APA

Equity planning on a broad scale is launching all over the United States in response the development of a collective social conscience and the need to address equity in decision-making. Virginia passed legislation creating opportunity to change policy and funding. This presentation will delve into strategies developed with 39 transit agencies, the public and rider focus groups and advocacy groups in Virginia, as well as best practices from around the country.  

Presenters explain how they devised this statewide assessment to determine the state of transit and identify best approaches to service, safety, infrastructure, technology, and engagement. They share transit executives’ comments about the challenges of program shifts, describe competitive funding metrics that lead to preference for systems serving urban populations, and identify policy changes that would facilitate just distribution of benefits. 

Learning Outcomes: 

• Learn about Virginia’s equitable approach to study, make decisions about, and modernize its transit system. 
• Define equity in the context of Virginia’s transit-systems modernization. 
• Understand measures that were used to determine equity and the state of each of the study’s six topic areas.