Tri-State Transportation Campaign

THE TRI-STATE TRANSPORTATION CAMPAIGN CONDUCTS ADVOCACY AND POLICY PROGRAMS TO REDUCE CAR DEPENDENCY AND PROMOTE A SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY AND CONNECTICUT METROPOLITAN REGIONS.

MEETING OUR CLIMATE GOALS:IN FY21, WE CONTINUED TO PUSH FOR REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR, ADVOCATING TO MOVE URGENTLY TO TRANSITION THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR TO BE CARBON-NEUTRAL BY 2050. WE CONTINUED OUR WORK FOR TIMELY AND EQUITABLE TRANSIT ELECTRIFICATION WITH ELECTRIFYNY AND ELECTRIFYNJ - KEEPING TRANSIT AGENCIES AND LAWMAKERS ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR PROPOSED TIMELINES AND PROMISES TO ELECTRIFY. IN THE WAKE OF RECORD-BREAKING WEATHER, STORMS, AND THE SPECTER OF CLIMATE CHANGE, WE PUBLISHED OUR RESILIENCY REPORT PLANNING FOR A CLIMATE RESILIENT ELECTRIC BUS FLEET, WHICH EXPLAINS THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES TRANSITIONING TO A CLIMATE-RESILIENT ELECTRIC BUS FLEET. WHEN THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE AUTHORITY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO SPEND $16 BILLION ON OVER 100 MILES OF HIGHWAY-WIDENING PROJECTS, TSTC PUBLISHED OUR REPORT RAIL AND ROAD TO RECOVERY. THIS REPORT OUTLINES CRITICAL TRANSIT PROJECTS IN NEW JERSEY THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN PRIORITY OVER COSTLY AND DESTRUCTIVE HIGHWAY WIDENING PROJECTS THAT HAVE ADVERSE IMPACTS ON OUR CLIMATE, HEALTH, AND COMMUNITIES.FIXING OUR COMMUTES BUS LANES ARE ESSENTIAL ESSENTIAL WORKERS HAVE A RIGHT TO RELIABLE, EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AS THEY KEEP THE REST OF US SAFE FROM THE WORST OF THE PANDEMIC. TO RESPOND TO ESSENTIAL WORKERS NEEDS AND AS PART OF NEW YORK CITYS POST-COVID REOPENING PROCESS, MAYOR DE BLASIO AND NYCS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION LAUNCHED THE BETTER BUSES RESTART PLAN, WHICH CALLS FOR NINE MAJOR BUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, INCLUDING 20 MILES OF NEW BUSWAYS AND BUS LANES. TSTC PRODUCED THIS SET OF FACT SHEETS TO ANALYZE HOW THE CITYS BUS PROJECTS WILL BENEFIT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND ENSURE THAT THESE PROJECTS MOVED TO COMPLETION. AT YEARS END, THE DOT HAS COMPLETED OVER 16 MILES OF NEW BUS INFRASTRUCTURE ON OUR STREETS, HELPING SPEED ESSENTIAL WORKERS TO HOSPITALS, PHARMACIES, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER CRITICAL PLACES OF WORK. CIRCUIT TRAILSIN FY21, TRI-STATE'S WORK ON THE CIRCUIT TRAILS RESULTED IN MORE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PLANNING, DESIGN, AND USE OF THE CIRCUIT TRAIL NETWORK THROUGHOUT THE REGION. TRI-STATE PROVIDED MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES WITH ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION-FOCUSED GRANTS. TRI-STATE ALSO HELPED MAKE CITY OF TRENTON'S CICLOVIA OPEN STREETS FESTIVAL AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT SHOWS THE POTENTIAL OF REIMAGINED STREETS AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THE CIRCUIT. FOUR NEW CIRCUIT TRAIL AMBASSADORS WERE RECRUITED AND MULTIPLE PARTNERSHIPS WERE STRENGTHENED THROUGH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS. DURING THE COVID-19 SHUTDOWN, TRI-STATE HEIGHTENED THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAILS AS A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. TRI-STATE ALSO LEAD THE CHARGE IN DEVELOPING POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CIRCUIT TRAIL COALITION WHILE ALSO CONTINUING TO LEAD THE NEW JERSEY COALITION IN COORDINATING FUNDING, POLICY, AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.MAKING TRANSPORTATION FAIR AND OTHER PROGRAMS: BUS RIDERS BILL OF RIGHTS AS PART OF OUR ONGOING NJ TRANSIT BUS IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN - A NEW RIDE FOR NJ- WE WORKED