On Friday June 2nd, The Alimentícia Bank and its partners in the Western Massachusetts Transportation Advocacy Network (WMTAN) hosted their second forum discussing issues and potential solutíons regalotoque público transporte in the western half of the Commonwealth. Transportação is important to the advocacy team at the Food Bank Porque years of research and personal testimonials mostrar que.  being able to afford food is often only half the battle for families facing food insecurity– they also devo be able to travel to and from stores with affordable, healthy options.  

Para residentes que não drive or have access to a vehicle e não viver dentro a walkable radius of uma mercearia, planejamento trips around limited public transportation availability pode be a principal desafio. Existem três RTAs (Regional Transit Authorities) que.  operar in Western Massachusetts, the PVTA serving Hampden and Hampshire Counties, the FRTA serving Franklin County, e a BRTA, de servir Condado de Berkshire. Unfortunately, funding inequities for transportation in Boston versus transportation in the rest of the state are vast. The MBTA receives 93% of state funding and the other fifteen RTA’s must split the remaining 7%, making the public transportation serving the population outside of Metro Boston woefully inadequate. 

Speakers at the forum discussed a wide range of topics, from o pessoal story of Elizabeth Quirk e  her work with the FRTA passagem grátis prgramaà a deep dive inpara as operações de microtrânsito organizações oferecendo treinamento para distância passeios em very rural areas. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission presented the early version of an innovative new mapping tool (commissioned by the Food Bank and the WMTAN and funded by grants from T4MA and Feeding America) que.  fornece a birds-eye view of where public transportation is disponível na região and its proximity to grocery stores, places of employment, higher education, e  cuidados médicos. O tool is helpful for advocates who study transportation issues and can be usava by qualquer um relying on local public transportation to plan their trips.  

Other presentations included The Quaboag Connector- o primeiro microfonetrânsito pilot in our region que.  set the bar high for what success looks like serving a rural population with on-demand publicly subsidized transportation. This concept has continued to evolve in the area with Tate Coleman’s newest microfonetrânsito pilot in Great Barrington and stands as um grande exemplo of how local advocacy and passion can create change and improve access. Craig’s Doors Fare Access Program, the first in the nation to fornecer free bus passes to people experiencing homelessness, discussed how the increased freedom of movement is allowing people to apply for jobs, visit family and friends, access food, and much more. For a full list of featured speakers and their topics, as well as a link to a recording of the event both are available at the bottom of this page. 

The WMTAN formed after the first Transportation Forum, organized by the Food Bank in 2019. Led by Public Policy Manager Laura Sylvester, the WMTAN meets monthly via Zoom and is open to anyone with an interest in transportation policy and issues. “The original idea for the group was to bring together RTA employees, planners, advocates, transportation users, and legislators to highlight the innovative work that’s already being done in Western Massachusetts, to share best practices and to leverage our voices in advocating for better funding,” Sylvester says. “This latest Forum was an opportunity to bring that work to a wider audience and spread the word.” 

After lunch, attendees gathered in groups to discuss topics brought up by each speaker, providing space for sharing, networking, and encouraging participants to bring ideas that were presented into their own communities and organizing circles. If you were not able to attend but wish to learn more about the topics discussed, a full recording of the event can be found aqui as well as embedded on the page below. If you want to sign up for advocacy alerts from the Food Bank to stay up to date on opportunities to get involved in creating a more equitable Western Massachusetts, you can do so aqui. 

A special thank you to our sponsors, T4MA e  Instacart, for making this event possible. 

Forum Topics and Speakers

• Carrie Lavallee, Deputy Administrator/Chief Engineer, MassDOT, Principal
• Dave Christopolis, Hilltown Community Development, Hilltown CDC Mobile Market
• Jen Healey and Sheila Cuddy, Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation, Update on QUABOAG CONNECTOR
• Elizabeth Quirk, FRTA, FRTA Fare-free bus program
• Tate Coleman, Great Barrington Microtransit Project
• Eric J. Gonzales, Ph.D., UMass, MassDOT Focus Group on Study of Food Access in Pioneer Valley
• Molly Jackson-Watts, Jacob Dolinger, PVPC, GIS Mapping Project
• Jack Myers, Tim McCarthy, Craig’s Doors Amherst, Fare Access Program for Clients experiencing homelessness
• Alexis Diaz, Holyoke Farmer’s Market, Free van/bus program to Farmer’s Market