How is public transportation a social issue?

Specifically, low-income people of color are being socially excluded by the lack of fair and efficient transportation. Those who are transit-dependent do not do it for the convenience of it, but because most of these riders do not have a car or cannot afford them, the Pacific Standard reported.



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Access to public transportation may also reduce health disparities and promote health equity by increasing access to healthier food options, medical care, vital services, and employment for communities that do not have equal access to these fundamental daily necessities.

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Unfortunately, federal infrastructure policy and programs have not modernized to meet the five major challenges facing the U.S. transportation system: major injuries and fatalities, climate change, congestion, unequal economic opportunity, and crumbling facilities.

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Many do not realize that transportation is a socioeconomic issue just as much as it is about pollution or traffic congestion.

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Congestion is one of the most prevalent transport challenges in large urban agglomerations.

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Not only does public transportation create new jobs through its functioning, such as bus drivers, office workers, maintenance support, and more! It also connects people to job opportunities within their communities. Residents can easily commute to their workplaces everyday through public transportation.

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Inadequate public transportation can also increase social isolation, particularly for older populations and people with disabilities or others who do not drive. This can increase the risk for early mortality, depression, and dementia.

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Railroad expansion led to labor reform while facilitating migration around the country. Bicycles empowered women's rights advocates and encouraged female independence. Buses became sites of civil rights activism. Transportation is inextricably linked to the spread of social change throughout the nation and beyond.

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Transportation also leads to noise pollution, water pollution, and affects ecosystems through multiple direct and indirect interactions. With the continuous growth in transportation, increasingly shifting to high-speed transportation modes, these externalities are expected to grow.

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It slows down workers' economic output, which directly impacts business revenue in our economy. Such a lack of productivity causes a decrease of $180 billion in America's GNP, which includes a loss of $109 billion in household income and 162,000 jobs over the same six-year time frame referred to earlier.

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Low density: US population density is 1/10th of India's and quite low compared to many places in Western Europe or Japan. Public transportation requires a lot of volume to work. Urban sprawl: US cities are needlessly unwieldy. San Francisco Bay Area runs for 100km+ end to end, for instance.

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