Propel: Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

PROPEL The Eno Alumni Publication

In This Edition:

The Equity Equation:

Transportation's Role in Creating a More Equitable Future

Next Stop: The New Normal

Convening Transportation Professionals to Learn and Connect

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SUMMER 2021

PROPEL The Eno Alumni Publication

Inside this Issue

LEARN.................. Pages 1-4

Editors-in-Chief (in alphabetical order)

In This Section: Transportation and Policing Can't-Miss Equity Resources The Lightbulb: The Role of Transportation in Public Health

LEADERSHIP.... Pages 5-8

Karen R. Price

Dyan E. Wolfe

Creative & Communications Manager

In This Section: LA Metro's Gender Action Plan The Leader's List: Three Trends to Watch Spotlight: MARTA Army and Building Community Leadership for Transit

Madeline Maxine Gorman

Publication Managers (in alphabetical order)

Tips from the Top: Leadership Lessons from Women at the Helm Propel Success: Equitable Participation in Congestion Pricing Policies

LEGACY............. Pages 9-12 In This Section:

VIP in Focus: Toward a More Equitable Transportation System: Boston’s Emerald Network Advancing Ethics Alumni Spotlight: Jonathan Church Alumni on the Move

Kirstin A. Hall

Tina King

The views expressed in the articles are the authors' and not necessarily those of Eno Center for Transportation. Copyright © 2020-2023 Eno Center for Transportation. All rights reserved.

Reprint or Copy: This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part beyond fair use without Eno's express written consent. For reprint or copy requests, contact PDPsupport@enotrans.org.

Publication Access: Digital editions of Propel are available to alumni on Eno's website through the Alumni Association page with a valid alumni membership login.

Submissions: For prospective authors or issue ideas, please see the back cover for guidelines.

LEARN

About

100 Years Later: Reconsidering Millions of people across the country have demanded major transformation of public safety after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black Americans – often unarmed – by the police. Among the most prominent elements of public safety that falls under the jurisdiction of police is traffic enforcement. Given the disproportionate and often violent impact of traffic enforcement on Black and brown communities, major changes to traffic enforcement are needed to create a fairer and more just approach to traffic safety.

Much of today’s traffic safety infrastructure and laws originally stem from the work of William Phelps Eno, often referred to as the Father of Traffic Safety. At a time with little to no regulation of traffic movement on public streets, Mr. Eno lobbied for the creation of rules governing the flow of movement on public streets, culminating in his publication of the world’s first city traffic plan, the Rules of the Road. This plan was adopted by New York City in 1909 and later by Paris and London.

While Mr. Eno introduced traffic safety concepts like stop signs, pedestrian safety islands, turn signals, and driving on one side of the road, he also authored the first manual for police traffic regulations. A 1909 article from the Washington Evening Star and Chicago Record-Herald quotes Eno’s three principles of traffic regulation: 1. We must have concise, simple and just rules, easily understood, obeyed and enforced under legal enactment.

2. These rules must be so placed and circulated that there can be no excuse for not knowing them.

3. The police must be empowered and ordered to enforce them, and men should be trained for that purpose.

This enforcement-centric approach to traffic safety underpins the major role of police in traffic safety today, which has expanded considerably with the adoption of the automobile. Much has been written linking the evolution of policing in the United States to the growing popularity of the automobile in the 20th century, as well as the erosions of Fourth Amendment rights during traffic stops by the Courts. In Atwater v City of Lago Vista, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “If an officer has probable cause to believe that an individual has committed even a very minor criminal offense in his presence” – in this case, failure to wear a seat belt – “he may, without violating the Fourth Amendment, arrest the offender.”

Today, traffic stops remain the public’s most common interaction with law enforcement. Existing research has shown that police are 20% more likely to stop Black drivers, twice as likely to threaten or use force against Black and Latinx drivers, and more likely to search their cars under less suspicion of wrong-doing than white drivers. These patterns perpetuate a dehumanizing, daily fear of being profiled and stopped by the police for the color of one’s skin. For too many of our Black neighbors, a routine traffic stop under the pretense of a moving violation can quickly turn deadly. Walter Scott was killed by an officer after being pulled over for a broken brake light, Sandra Bland for a failure to signal a lane change, and Samuel Dubose for a missing front license plate.

