Mobile Voice Project Awarded Go Triangle Golden Mode Award

Mobile Voice Project is proud to announce that we have been awarded the Community Champion award for the 2013 Golden Modes awards from the GoTriangle! The Golden Modes honors those extraordinary commuters that not only love their sustainable commute but also promote sustainable transportation options to their family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. 

Check out our video interview!  

 

Notable News in Mobility: The Right to Transportation

When the average American thinks about their own transportation experience, we usually think of how to get around traffic or how to cut a few minutes off our daily commute. We usually don’t have to consider whether or not we will have the ability to get to where we need to go; rather we just focus on how to make it a more enjoyable experience. But for many Americans, like those participating in the Mobile Voice Project, simply getting from place to place can be a daily struggle. This article by Wired asserts that transportation is should not be a privilege few enjoy, but a civil right to which all have access.  Every citizen should have the right to adequate transportation because “access to transportation is key to connecting the poor, seniors and those with disabilities to jobs, schools, health care and other resources. It is essential to widening opportunities for all.”  Without adequate transportation options opportunities that should be open to all are being withheld from those most in need. 

The women we work with everyday as a part of the Mobile Voice Project are among those with inadequate access to opportunities that could lead them to independence and an equal opportunity at financial security. I think it’s time for us as a community to come together and take the perspective of those less able to access the things in life many of us take for granted. When the federal government allocates 80 percent of its transportation funding to highways, and Americans in the lowest 20 percent income bracket spend up to 42 percent of their annual income on transportation, the way funds are allocated needs to change to assisting transportation-disadvantaged populations. As a community we can pressure our elected officials to make these changes. Let your voice be heard!

Sources: WIRED

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Author: Nicholas Flickinger

Notable News in Mobility: New Transit Hub Could Mean New Transit Future

The plan and design of a new downtown transit station was recently revealed at a meeting conducted at Meymandi Concert Hall. The project would cost an estimated $60 million and would serve as Amtrak’s new home. The facility located at 510 W. Martin St. would also serve as a hub for buses. The exciting possibility is that the station could also be equipped to house a future light rail connecting Wake and Orange County. The half-cent sales tax increase to fund the project has already been approved by the voters of Orange County and County Commissioners. The question is whether or not Wake county voters and county commissioners will take the leap and approve measures to push the plan forward in Raleigh.

Another big question is whether or not the new light rail service will serve low-income areas along its route. Having a light rail with stations serving disadvantaged areas could go a long way in expanding the transportation options and ultimately the opportunities available to populations that have limited access to personal vehicles, like our MVP participants. Even if these services are made geographically available, however, financial barriers could erase any potential benefit for low-income communities. If fares for the light rail are set out of reach for transportation-disadvantaged individuals, then the service could have no benefit to them at all. Hopefully some form of financial assistance based on need can be drafted and discussed along with proposed tax increases to finance the project.

The next public hearing on the new transportation hub will be in May. Hopefully the interests of those most in need of public transportation improvement will be kept in consideration as the discourse moves forward. If you want your voice to be heard on the issues contact your County Commissioners.

Sources: WRAL and Our Transit Future

Comments? Questions? Sound off on out Facebook page.

Author: Nicholas Flickinger

Notable News in Mobility

The Mobile Voice Blog will not only be covering the progress of the Project but will also identify and dissect current events and policy issues that affect the women we work with.

One of the largest influences on our study populations’ ability to have dependable transportation that meets their needs is the government’s willingness to properly fund public transportation. As reported in a recent article by The Progressive Pulse, “North Carolina’s transportation system helps form vital social and economic structures by connecting people to services, jobs, and other opportunities across the state and beyond.” Without appropriately funded public transportation, citizens, including the women we work with every day, can miss out on opportunities to advance in careers and have access to vital services. Without transportation to adequate employment opportunities, women like those working with MVP can be barred from advancing economically and becoming homed. This is alarming, considering that North Carolina’s transportation budget is “facing a $60 billion shortfall for transportation improvements through 2040.”

Not only are forecasts of funding grim but, “The FY2012-13 budget took nearly $240 million from the Highway Fund and Highway Trust Funds to improve General Fund availability.” With transportation funds increasingly diverted to unspecified projects, it is hard to see how our elected officials will use such funds to in ways that will help disadvantaged populations to escape poverty. With a public transportation system that has already proven to be inadequate in serving transportation-disadvantaged populations, reducing funding to vital public transportation services can further hinder disadvantaged populations that already struggling.

As we move forward we will continue to examine the key issues to the improvement of the lives of our study population and hopefully encourage dialogue within our community as to how we can all come together to overcome transportation inequality.

Source: Progressive Pulsehttp://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2013/03/14/budget-preview-north-carolinas-transportation-budget-faces-long-term-60-billion-shortfall/

Comments? Questions? Sound off on our project Facebook page.

Author: Nicholas Flickinger

Notable News: Southlight project

MVP came across an article this week about an affordable housing project initiative in South Raleigh called Southlight. The proposal has seen almost a year's worth of delay on account of trepidation from residents of the Biltmore Hills Neighborhood Association. The article explained that safety was the primary concern for those already residing in the South Raleigh area, given that some of the future residents of the Southlight Community have criminal backgrounds.

Concern may also stem from the fact that Southlight's property is in a Priority IV area of Raleigh. This means that affordable housing wouldn't normally be allowed in such an area. However, Raleigh's Scatter Site Housing Policy- an initiative wherein supportive housing would be spread to areas of the city with a minority of low-income residents- guarantees that the continuation of the Southlight project.

On Tuesday of this week Southlight's funding request of $450,000 was approved by councilors in the committee of Economic and Budget Development. Next week the entire Council will vote for or against Southlight's request for funds.

This initiative is of interest to us at MVP because regardless of where you look, there has historically been a spatial mismatch between affordable housing for low-income individuals (in Southlight's case, residents would consist of those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness) and access to employment opportunities. Relocation efforts such as Southlight are often met with skepticism by local residents, so the potential problems raised by the Biltmore Hills Neighborhood Association isn't anything new.

It is important to realize the challenges associated with accessing the job market when one lives far from available jobs and has limited access to transportation. Sequestering transportation-disadvantaged individuals to low-income areas of the city will only exacerbate the issue of joblessness. However, when given the resources that we often take for granted such as reliable transportation, housing, and a safe neighborhood environment, low-income individuals have the means to regain control of their life.