Celebrating Transit Equity Day

WHEREAS Transit Equity Day is a national day of action commemorating the birthday of Rosa Parks, an iconic figure in the movements for social justice and racial equality, who played a major role in the inception of the Civil Rights movement; and

WHEREAS affordable, reliable public transit is an essential public service, on par with utilities such as water and electricity; and

WHEREAS unequal access to public transit is a scourge that worsens when public funding is misallocated; and

WHEREAS public transit jobs in the United States have been good jobs that pay family-supporting wages; and

WHEREAS it is essential that we drastically cut our emissions of greenhouse gases and convert our economy to renewable non-emitting energy sources; and

WHEREAS the expansion of public transit to address the climate crisis provides an unprecedented opportunity to ensure accessible and affordable transit for everyone including people of color, economically disadvantaged people, people with disabilities, and other marginalized populations;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance supports the call to observe a Day of Action on Public Transportation as a Civil Right on February 5, 2024, and will continue to draw attention to the need for affordable and accessible transit.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance will use the Day of Action to highlight the vital role that can be played by expansion of public transit in the required shift from a climate-destroying fossil fuel powered extractive economy to a climate-protecting, renewable-powered and regenerative economy, with a just transition for communities and workers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance supports legislation at the federal, state, and local levels that:

  • Increases public funding for transit, including funding to expand transit systems, especially in underserved neighborhoods, communities of color, economically disadvantaged communities, rural areas, and communities burdened by pollution;
  • Increases the accessibility of public transit for people with disabilities;
  • Prioritizes the hiring of economically disadvantaged people, people of color, people from communities currently underserved by transit and/or overexposed to vehicular and other forms of pollution, people with disabilities, workers displaced from polluting industries, formerly incarcerated people, and other marginalized populations for transit operation and construction jobs.