Santa Cruz County Transportation Equity Action Plan

Santa Cruz County Transportation Equity Action Plan

Introduction

The RTC is developing a Transportation Equity Action Plan to address historic and existing inequities and identify ways that the transportation system in Santa Cruz County can be improved to offer reliable, healthy, safe, and multimodal choices that are equitable and affordable to all users.

Why are we preparing this plan?

Our multimodal transportation system of streets, roads and highways, buses, bike lanes, sidewalks, and other transportation facilities and services connect us to opportunities, enrichment, and each other. While transportation facilities and services can open doors, shatter barriers, and foster community growth, a lack of transportation facilities and services can also serve as barriers to accessing jobs, health care, food, recreation, families, schools, and our communities. Transportation conditions can create inequitable outcomes for people based on race, income, gender, ability, sexuality, immigration status, and other identities and experiences (“equity priority communities”). These communities, sometimes referred to as “disadvantaged,” “priority populations,” “historically marginalized,” “underserved,” and/or “communities of concern” oftentimes experience more crashes, face longer commutes to jobs and school, have fewer choices for how to get where they need to go, and have higher health risks.

What will be in the Plan?

The Equity Action Plan will include:

  • An equity-focused analysis of the existing and planned transportation network
  • Policies to address historic and existing inequities
  • Public outreach tools to proactively engage equity priority communities in decisions about highway, transit, local street and road, bike, walking, carpool, and other transportation services and facilities
  • The establishment of a Transportation Equity Workgroup

Transportation Equity Workgroup

The Transportation Equity Workgroup will help guide the development of the Transportation Equity Action Plan and support implementation of quality transportation infrastructure, services, and solutions that more equitably meet the diverse needs of community members.

Transportation Equity Workgroup Fact Sheet (español)

Become a Member of the Transportation Equity Workgroup! – Apply Here! Equity Workgroup Application

The RTC invites members of the community to apply to be on the equity workgroup. Membership is intended to focus on marginalized voices in Santa Cruz County, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), tribes, older adults, youth, low-income, unhoused, rural communities, queer, women and women identifying individuals, people with disabilities, and other historically marginalized community members.

Applications will be welcomed on an ongoing basis, but with the first workgroup meeting anticipated to be held in October 2023, interested parties are encouraged to submit an application which includes statement of interest to rmoriconi@sccrtc.org by Sept. 27, 2023.

Get Updates

To receive regular information about the Transportation Equity Action Plan or other RTC projects, please sign up here: https://sccrtc.org/about/esubscriptions/.

RTC Contact

Rachel Moriconi
Senior Transportation Planner
rmoriconi@sccrtc.org
(831) 460-3203