Tompkins County Transportation Equity & Access Project
Tompkins County Area Transit Inc. (TCAT) operates a partially electric bus fleet serving Tompkins County communities, however any fixed route transit has inherently limited-service areas. TCAT and partners propose developing a suite of coordinated services supported by transit-oriented public-private-philanthropic partnerships to expand electric mobility services, particularly focused in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Services include the deployment of a community-driven, on-demand transport infrastructure including electric carsharing and electric bike sharing services; digital integration of clean, multimodal transport alternatives; the development of loan loss reserve and credit enhancement programs to incentivize second-hand electric vehicle acquisition, and the creation of cross-sector economic incentives to improve economic mobility.
The absence of electric mobility options and limited transportation services in our disadvantaged neighborhoods leave thousands of transportation-vulnerable people underserved and makes it difficult for people to efficiently travel to critical services. This combination of new services will create a replicable travel assurance model for all.
The Transportation Equity & Access Project proposes a coordinated, digitally-integrated, county wide project that focuses its efforts on the mobility for members of our disadvantaged communities. Goal: To transform Tompkins County into a community where people walk, bike, take transit, or carpool for most trips in a safe, accessible, and affordable transportation network. Goal: Make Tompkins County a leader in sustainable, smart transportation through innovative partnerships, policies, programs, and technology. We will consider a variety of transportation improvement options, including improvements to various modes, and mobility management strategies such as pricing reforms and public transport improvements plus supportive mobility management strategies. We will consider all significant impacts, including long-term, in-direct and non-market impacts such as equity and economic changes. This will include but not be limited to:
- Congestion
- Consumer costs/benefits
- Purchasing of used Electric Vehicles
- Safety
- Economic Benefit
- Parking incentive options
- Quality of transportation access and equity for non-driversEnergy consumption
- Pollution emissions
- Equity impacts
- Community livability
- Community Support or Opposition
Special consideration will be given to the quality of mobility options available to people who are physically or economically disadvantaged, taking into account universal design and affordability. Using comprehensive transportation models and collaborative working relations within disadvantaged communities, the project will consider multiple modes, generated impacts and the effects of various mobility management strategies such as access (physically and virtually), pricing and cost-sharing, public transit service quality improvements, demographic and economic changes to continually address the transportation needs and outcomes of a consumer-first transportation model.