[NFBSea] Metro Transit Policy Updates- Council process begins next week

[Cook, Tristan]

Hello Community Partners,



We are reaching out to provide a status update and share next steps for the Metro Transit Policy Updates that many of you have helped to shape through your input and involvement over the last year.



Since our final Policy Updates meeting last spring, Metro incorporated Equity Cabinet and community stakeholder input to complete the draft updates to the Strategic Plan, Metro Connects, and the Service Guidelines. In July the King County Executive transmitted those policies to the King County Council.



Below you will find an overview of the Council process and timeline and information about how to provide comments to elected leaders along with a refresher on the key proposed changes to center equity and sustainability in the policies.



We greatly appreciate your involvement throughout our engagement process and would be happy to connect with you if you have any questions or would like more information.



Policy Updates Council process

The Policy Updates will first be reviewed by the Regional Transit Committee and the Mobility and Environment Committee, then on to the full King County Council for adoption.

·         The Regional Transit Committee<https://kingcounty.gov/council/committees/regional_transit.aspx> includes elected leaders from jurisdictions throughout King County as well as King County Councilmembers and is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the full King County Council on public transportation policies.

·         The Mobility and Environment Committee<https://kingcounty.gov/council/committees/mobility.aspx> is a subcommittee of the full King County Council that reviews legislation on transportation and environment related plans, policies, and budgets.

·         The King County Council<https://kingcounty.gov/council/committees/full_council.aspx> reviews recommendations from the Regional Transit Committee and the Mobility and Environment Committee, may make additional amendments and takes a final vote on adopting the Policy Updates.



Council and Committee meeting schedule (subject to change)

The Policy Updates will be (or are anticipated to be) on the agendas for the following Council and Committee meetings. All Council and Committee meetings will be held virtually until further notice. Please see links above for details about how to watch/listen to the meeting and how to comment.



Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m.
Joint Regional Transit Committee and Mobility and Environment Committee


Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m.
Regional Transit Committee


Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Mobility and Environment Committee


Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m.
Regional Transit Committee


Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Special Mobility and Environment Committee meeting


Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. (possible)
King County Council meeting



Overview of key changes in the Policy Updates

Background   

In 2019, a 23-member Equity Cabinet convened to co-create the Mobility Framework with Metro. The Mobility Framework provides guiding principles and recommendations to steer Metro’s work and to prepare our region for mobility innovations in a way that puts marginalized communities first; addresses climate goals; and uses public space efficiently and equitably. Following adoption by the King County Council, work began to update Metro’s guiding policy documents to better align with the Mobility Framework. 



How does Metro define equity?  

Metro defines equity as a system of fairness, providing full and equal access to opportunities, power, and resources. The policy updates take a ‘targeted universalism’ approach, outlining how Metro will specifically target and tailor investments towards communities with the greatest needs, to improve priority populations’ mobility, and thereby access to other determinants of equity.   



Where in the updates is equity specifically centered or prioritized?   

In alignment with, and in response to the Mobility Framework:  



The Strategic Plan - Metro’s high-level goals, strategies, objectives, and measures 

·         Aligns goals, strategies, objectives, and measures with the Mobility Framework.  

·         Increases transparency of performance monitoring with a public facing online dashboard, consistent with Mobility Framework recommendations. 



Metro Connects - Metro’s long-range vision for the capital and service network through 2050 

·         Includes an Equity Gap Analysis and commits the future system to advance equity and address climate change.  

·         Emphasizes the need to make information more accessible.  

·         Calls for increased communication about innovations, and to ensure that innovations respond to community-identified needs.  

·         Calls for improved communications with strategies targeting priority populations.  

·         Emphasizes universal design, safe facilities, and prioritizing access for people who bike, walk, or roll to stations.  

·         Incorporates Metro’s work on equitable transit-oriented communities, and commitment to increase access to affordable housing.  

·         Calls for a diverse workforce that reflects communities and an increased focus on becoming an anti-racist organization.  

·         Provides policy guidance to prioritize RapidRide and other Capital investments by leading with equity and sustainability.  

·         Directs Metro to co-create upstream decisions with priority population communities on upstream decisions for the greatest opportunity and to align with community-identified priorities, and articulates a list of non-financial partnership opportunities and ways Metro may work with cities with fewer staff and/or higher percentages of priority populations  



The Service Guidelines - Metro’s criteria for evaluating, designing and modifying transit service 

·         Includes substantial changes throughout the document to incorporate a stronger focus on advancing equity and addressing climate change, as outlined in the Mobility Framework’s recommendations and guiding principles.  

·         Prioritizes service growth investments based on equity, productivity, and then geographic value.  

·         In addition to productivity, adds equity to the list of current measures used to prioritize routes being considered for reductions.  

·         Expands the definition of social equity from race and income, to also include disability, immigrants and refugees, linguistically diverse populations, low- and no-income populations, and a measure of low-and medium income jobs along a corridor. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like more information.

Thank you,

[cid:image001.png at 01D7A565.7CA161B0]<https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro.aspx>
Tristan Cook (he/him)
Community Engagement Planner
Desk: 206-477-3842 I Mobile: 206-798-5702
tristan.cook at kingcounty.gov<mailto:tristan.cook at kingcounty.gov>






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