Philando Castile, who was killed by an officer during a traffic stop in 2016, had previously been stopped by the police nearly 46 times, mostly for minor moving violations.

Not only can traffic stops for minor moving violations turn deadly at the hands of law enforcement, they often serve as an entryway into the criminal justice system and a cycle of debts and incarceration. Inability to pay a ticket or misdemeanor fine can place a driver at greater risk of being stopped or arrested for failure to pay, having their license suspended, and being jailed for driving without an active license. Some states, including Illinois and Washington, D.C. have eliminated license suspensions for unpaid fines, a move that other states should adopt. However, states and localities can and should do more to address the racially and economically unequal impact of punitive traffic enforcement laws in our communities.

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Transportation & Policing Traffic Enforcement Institutional and Policy Changes From an institutional perspective, Philadelphia may serve as a potential model for delegating traffic safety to a non-police force. In 2019, Philadelphia voters approved a charter amendment that would create a new class of public safety officers tasked with handling traffic safety. These officers would be unarmed and unable to arrest individuals, but will be authorized to direct traffic and issue some citations. However, citing budget constraints, the hiring of these officers and the full details of their role and authority has been delayed until 2022.

While the impact of this change will be unknown until it is enacted, states and localities should consider similar approaches to traffic safety. Delegating traffic enforcement to an unarmed team of traffic safety personnel without authority to arrest individuals and limited ability to issue citations may reduce the public’s most routine interaction with law enforcement. But such a system may still uphold inequities under the current system if traffic stops and enforcement of citations and fines remains a primary goal.

Other potential solutions may include automated traffic enforcement, though automation alone is not a panacea if equity considerations in camera deployment and the criminalization of unpaid fines are left unaddressed. Additionally, at least 11 states prohibit or limit the use of traffic enforcement cameras, and their implementation is often rife with political and legal challenges.

While Washington, D.C. relies heavily on automated traffic enforcement cameras, a report by the DC Policy Center found that drivers in predominantly Black neighborhoods were over 17 times more likely to receive an automatic moving violation than in a predominantly white neighborhood. These disparities persist despite similar instances of crashes per capita. While the underlying data are unable to shed light on the demographics of the drivers, the report suggests considering the unequal racial and economic impacts of automated traffic enforcement when locating cameras, and consider adopting a sliding-scale for traffic fines tied to income.

The Author

Romic Aevaz Policy Analyst Eno Center for Transportation

Related Resources To Read: Op-Ed: We Need Antiracism in Transportation

To Listen: Podcast: Changing Role of Women in Transportation

From prioritizing street design and non-punitive public safety interventions to removing traffic enforcement from police entirely, communities must explore solutions to promote traffic safety without an overreliance on enforcement or criminalization. Officials should use this moment to not only listen and respond to the lived experiences of communities directly impacted by traffic enforcement, but also to elevate and incorporate existing voices advocating for traffic safety approaches that acknowledge the inequitable and often violent impact of traffic enforcement on Black and brown residents.

To Watch: Webinar: Environmental (In)Justice During COVD-19

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LEARN The Lightbulb:

Ideas to Spark Innovation The Role of Transportation in Public Health

Transportation access is one of the fundamental objectives of the public sector as a means to provide access, including for health and quality of life. How can public sector agencies work together to improve policy and programming, provide a more equitable environment, and enable better health outcomes?

Learn how to apply a "Health in All Policies" (HiAP) approach into transportation policies.

Examine how land use decisions impact health and mobility, particularly for the disabilities and those without car access.

Combine human services transportation with grocery delivery, leveraging existing vehicle capacity and providing operating expenses.

To learn more and see real-world examples of these principles in action, check out the research report "The Role of Transportation in Improving America's Health."

About

State and Local Traffic Enforcement Reforms Gain Traction Better traffic design and automated enforcement have been part of the enforcement discussion, but most recent proposals have focused primarily on assigning minor traffic stops to civilian, non-police agencies, as well as eliminating or decriminalizing minor traffic offenses often used as a pretext for stopping motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

As states and cities consider and implement these proposals, they offer a preview of the potential governance, political, and legal opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for traffic enforcement reform.

While many traffic enforcement reforms are currently in the proposal stage, the City Council of Berkeley, California voted to become the first city in the country to move traffic stops for minor traffic offenses from the jurisdiction of the police. The move was part of a larger police reform measure adopted unanimously by the council that creates a new municipal transportation department staffed with civilian traffic agents with jurisdiction over traffic stops, and also requires written consent for police searches.

Berkeley’s establishment of a new department of transportation will have governance implications in terms of the structure and mission of the new department as well as its relationship to the city’s police department, who will likely focus on criminal offenses like drunken or reckless driving. The shift may face legal challenges over statewide limitations on the ability for municipalities to enforce their traffic codes without police.

Such limitations in California and elsewhere might require state legislation to give municipalities more flexibility over their traffic enforcement approaches.

The city of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota passed a similar package of police reforms in May 2021 after the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright, who was pulled over for an expired registration sticker and an air-freshener suspended from his rear-view mirror, a violation of Minnesota law. Like Berkeley, the city’s police reform package includes transferring responsibility for minor traffic stops to a new civilian traffic enforcement agency.

The Brooklyn Center case has also led to renewed focus on state and local laws (like prohibitions on hanging air-fresheners that may obstruct a driver’s view) that can serve as pretexts for traffic stops. Last fall, the Virginia legislature passed a law prohibiting police officers from stopping a vehicle for having defective brake lights, excessively tinted windows, objects hanging from their rear-view mirror, or loud exhaust pipes, among others. The legislation also prohibits police from stopping pedestrians for jaywalking, or pulling over drivers with expired registration or safety inspection stickers unless they are more than four months passed the original expiration date.

While these violations will still be illegal under Virginia law, they cannot be used as the primary purpose for a traffic stop. A similar bill is currently being considered in the Oregon legislature.

An April 2021 proposal by the District of Columbia’s Police Reform Commission recommended narrowing the Metropolitan Police Department’s legal authority over traffic enforcement, and instead transferring authority for enforcing minor traffic offenses to the District Department of Transportation. Recommendations also include initiating a review of traffic safety regulations to repeal or revise traffic safety laws that may be considered overly vague or pose minimal risk to public safety, as well as restricting permissible pretexts for traffic stops.

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Enforcement Reforms Similar proposals or recommendations to have been floated in Seattle, where the city’s inspector general proposed eliminating traffic stops for minor offenses like expired registrations, and focus instead on reckless driving and DUIs. A re-imagining policing task force in Denver also recommended decriminalizing minor traffic offenses that are frequently used as a pretext for traffic stops, moving traffic enforcement to a non-police agency, and investing in changes to street design to discourage unsafe driving behaviors. Other proposals to eliminate or re-allocate responsibility for minor traffic stops are also being floated in Portland, Austin, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The issue of traffic enforcement reform has also caught the attention of Congress, with the first hearing of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in 2021 dedicated to examining racial disparities in traffic enforcement. That hearing focused primarily on the role of federal traffic safety grants in funding law enforcement, and the potential to strengthen federal programs that assist states in eliminating racial profiling in traffic enforcement, particularly through better traffic stop data collection.

As traffic enforcement reform continues to receive attention at the local, state, and federal levels, policy action has the potential to spark scrutiny and revisions to long-standing traffic law, expand federal assistance for new traffic safety approaches, and create new governance models for handling traffic enforcement. Collection and analysis of traffic stop data before and after implementation of these initiatives may help researchers and policymakers assess whether restrictions on pretextual stops or civilian jurisdiction over traffic stops minimize police interactions, reduce racial disparities in traffic enforcement, and improve traffic safety.

Revisions to existing traffic law can be an opportunity for lawmakers to draw clearer distinctions between vehicle modifications and minor offenses that pose a risk to public safety and vulnerable roadway users, and those that can be repealed or decriminalized with minimal safety impact. In addition to their potential jurisdiction over minor traffic stops, civilian traffic enforcement agencies will also require clear mandates to minimize unintended consequences or confusion over which agencies, for example, have authority to enforce parking rules or ensuring bus and bike lanes are not blocked by vehicles.

These and other challenges and opportunities inherent in re-making our traditional traffic enforcement model will become clearer as cities and states continue developing their varying proposals into actual reforms and legislation.

