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Transportation Choices Coalition 

Description

Transportation Choices is the only organization that brings together different interests from across the state to work toward a common goal: a transportation system that works for everyone.          

  • We work with legislators in Olympia to make transit a priority for our state.               
  • We help cities and towns find creative ways to build and maintain sidewalks and bike lanes.                 
  • We support citizens and community groups to build the connections that make their communities work.  

Our efforts to advance strategies to reduce our transportation-related carbon emissions have yielded concrete policy results at the state and regional level and increased public understanding of the carbon impacts of transportation and land use decisions. For every $1.50 our members invest, we help provide $25,000 in transit, bicycle and pedestrian investments.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to bring Washingtonians more and better transportation choices…real opportunities to take a bus, catch a train, ride a bike, or walk. We believe that providing Washingtonians with more ways to get around is better for the planet, creates healthier communities, and saves time and money.

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Transportation Choices Coalition
811 1st Ave Ste 626 
Seattle 
WA
98104-1434 
(206) 329-2336 

Mr. Rob Johnson 
Executive Director 

Programs

Transportation Choices Coalition Programs

Imagine living in an affordable, walkable, bike-friendly, vibrant community connected by first-rate transit. This is the vision behind Transportation Choices Coalition.

Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has developed a transportation system that is environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable. It was from this landscape that Transportation Choices Coalition emerged in 1993, inspired by the tremendous challenge of changing the state's future. Our mission is to bring Washingtonians more and better transportation choices…real opportunities to take a bus, catch a train, ride a bike, or walk. We believe that providing Washingtonians with more ways to get around is better for the planet, creates healthier communities, and saves time and money.

Education
Transportation Choices' education program spreads the word about effective transportation options. From our Transportation 101 programs for local elected officials, to our trainings on how to ride the bus or train, we are consistently working to educate the public on the health, environmental, and pocketbook benefits of driving less.

Policy
Transportation Choices' policy program helps to identify simple solutions to our complex transportation problems. By changing the paradigm from planning for 'more cars' to one that values the mobility of people and goods, we've been able to radically shift the design, and construction of some of our state's biggest transportation projects. Our successful Sustainable Cities work helped to review parking, land use, and transportation goals of several cities and has helped to solidify great partnerships with local governments in Washington State.

Advocacy
Transportation Choices' advocacy program is responsible for helping cities, counties, and transit agencies around Washington state raise more than $25 billion worth of transportation investments since 2005 including more bus service, new light rail, street cars, sidewalks and bike lanes. In addition, our successful efforts to set Washington's targets to reduce drive-alone car trips, thereby reducing our global warming and waterway pollution, have received national attention and were the first of their kind in the United States.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Bus Service is Saved in King County!                       

As many know, bus service in Washington State is facing an onging funding crisis, and King County Metro is no exception. Currently, public transit in Washington can only be funded by sales tax and fares. Although Metro has one of the higher fare recovery rates in the nation, most of the agency's revenues (roughly 75%) come from the volatile, regressive sales tax.              

Not surprisingly, the recession has dealt a major blow to Metro's finances. Despite implementing audit and other efficiences and raising fares 80% in four years, Metro still faced an extreme budget shortfall. The agency had two choices: find additional revenue or cut service by a devastating 17%. These cuts would have affected four out of five bus riders in King County.               

Fortunately, the legislature granted King County the authority to collect a temporary (two-year) $20 license fee called a congestion reduction charge (CRC). After a nail-biting two months of negotiation and unprecedented citizen input -- Transportation Choices delivered 15,000 petitions and more than 1,500 people showed up in support at public hearings -- the County Council passed it with the required supermajority. The CRC will prevent service cuts in the short term while Metro works to identify and obtain a more sustainable, equitable source for transit funding.              

Transportation Choices was involved in every step of the CRC adoption -- from working in Olympia for taxing authority to mobilizing thousands of citizens to write, call and testify, to helping with tense Council negotiations.                 

We need more advocates for sustainable transportation solutions! Please consider becoming a Transportation Choices member today. Your donation helps us help all Washingtonians with more ways to get around.

Evaluation

Transportation Choices Coalition educates Washington residents on the public health, environmental, and economic benefits of reduced dependence on automobiles. TCC has helped to increase funding for transit, bike lanes and sidewalks in Washington State by over $26 billion since 2006.

Proven Success
Their efforts are focused on transportation equity because our transportation system has been unbalanced with the most disproportionate impact borne by working families, people of color, seniors, youth and people with disabilities. In the Puget Sound region, communities are reeling from the loss of bus service as a result of the economic recession. Bus cuts were a great motivator for engaging the public and they were able to increase the number of supporters– especially with social justice and equity groups.

In 2011, they saved 19.7 million rides in King and Clark counties by passing measures that staved off bus service cuts. More than 200 people participated in their Transportation Advocacy Day event to educate legislators in Olympia and nearly 1000 people communicated with their legislators and the Governor to advocate for more transit service. At the local level, nearly 15,000 people signed petitions to urge local officials to save bus service and more than 900 residents participated in a public hearing to save bus service in King County.

Transportation issues continue to dominate public discussion as transit agencies struggle to find ways to keep buses running and local governments seek to rebuild infrastructure. There is a shift towards a transportation system that addresses the needs of more than just cars. Communities are asking for more transit service.

Accessibility and Cultural Competency
Their Transportation for All project works to create a transportation system that is fair, reduces environmental impact, provides access, and creates opportunity for all Washingtonians. The project is focused on educating and empowering constituencies who haven’t traditionally participated in transportation policy and revenue decision-making at the state and local level.

The Transportation for All project includes more than 25 participating organizations as varied as AARP, One America, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Puget Sound Sage and Asian Counseling and Referral Service. Members of the project are coordinating policy development and education efforts with their larger statewide Transportation for Washington campaign to shift transportation in Washington State towards a more balanced approach.

Sustainability
They recently adopted a three-year strategic plan that will continue to expand their efforts to make their work and organization inclusive and diverse. At the staff level, they are majority minority office and they continue to diversify their Board and membership.

In 2013, TCC will celebrate its 20th anniversary. They are developing a year-long fundraising plan to capitalize on this celebration with the goal of growing their reserve and increasing the scope of their programmatic work. They are working with numerous organizational supporters to increase their membership in commemoration of our anniversary as well as a special Board challenge fund.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2013 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
3/10/2012 $8,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2010 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2008 $10,000.00provide general operating expenses.
9/22/2005 $5,000.00support general operating expenses of the Active Transportation Program.

Financials

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