Walk Left Vote Left Fund Public Transit (Washington area Metrorail) sticker graffiti/political advocacy

Yesterday, I saw this sticker on a parking meter on the west side of the 1400 block of U Street NE.

It is interesting that the DC area hasn't developed active transit advocacy organizations comparable to the Bus Riders Union in Los Angeles, Straphangers Campaign in New York City (supported by the Public Interest Research Group), or the litigation-based approach of the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston.

The Active Transportation Alliance group in Chicago was originally bicycle focused, created in 1985 as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. In 2008 they rebranded and repositioned, acknowledging a co-equal focus on pedestrian and transit matters.

I've thought for a long time that WABA, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, should do a similar kind of repositioning.

TransportationAlternatives in NYC, despite its name, tends to be more focused on biking and walking and less on transit, although that organization was the one that came up with the great "sustainable transportation pyramid."


Some other best practice mobility advocacy groups that stand out to me are City Repair (Portland), Feet First (Seattle), London Cyclist Campaign, especially their support of allied but "separate" borough specific advocacy programs, Starkville in Motion (Mississippi) especially their Safe Routes to School programs, Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) Streets for People, Walk Boston, and Walk Denver.

In the UK, the Campaign for Better Transport was created by labor and environmental groups, and conducts rider surveys, develops reports and analysis, provides support to local groups, and advocates for more support for sustainable modes. Also, in the 1940s a transport user support organization was created by legislation in the 1940s; the organization is now called Transport Focus and has an active independent customer survey, research, publication, and advocacy program.

The Public Transport Users Association in Victoria State, Australia functions similarly in terms of agenda, but is all volunteer, with no paid staff.

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It's funny because DC is home to so many national advocacy groups, so the expertise and capacity to create such a group is here.  There have been various grassroots transit initiatives started over the years, but they've never managed to develop into a more permanent organization, let alone a successful campaign.

To its credit, WABA is an exception.

Because of how mobility works in the DC area, crossing the borders of "three" states: DC; Maryland; and Virginia, such an organization needs to be multi-state, because that is how the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is set up, and its major decisions have to be supported by all three jurisdictions.

I don't think Arlington County has a sustainable mobility advocacy group per se, but this kind of "advocacy" has been spearheaded by elected officials within policy and practice, and separately, the city created a Transportation Commission to advise the legislative and executive branches, and because people with a strong advocacy and or technical background have been appointed, it helps the County move practice forward in substantive ways.  (Arlington does have an environmental advocacy group, which also addresses mobility.)

There is a Riders Advisory Council for WMATA, but it is not independent, it is provided virtually no resources for independent technical assistance and support (for example, in 2013 I criticized the RAC's release of a report on airport transportation because I didn't think it was particularly insightful and didn't go very far).

Last fall, WMATA's board was on track to eliminate the body ("WMATA aims to eliminate Riders Advisory Council"), although they eventually backed off.

In that piece, I recommended the following:

1. Create the Sustainable Mobility Campaign

2. As an independent organization. But with designation from local jurisdictions that it has standing to represent its citizens.

3. Give it a metropolitan-regional mission.

4. With sub-committees for jurisdictions so that "local" issues such as with RideOn in Montgomery County or the DC Circulator, etc., aren't missed.

5. Fundraise hard. Maybe a foundation like Princes or Surdna could give it startup funding.

6. Although ideally, it could be a unit of the Council of Governments, and funded by it, but given a fair amount of independence.

7. Give the organization enough budget to conduct regular ridership surveys independent of WMATA.