Riding towards Equity

There is a new topic in the world of transportation and I think it is one that the Florida biking community should discuss. That topic is equity and how it should factor into which transportation projects are supported - and perhaps which projects get funded.

I have experienced a variety of reactions when equity is discussed; I suspect that some of the more negative discourse is due to a misunderstanding of what equity actually means. In a recent Florida Bicycle Association (FBA) Virtual Seminar Series, Bill Nesper, Executive Director for the League of American Bicyclists, shared a definition of equity from Recommendations of the Safe System Consortium, a publication from the John Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy (JHCIRP) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Here’s the definition:

Equity differs from equality. A system can achieve equality if each individual or group are given the same resources or opportunities. But a system that is equitable goes further. Equity requires recognizing that communities have been differentially impacted by a variety of circumstances, structures, and historical contexts that have unjustly advantaged some, while unjustly disadvantaging others. Hence, communities that have been disadvantaged require a differential allocation of resources and opportunities to eventually reach an equal outcome.

Discussing equity in terms of transportation means acknowledging that harm has been done. How can this be? How can a road or a bridge or any type of infrastructure hurt a person, a whole community? To me, the power of these investments is clear because of what they can do: a road can connect, but it can also divide. 

We can all probably agree that transportation spending has not been equally distributed to bicycle infrastructure projects and programs. The question that I expect that we are about to tackle is how to equitably distribute funding for cycle programs. We must inspect where active transportation funding has been concentrated so far and make an honest assessment of who has and has not benefited from these projects. (The same goes for transportation investments overall, for sure.) The next question is whether or not we can build our way into equity. Does adding bike lanes in lower-income communities check the box for righting the wrongs of the past? Will we attempt to paint the roses red by slapping green paint everywhere we can?

Seeking equity in transportation is a second chance to get it right. What “right” is will not be obvious and it probably will not be fast. But what I am sure about is that by widening the circle of those who ride their bikes - including all their reasons why and all the types of bicycles out there - is our best chance. The bicycling community may not be a monolith but we are a movement. Let’s help Florida move in the right direction when it comes to achieving equity in transportation by being at the forefront of this conversation. Push for more investment while also demanding data to help everyone understand the potential impacts. Ask for transparency and then bring receipts when accountability is being skirted. Make it clear on the local, state, and federal level that expectations are high because the status quo is no longer acceptable. 

If this seems hard, that may be a sign that it is worth it. I hope that all of FBA’s members know that the Board of Directors is dedicated to our mission and the vision that cycling becomes safe, accepted, and encouraged in Florida.

This article will appear in the summer edition of The Messenger, a publication of the Florida Bicycle Association (FBA). Learn more about FBA at https://floridabicycle.org.

Check out my discussion with Bill Nesper about equity in the video below: