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Accessible, Clean Transit - ACT on Climate!
[Petition submitted to Council on Mar 31, 2022. It is now closed. Thanks to all who signed!]
Dear Charlottesville City Mayor, Vice-Mayor, Councilors, and Interim City Manager:
The Greater Charlottesville Area Needs Cleaner and More Equitable Transit
The decisions we make today about public transportation and land-use planning could propel our City toward carbon neutrality, or alternatively, they could lock us into adverse transportation and pollution patterns that would persist for many years to come. We urge the City of Charlottesville to take advantage of this unique opportunity to address our community’s transportation, climate, equity, and health goals simultaneously and with long-standing solutions that will move our city toward a cleaner and more just future.
Our Recommendations
While Charlottesville’s Climate Action Plan is still under development, we must ensure that major City decisions and initiatives will not prevent us from reaching our climate goals. For that reason, we ask the Charlottesville City Council to commit to the following goals and strategies:
1. Double Transit Ridership by 2024 (with respect to 2019)
- Set a verifiable target to considerably increase bus occupancy levels
- Favor expansions and improvements that benefit those that most rely on transit
- Have no route frequencies in excess of 30 minutes intervals
- Reassess rules around eating, drinking, or carrying bags and packages on board
- Complement main routes with on-demand micro-mobility services
2. Increase Accessibility and Safety At and Around Bus Stops
- Enhance bus stops with benches, shelters, and inclusive/user-friendly signage
- Provide pedestrian and bike infrastructure along and near transit routes
3. Provide Community Voices a Meaningful Role in Transit Planning
- Decisions should be informed by and co-created with the community, especially those who depend on transit
- Engagement strategies should meet people where they are and include public hearings, surveys, focus groups, and interviews
4. Reduce Air and Climate Pollution from our Transit System
- Develop a pilot program to introduce battery-electric buses to CAT’s system
- Reduce air pollution and climate emissions from CAT’s fleet by 50% by 2030
5. Ensure a Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Transportation System
- Build more affordable housing and just-food pathways in the urban core of Charlottesville and Albemarle
- Avoid land-use decisions that make transit less accessible
- Reform zoning policies to allow denser and more transit-oriented developments
- Address bus driver shortage with better working conditions and compensation
Thank you!
We appreciate the opportunity to address these important issues. We believe that our City has the creativity, leadership, and community resources that will allow us to align all of our planning efforts around mutual goals of creating a more just and sustainable future.
Sincerely,
Charlottesville Area Residents and Nonprofit and For-Profit Community
[Petition Now Closed - Not Receiving New Signatures]
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