This Week in MVP: Awesome Undergraduates!

Congratulations to our team of undergraduate research assistants for their winning proposal to receive an NCSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Award for $375 each, or a total award of $1500! You all have earned it! For the award, over the next 6 weeks, students will be trained on various qualitative research techniques and then have a chance to implement them to analyze the photos and audio from our MVP sessions. Can't wait to see what they learn from all of our participants' stories...

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

Comments? Questions? Sound off on our Facebook page. 

Author: Nicholas Flickinger

Photo of the Week: "Speedy Service"

Speedy Service

This week one of our MVP participants submitted a picture of the information booth at Moore Square Station in downtown Raleigh.

The participant who took this photo listed this booth as a 'boost' to her transportation situation - something that helps her get around town. In her own words:

"The information desk is a boost because it allows you to buy passes in advance and to see what bus connects with other buses. The service is speedy."

This Week in MVP: "VOICE!"

We strive to create a forum in which our participants can have VOICE about their opinions and experiences related to mobility, both through their photographs and through group discussion. One participant recently shared her experience of being able to raise her VOICE through MVP: "I am glad that I have the chance to share my point of view on riding the bus. I received the chance to ask questions and give my opinion."

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

This Week in MVP: "New Resources"

Participants have been very enthusiastic about the Mobile Voice Project and being able to share their experiences about transportation in a group discussion. One participant said “ I was able to learn and find out new resources that will help us.”

Photo of the Week: "Hard to Downsize"

Hard to Downsize

This is a photo taken by one of our participants this week to represent a barrier she faces to getting around town each week. 

What she wanted to illustrate with this photo was the difficulty of carrying around multiple bags. When asked what she does to make it easier, she mentioned downsizing as a strategy. But even that has its disadvantages:

"It's really hard to downsize when [you're carrying around] your life. It's hard to pick and choose. And if you want to downsize to at least one or two bags, but you end up with four bags...you have to give everything you got away, almost."