Towing Enforcement and Racial Equity

The Author

Towing practices disproportionately impact communities of color. A 2018 investigation of over 26,000 tows found that the Oakland Police Department towed the most cars from East Oakland, a predominantly Black neighborhood. Racial bias in traffic stops can also lead to increased towing of minority-owned vehicles. In Chicago, the Vehicle Impound Program allows for the seizure of cars during traffic stops for any number of violations, which can only be retrieved after paying the fine issued during the stop.

Since 2010, there have been nearly 250,000 vehicle seizures, or 22,000 a year, initiated by the Chicago police. Extensive reporting from WBEZ and ProPublica Illinois found Madeline Maxine that as a result of towing, about 1,600 people owed fines greater than $10,000 and more than 32,000 people owed fines greater than $5,000. The impound laws are Gorman disproportionately applied in minority neighborhoods and many quality-of-life Communications Manager offenses that resulted in towing, such as playing loud music or littering, were almost Eno Center for Transportation exclusively enforced in Black neighborhoods. From 2008-2018, there were 12,946 towing instances for a suspended/revoked license in Black-majority Ward 37, compared to just 130 in white-majority Ward 41. Loud music resulted in 553 tows in Black-majority Ward 9, more than the 546 tows in 13 white-majority wards combined.

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Leadership LA Metro’s Gender Action Plan Mobility—or one’s ability to get around—shapes the opportunities we can reach and the way we interact in and with our communities. Although women comprise over half of all transit, their mobility needs, concerns, and preferences have not been critically accounted for in the way the transportation systems are planned. As a result, women tend to bear outsized burdens and risks during their daily travel.

In seeking to understand how women travel, LA Metro took an important first step— Understanding How Women Travel Study (UHWT) was an effort to understand the unique and diverse mobility needs of women in LA County. This groundbreaking study is a broad, intersectional effort to identify mobility barriers and challenges that women face.

This study analyzes existing data sets and activates five primary data collection methodologies to fill gaps in the existing quantitative data sets and to connect with core transit rider groups that may be difficult to reach through conventional methods. UHWT study provides a foundation of knowledge upon which Metro can actively work toward enhancing the quality of the travel experience for women in LA County.

The Authors Elba Higueros Chief Policy Officer at LA Metro

Meghna Khanna Senior Director, Mobility Corridors Countywide Planning & Development at LA Metro

Claudia Galicia Senior Manager, Board Relations, Policy & Research Office of CEO at LA Metro

The 2019 study’s core findings revealed that women in Los Angeles who use transit tend to make multiple, shorter trips to run errands during off-peak hours. They also more frequently require accommodations for family members in strollers and wheelchairs.

Although women comprise over half of all transit, their mobility needs, concerns, and preferences have not been critically accounted for in the way the transportation systems are planned. As a result, women tend to bear outsized burdens and risks during their daily travel.

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& Gender Equity With the findings from this study, Metro wants to create a Gender Action Plan (GAP) to pivot from research findings into actionable changes. The GAP will allow Metro to align its work, such as safety, setting fares, designing vehicles, stops and stations and improving services, frequency and reliability to introduce new changes specifically intended to improve travel experiences for women and girls. LA Metro plans to complete the GAP by early 2022.

The GAP will introduce changes that are specifically intended to improve the transit and travel experience for women and allow Metro to: Ensure that the agency’s policy, programs and activities include a gender perspective and to promote the considerations of gender issues at all levels.

Reassess communications on board buses and trains and at stops and stations to create an environment that prioritizes safety and customer service, reduces sexual harassment and encourages women to report instances of harassment.

Explore alternatives to the current fare policy to better accommodate families and low-income riders and to provide affordable options for trip-chaining.

Investigate changes to station, stop and vehicle designs to better address the needs and concerns of women, including elements such as better lighting, seating at stops and stations, clearer sightlines and more space on transit vehicles to accommodate strollers and carts.

Evaluate services provided by time of day to understand how they can be adjusted to better meet women’s travel needs during midday and evening off-peak hours, including on-demand services such as Access.

The Leader's List: 3 Trends to Watch

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Climate Change Practices

Transit agencies around the country have been exploring ways to transition to zeroemission bus fleets, and that exploration is poised to accelerate given President Biden’s aggressive goals on climate and clean energy policy.

