Allocating Money That Disproportionately Benefits People with Cars
The transportation sector should be focusing on how it can help low-income Americans maintain a certain quality of life even if they can’t afford a car or choose not to drive one. Instead, however, these people seem to be void from decision-making processes as officials focus on projects that help car owners. A prime example is New Orleans. After the community was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, there were hardly any bus stops or existing bus routes throughout the area. While local officials have already launched new projects as far as roads are concerned, they have failed to bring more bus routes back to the neighborhoods and haven’t made repairs to the bus stops that are still in shambles from Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, Slate reports.
Cutting Public Transportation in Black Neighborhoods
Local officials have already demonstrated a serious reluctance to add public transportation, but predominantly Black communities across the nation are also learning how quickly governments will simply slash public transportation that could actually benefit the area. Communities like Oakland, California, and New Orleans are seeing officials simply cut back on buses and rail lines when these services become old and require repairs, as noted in the report “Race, Mass Transit and Inequality.” While some neighborhoods are seeing their mass transit services reduced, some have been left completely barren of any public transportation services.
