Cuts!
Fare Hikes!
Layoffs!
2009 National Context
Source: Stranded at the Station. Transportation for America/Transportation Equity Network, August 2009
2009 National Context
Source: Stranded at the Station. Transportation for America/Transportation Equity Network, August 2009
Bay Area: A History of Inequity
MTC’s Transit Expansion Program ($13.5 billion total)MTC’s Transit Expansion Program ($13.5 billion total)
Rail94.0%
Ferry1.3%
Bus4.7%
Oakland Airport Connector
• Approved by Alameda County voters in 2000.
• Had been dead since 2003. Lack of private
financing.
• Revived by MTC’s allocation of $70M in ARRA
funds.
BART System
The Oakland Airport ConnectorThen vs. Now
Then (2000) Now (2009) .
Cost: $130 million Cost: $492 million
($42M per mile) ($159M per mile)
13,540 riders (2020) 4,350 riders (2020)
6 minute trip 16-19 minute trip
2 intermediate stops No stops
$4 roundtrip fare $12 roundtrip fare
!
!
Millions for Airport Travelers Service Cuts for Bus Riders
Oakland Airport Connector $492 million
AC Transit $57 million deficit (8% service already cut; 7% more cuts planned)
We Pushed for a Better Alternative
$492 million
$60 million
vs.
BART didn’t listen… but the Obama Administration did!
FTA Title VI Requirement:
Transit agencies must “evaluate significant system-wide service and fare changes and proposed improvements at the planning and programming stages to determine whether those changes have a discriminatory impact” on minority and low income populations.
September 2009: Genesis, Public Advocates, Urban Habitat, and TransForm filed complaint with the FTA
December 2009:
FTA Office of Civil Rights conducts on-site investigation of BART
February 2010:
FTA issues decision
Title VI Administrative Complaint
What Have We Won So Far?• $70M for Transit
• Opportunity to revamp BART’s approach to civil rights
• Fed review of MTC’s Title VI oversight
•Title VI victory echoed across the country
What’s Next?
•The fight is not over . . . .
•Plenty of lessons to be learned