Transit Equity and Environmental Justice
"Environmental justice" means caring about the human environment for all people. TriMet has made environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing the effects of all programs, policies and activities on minority and low-income populations.
Transit equity is intimately tied to environmental justice. Transit equity concerns arise when wealthier and more educated segments of society received greater transportation benefits while communities of color and at lower income levels received less transportation or experience higher negative transportation impacts.
For example, these neighborhoods might have more air pollution and noise, or may receive insufficient mitigation measures, experience displacement of homes and the taking of cultural landmarks, or have little access to economic opportunity.
Guiding principles
The US Department of Transportation has adopted three fundamental environmental justice principles to guide transportation justice efforts:
- Avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionally high and adverse 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.
A commitment to low-income and minority communities
TriMet is committed to providing high-quality service to low-income and minority communities. TriMet uses transit equity and environmental justice considerations in its decisions about:
- transit service to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color
- placement of bus stops and shelters
- allocation of new low-floor buses
- service for non-English speaking populations
- service for students
For more information
Learn more about environmental justice at www.fhwa.dot.gov.