More at bit.ly/3rUCLtI

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Rethinking Assumptions

People of color consistently experience worse mobility outcomes than white people, with longer and more difficult trips to access employment and other critical needs. These barriers have a major impact on economic stability and wealth accrual. To rectify these problems, the transportation sector needs to integrate equity into its methods for allocating resources.

More at bit.ly/3yFJnit

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Complete Streets Renaissance

In response to COVID-19, many cities have adopted some complete streets approaches, including reconfigured public roads for better social distancing, permits for curbside pickup, and allowed local businesses to operate on sidewalks, parking spaces, and roadways. With a pandemic recovery on the horizon, will cities continue these complete streets initiatives?

More at bit.ly/3lzTuBr

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Leadership Spotlight: MARTA Army and Building Community Leadership for Transit MARTA Army, a volunteer-led effort, is helping to make transit in Atlanta more accessible through operations like Bus Stop Census and TimelyTrip.

Through Bus Stop Census, more than 1,000 bus stops have been surveyed by the public, providing critical information such as safety and accessibility conditions.

MARTA Army has crowdfunded the purchase of dozens of trashcans to be placed at bus stops. Through Operation Feed-an-Operator, the organization has distributed more than 12,000 meals to furloughed and frontline transit workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the webinar recording.

Guiding Principles for Environmental Equity 1. Consider the composition of the affected area to determine whether low income, minority or tribal populations are present.

2. Consider relevant public health and industry data concerning the potential for multiple exposures or cumulative exposure to human health or environmental hazards.

3. Recognize the interrelated cultural, social, occupational, historical or economic factors.

4. Develop effective public participation strategies.

5. Assure meaningful community representation in the process beginning at the earliest possible time.

6. Seek tribal representation in the process.

Watch the Webinar Recording

Tips Five C-suite leaders (Jennifer Aument, Kimberly Slaughter, Denise Roth, Nuria Haltiwanger, and Marjorie Dickman) participated in Eno's Women at the Helm webinar and shared their experiences and best tips for being women leaders in transportation.

Summary Written by Exodus Moon

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Advice + Ideas Equitable Participation in Congestion Pricing Policies

Propel Success

by: Brianne Eby, Senior Policy Analyst, Eno Center for Transportation

What are some best practices for effectively identifying and reaching disadvantaged groups in the process of designing a congestion pricing policy, and how can decision-makers measure equitable participation? Participation of vulnerable communities in the planning of a congestion pricing policy can take a number of forms, but a higher degree of participation looks like community groups partnering closely with planning agencies through advisory groups or participatory decision-making. Ideally, community representatives will have a seat at the decision-making table through citizen juries, formal representation, or voting representation. A 2019 report listed the following sample indicators to measure full participation. Continued outreach with the identified communities through the development of the policy and after implementation will also result in a more equitable process. Project planners must be ready to evaluate whether the program outcomes align with pre-determined mobility equity indicators, and to clearly communicate these results with affected communities.

Category

Sample Indicators Number of meetings and focus groups with vulnerable communities.

Dollar amount and/or percentage of project budget dedicated to equity outreach programs.

Activities

Communications

Share of principal languages spoken in the community into which materials are translated.

Number of ethnic media outlets that receive information and publish articles about the proposal, or are target for advertising community meetings.

Organizations

Staff time dedicated to technical support and funding for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to conduct/participate in needs assessment.

Participants

Number of individual voices that have contributed to the community needs assessment.

Responsiveness

Number of community-identified priorities that are being implemented as part of the program.

Source: TransForm

from the Top: Women at the Helm

WATCH THE WEBINAR

1 Know Your Self-Worth

2

Knowing self-worth

Keep an eye out for

Find workplace allies and

Make sure you have

helps you be a role model for women to not only enter the workforce but stay

the biases of your colleagues, especially when dealing with complex

place yourself in strategic positions to direct the respectful attention of your

someone you can talk to about the problematic aspects of your workplace so you can share tips and

there, too.

negotiations.

colleagues.

best practices for dealing with them.

Be Aware

3

Be Strategic

4

Find Support

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Legacy V

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P

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Eno Al

in Focus:

Toward a More Equitable Transportation System: Boston’s Emerald Network In Boston, the Emerald Network is one of many greenways, trails, and mobility systems.

