Baltimore Region Environmental Justice Project

1. Reporting Back To The Community ….. 3/17/2007 1.) Every problem or assessment of equity or proportionality in benefits or burdens involves “tradeoffs” to all parties; effective solutions must involve compromise which comes from informed awareness of the relevant benefits and burdens and their distribution. 2.) The correct understanding and definition of “the problem” is 9/10ths of the task of identifying the correct analysis approach and, ultimately, the solution. Baltimore Region Environmental Justice Project

3. Phase I • Community Outreach: Designed to determine what the key issues and concerns are to candidate subgroups, as well as identify methods for reaching the correct segments.

4. Phase I Accomplishments Listening Sessions Identified Issues Identified Solutions Developed A Course of Action

5. Phase II • Develop Environmental Justice in Transportation Tool Kit: to develop an environmental justice in transportation planning guide that supports interactive exchanges between the MPO, community residents, and transportation agencies.

6. Phase II Accomplishments Listening Sessions Identified Issues Identified Solutions Developed A Course of Action

7. Next Steps

8. Ongoing Elements for integrating environmental justice into the transportation planning and decision-making process

9. Break down of findings from the community and project teams

10. Step 1: Share Findings. Team sign-off. • Team reaction to findings • Accept or continue analysis

11. Step 2: Opening Workshop • Overview • Pick 3 Case Studies • Decide logistics of next meeting • Done by the Community team

12. Step 3: Study Teams Define Issues • Fully define issue • Has it gotten worse? • What efforts to resolve? • What is an acceptable solution?

13. Reminder……For Whom? For Affected Communities For Planning Professionals For Transportation Agencies

14. Major Theme For disadvantaged groups to have a greater say in the planning and decision-making process, special efforts must be made to reach, inform and involve them. To be credible, that involvement should be continuous through the planning process, early enough to have an impact on the outcome, and there must be a mechanism to ensure closure.

15. Key Provisions of Environmental Justice Approach next four slides derived from rom http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ej2000.htm Distribution of benefits and burdens, process for decisions all must be fair: • Avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations. • Ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process. • Prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.

16. Issues Identified In the Community On to the Case Studies Congestion and Pollution Transit Service and Adequacy Public Participation

17. Lead IN….Critical and Sensitive Issues • Air Pollution and Congestion • Access to Jobs • Access to Health Care • Bus Scheduling & Service Policies • Equity and Fairness in Funding • Maintenance and Repair of Buses and Stop Areas • Public Participation in Transportation Planning • Access to Regional Transportation System Information

18. Neighborhoods Corridors Sub area Regional Geographical Focus

19. Pat Tracey, JHU Congestion Pollution Team Leader Kirk Ave.

20. Case Study: Kirk Avenue Potential Remedies: • Change operations (idling, parking) • Downsize operations • Locate more low-emission/hybrid vehicles at Kirk Ave. • Install noise & visual barriers • Plan “transitional” land uses

21. Kirk Avenue Bus Depot

22. Leon Purnell, EJB Transit Service and Adequacy Cherry Hill

23. Cherry Hill LRT Station Cherry Hill Patapsco LRT Station Cherry Hill

24. Issues at Cherry Hill • Transit service habitually poor • Too few buses • Don’t run on schedule • Stops, shelters, sidewalks badly maintained • Paratransit vehicles poorly equipped, drivers impolite • Negative impacts on community • Poor community -- depends on transit • People miss appointments or are stranded • Employers see Cherry Hill residence as unreliable

25. Monica Haines, BMC Transit Service and Adequacy Lexington Market

26. Case Study: Lexington Market Potential Remedies: • Re-establish bus stops or route designations • Restore/improve bus service between select communities, e.g., Cherry Hill, and Market • Improve conditions for transit users/pedestrians • Reduce or eliminate 2-way vehicle traffic on N. Eutaw, seek alternative parking access • Consider urban design alternatives that would improve access and deter crime • Change operations (idling, parking)

27. Issues at Lexington Market • Bus Stops moved from front of market • Access more difficult for bus riders • More exposure to weather, traffic, exhaust • Majority of users are low-income/minority • Other changes under 2005 GBBI plan • Lack of public involvement • How did these decisions come about? • How was the bus community involved?

28. Nicole Price, GBUL Public Participation Lexington Market

29. Corridor and Sub Area – Highway to No Where

30. Issues: Highway to Nowhere • One of the most economically depressed areas in City/Region • 2002 Regional Rail Plan identified as top priority corridor • Corridor communities not fully supportive • Also distrustful of proposal to revitalize West Baltimore MARC station area

31. Where We Need to Go From Here • Next Steps

32. Rich Kuzmayk, BMC Environmental Justice In Transportation Tool Kit

33. How Does Environmental Justice Intersect with Transportation? Federal statues and regulations require projects and agencies receiving Federal funds to ensure that minority and low income communities are not discriminated against • Presidential Executive Order 12898 (1994) • US DOT Order 5610.2 on Environmental Justice (1997) Low-income and minority communities are historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by transportation systems and associated air quality

34. Filling The GAP • Systematic/comprehensive process not yet evolved • Regular & meaningful community involvement • Identification of appropriate tools and analysis procedures • Performance indicators to link concerns with solutions • Documentation of process & outcomes

35. Step 4: Uses of Toolkit • Access to Health Care • Equity Analysis • Operational Planning for Transportation • Proximity Analysis • Transit Performance Management System

36. Step 5: Review Input, Get More Info, Suggest Approach • Identify agency contacts • Determine on-site visits • Develop technical approach

37. Step 6: Measure and Procedures • Proximity to transportation services or facilities • Accessibility to jobs or other activities/places • Congested and uncongested travel times, delay • Safety, e.g. vehicular/pedestrian accident rates • Community disruption & access restrictions • Pollution exposure and health risk • Noise exposure • Condition of transportation assets • Funding allocations

38. Step 7: Continue Analysis and Documentation • Continue analysis per team input • Fine Tune Issues • Meet with responsible agencies • Quantify Results • Finalize Tool Kit

39. Benefits • Enhance the Value of Case Studies • Improve Public Involvement • Influence Decision-Making • Improve Performance Measures, Analytic Tools, and Distributive Impacts • Consider Pollution Exposure and Human Health as Planning Variable