Transportation Justice Conference

Free admission (donations welcome)
$10 lunch by India Joze —free for Cabrillo students
Please register online

The public is invited to attend this conference on transportation strategies that could narrow social inequality in our community.
See below for conference schedule and workshop descriptions.

Conference Schedule

9:15am coffee & snacks
9:45am Social Equity with the Advent of Automated Vehicles
Elizabeth Deakin, former Director, UC Transportation Research Center

11:15am Advocating for Safe Bicycling and Walking
Cathy DeLuca, Policy and Program Director, Walk San Francisco
Janneke Strause, Director, Bike Santa Cruz County
Theresia Rogerson, Coordinator, Vision Zero Santa Cruz County
Moderator: Tawn Kennedy, Director, Greenways to School

12:30pm Lunch and strategy groups

1:30pm Public Transit for All

Barrow Emerson, Planning & Development Manager, SC METRO
Eduardo Montesino, President, UTU (bus operators union)

2:40pm Affordable Housing and Transportation

Adam Millard Ball, Prof., Environmental Studies, UCSC
Rebecca Garcia, Council Member, Watsonville
Viveka Jagadeesan, Movement for Housing Justice (rent control in Santa Cruz)



Workshop Descriptions

Social Equity with the Advent of Automated Vehicles
The automobile revolution of the early 20th Century created a new form of social inequality. Mobility grew increasingly difficult for people without a car. And car ownership burdened households with significant expense.
The advent of automated vehicles could further exacerbate social inequality. Or it could enhance mobility for all classes depending on the choices that communities make. What are the choices that will lead to a transportation system that is socially equitable and environmentally sustainable?
Elizabeth Deakin, former Director of UC’s Transportation Research Center, studies the impact of new technologies on our transportation system.

Advocating for Safe Bicycling and Walking
Watsonville has the worst child pedestrian injury rate of 103 California cities. Santa Cruz County has the highest rate of bicycle injuries in the state. The pedestrian injuries disproportionately occur in low income neighborhoods. This workshop is about how to advocate for safer streets.
Cathy DeLuca will tell the story of how Walk San Francisco advocates for redesign of the City’s most dangerous streets.
Janneke Strause will relate how Bike Santa Cruz County (formerly People Power) advocates for safe bike infrastructure.
Theresia Rogerson will discuss the lessons learned from Vision Zero campaigns around the country.
Tawn Kennedy will connect his work with youth to advocacy for good transportation policy.

Public Transit for All
We’ll kick off the workshop viewing a 6 minute video, The Evolution of Boulder’s Bus System, that raises a question, How can Santa Cruz develop a bus system like Boulder, where a quarter of its population use the bus each day? http://www.streetfilms.org/hop-skip-and-jump-aboard-a-boulder-bus/
METRO Planner, Barrow Emerson, and bus operator union President Eduardo Montesino will envision the political and cultural changes needed to develop a bus system that can successfully compete for riders with private automobiles.

Affordable Housing and Transportation
The high cost of housing in Santa Cruz County is increasing vehicle miles traveled, as people live farther from their jobs. This workshop examines two strategies for housing affordability that voters need to understand: rent control in Santa Cruz, and an Affordable Housing Bond in Santa Cruz County, represented by Watsonville Council Member Rebecca Garcia. In addition, UCSC Professor Adam Millard Ball will discuss how parking policy affects housing affordability and traffic congestion.