Mission Statement

Our Mission Statement:
The Equity in Active Transportation Committee is focused on collaborative approaches to providing culturally competent and relevant transportation related programming in low income communities of color in the Portland Metro area. The Committee is comprised of program level staff from various agencies who are engaged in transportation program design, implementation and delivery.

The Equity in Active Transportation Committee was founded by the Community Cycling Center in 2010, and continues to be moderated and facilitated by them.

Goals

The goals of the Equity in Active Transportation Committee are:
1. To effectively collaborate as transportation focused agencies with our partner organizations that serve low income and communities of color in Portland, Oregon.
2. To share resources and challenges in providing culturally competent outreach, community engagement, leadership empowerment and program delivery in low income and communities of color.
3. To share resources and connections with our partner organizations to better provide ongoing support in a manner that best suits the needs of each specific community.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

OPAL Launches their Campaign for Fair Tri Met Transfer

OPAL - Environmental Justice Oregon, launched their campaign for a fair Tri Met transfer on February 21st, 2011! TriMet riders who depend on the bus and MAX are facing greater hardships. Many transit riders, especially working-class families and people of color, rely on single-trip fares to meet basic needs and can’t afford to invest in transit passes. TriMet has cut bus service by over 170,000 hours leading to longer wait times between buses, overcrowded buses that pass us by, and missed transfers. Service cuts have decimated evening and weekend service.

OPAL has been working on this campaign for many months now, and they have a strategy not only for community involvement in the cause, but also for how things could be better.

OPAL Bus Riders Unite! has a Solution: 1. EXTEND ALL TRIMET TRANSFERS TO 3 HOURS FOR BUS AND MAX
2. SUPPORT EVENING RIDERS WITH UNLIMITED TRANSFER TIME AFTER 7PM

There are lots of ways you can get involved in this campaign and any of their other efforts such as this one:

BRU TIP Advocacy Team
Bus Riders Unite for Transit Justice in TriMet’s Transit Investment Plan (TIP)
We are seeking bus riders who are interested in making change for those who depend on public transportation.  Bus riders, particularly those from working class families and communities of color, need to have a greater role in TriMet’s annual Transit Investment Plan (TIP) to ensure equity and fairness in future service planning and priorities.  This unique leadership program will unite a core group of bus riders to strengthen our advocacy and leadership skills, with the goal of increasing our influence on transportation decisions.  Participants will meet at least once each month for advocacy training around public transportation processes, health impacts, and environmental justice issues in the Portland metro region.

For more information please go to their website at:
http://www.opalpdx.org/
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