WITH OUR TEAM OF BUS RIDER LEADERS IN NEWARK AND ELIZABETH TO CREATE A TEN-POINT BILL DESIGNED TO MAKE BUS SERVICE SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE. JOINED BY RIDERS, UNION COUNTY COUNCIL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, AND IRONBOUND COMMUNITY CORPORATION, WE RELEASED THE BUS RIDERS BILL OF RIGHTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BUS NETWORK DURING--AND AFTER--THE PANDEMIC. NOW, INSPIRED BY OUR BUS RIDER LEADERS WORK, MEMBERS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE ARE TURNING OUR BILL OF RIGHTS INTO LEGISLATION.RESPONDING TO COVID-19BACK ON BOARD: A GUIDE TO SAFE(R) TRANSIT IN THE ERA OF COVID-19AS THE PANDEMIC DECIMATED TRANSIT SYSTEMS ACROSS THE WORLD, WE WORKED WITH EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND OTHER EXPERTS TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE SCIENCE OF COVID-19 SPREAD AND WHAT OTHER CITIES AND TRANSIT AGENCIES ARE DOING TO PROTECT RIDERS AND MITIGATE THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION. TO HELP AGENCIES RESPOND TO THE PANDEMIC, WE PUBLISHED BACK ON BOARD IN JUNE, FEATURING MORE THAN 50 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSIT AGENCIES, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, RIDERS, AND BUSINESSES TO MAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFE. OUR WORK, WHICH WAS FEATURED IN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND NYTIMES, HELPED DRIVE THE CONVERSATION AROUND PROPER VENTILATION, THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSAL MASK-WEARING, AND ADVOCACY FOR FRONTLINE WORKER PROTECTIONS. ADVOCATING FOR FEDERAL FUNDING TO #SAVETRANSITDRAMATIC DECLINES IN RIDERSHIP AND REVENUE SOURCES FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT LEFT AGENCIES ACROSS THE U.S. SCRAMBLING TO SAVE SERVICE AND FORESTALL CUTS THAT WOULD DECIMATE TRANSIT AROUND THE NATION. WITH OUR ALLIES ACROSS THE NATION, WE LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO SECURE $4 BILLION FOR THE MTA AND BILLIONS MORE FOR OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES.AS THE WORLD TRANSITIONED TO A STAY-AT-HOME, DIGITAL WAY OF WORK, WE SAW AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE TRANSIT EXPERTS AND LEADERS SPEAK DIRECTLY TO COMMUTERS TO SHARE UPDATES ON THE STATE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT. OUR WEB SERIES FEATURED GUESTS LIKE NEW JERSEY SENATOR CORY BOOKER, MTA CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER JANNO LIEBER, AND NJ TRANSIT PRESIDENT AND CEO KEVIN CORBETT. WE WERE ALSO GLAD TO CO-HOST SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMERS TOWN HALL ALONGSIDE OUR COALITION PARTNERS AT RIDERS ALLIANCE AND OTHER ADVOCATES IN THE #SAVETRANSIT CAMPAIGN. IN JANUARY, 2021 TSTC HOSTED A VIRTUAL PANEL TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN A BIDEN ERA, WITH PANELISTS RANGING FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESSES TO EXECUTIVES OF TRANSIT AGENCIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. ENDING PEDESTRIAN DEATHS:VISION ZEROIN FY21, TRI-STATE CONTINUES TO LEAD THE VISION ZERO WORKING GROUP WHICH LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE FORMATION OF THE VISION ZERO NEW JERSEY ALLIANCE, A COALITION OF DIVERSE PARTNERS, SUCH AS FAMILIES IMPACTED BY TRAFFIC CRASHES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ADVOCATES, POLICYMAKERS, TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS, PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND OTHERS. EVERY YEAR WE TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER THE LIVES WE HAVE LOST TO TRAFFIC VIOLENCE ON THE WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE WITH A VIGIL. AND WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN, IMPLEMENT TRAFFIC-CALMING MEASURES, AND ENGAGE COMMUNITIES IN THE FIGHT TO ELIMINATE ROAD DEATHS AND INJURIES.