Transit Paradise Lost

Abstract

Among the ways the pursuit of social justice by transit administrators can be thwarted are a lack of support by local elected and unelected leaders; funding mechanisms and budget reductions, which prevent the transit agency from fully achieving its objectives; and zoning and development decisions, which take urban development continually farther from the dense, transit-friendly urban core and frustrate the ability of transit providers to reach spread-out destinations. Although such intentional or negligent obstructions can have a chilling effect on transit service provision and pursuit of social justice concerns, other actions, such as an outright refusal to allow a transit agency to operate, perpetuate the injustices of a stratified society, evidence a disregard of transportation equity by local leaders, and constitute the social oppression some transportation scholars decry. By interviewing 30 transit administrations across the United States, this article will consider how transit agency administrators report their pursuit of social justice agendas is hindered by local political or societal obstacles.