With over 200 miles of existing and proposed connecting urban greenways, the Emerald Network is nestled between state and regional greenways and trails housed by MassTrails, a state initiative for trails and greenways and the Green Links Program, a citywide plan to connect people in every neighborhood to Boston’s greenway network led by the City of Boston. In addition to those greenway systems, the Emerald Network has tendrils around metro Boston like the Emerald Necklace, a 100-year-old park system and Olmstedian amenity.

Laced between these systems of greenways are other complementary colorful ways to travel too, like Boston’s Blue Bike Share system, the MBTA’s red, orange, blue, green, and silver transit lines, yellow buses and purple commuter lines threaded throughout the region, and of course, our sidewalks, which together connect Boston’s mobility systems.

As we consider how people move via various modes of transportation, the Emerald Network team asks a series of questions like: “How does this greenway connect to bus transit?” “Is it possible for people to switch modes and still utilize the Network?” “Does this route offer multiple options for people to move?”

At the end of the day, the core question we ask is: “Is there a gap within the Emerald Network that if filled would create more options for people to move across the Emerald Network and all the other systems it connects to?”

Though greenways seem like a minor transportation solution to some, we dig deeper into mobility and the challenges that surround green space, access, and mobility— especially for the most marginalized.

Through robust community engagement, civic collaboration, and partnership, the City of Everett has unlocked access to transportation and its riverways that were not possible before.

Angela Glover Blackwell asserts in The Curb Cut Effect that “an investment in one group can cascade out and up and be a substantial investment in the broader well-being of a nation—one whose policies and practices create an equitable economy, a healthy community of opportunity, and just society.”

Blackwell states that when you build infrastructure for the most marginalized, ultimately everyone benefits. The same applies to greenways when they are built responsibly with community in mind first.

Working together, not alone, to build resilient and sustainable infrastructure systems like the Emerald Network can play a part in building more resilient and sustainable communities. For us, the Emerald Network is more than a network of greenways; it’s a network of people and communities.

When it comes to travel time, distance, and even access to opportunity and housing, the Emerald Network wants to bridge these gaps. Finding ways to create more options for people’s mobility is how we think about and define equity.

One small, but powerful example of this is the work that the City of Everett did to ensure that people in Everett, even those who don’t have access to a bike, could utilize the greenway equitably. When the City of Everett made the connection to the Northern Strand, an 11.5-mile bicycle path and walking trail project which connects the cities of Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn, Massachusetts along the former Boston & Maine Railroad's Saugus Branch Railroad, the City also launched Blue Bikes, a bike share system, as a way to ensure the greenway and river fronts were accessible for residents.

By looking at the Emerald Network and mobility systems holistically, it helps us prioritize our efforts by greatest equitable impact, diagnose issues of inequity more thoroughly, and note where our interventions make the most impact—not just in local communities, but ultimately the whole region.

The Author

Ambar Johnson Program Director LivableStreets Alliance

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umni Impact

Advancing Ethics

Tough Questions.

Uncomfortable Conversations.

Courageous Solutions.

Each issue, we pose a tough question and invite you to share your best advice. This time, some of the participants from the 2021 TSE Gamechangers Program Cohort weighed in:

The Situation You are an executive leader at your organization. You are in the company lunchroom - common gathering place - grabbing a bite to eat before your next meeting. You observe and overhear a peer, another executive leader, making a comment directly to a female employee about the length of her skirt.

What action(s), if any, do you take? Explain your reasoning.

You observe and overhear a peer, another executive leader, making a comment directly to a Black colleague saying, "Really impressed with your contributions in this morning's meeting. I was surprised at how articulate you were." In this case, do you react the same as in the first scenario or differently?

Explain your reasoning.

Komal Doshi | Director of Mobility Programs, Ann Arbor SPARK I would discuss the matter with the person who received the comment to better understand if this has happened before or if this person has made her feel uncomfortable in the work environment. I will followup with a conversation with the person who made that comment. If this was a first time offense - I would discuss with them how we want to build a supportive and safe environment at work and such comments won't be tolerated. If this is a repeat offender then I will have discussion with HR on how to move forward. There is bias (possibly unintentional) built in that comment which needs to be addressed. I would follow up that comment with something firm and lighthearted to acknowledge the great work that colleague has always done/Awesome presentations they always give/ How they led a successful project. I would want the person who received that comment to know that I wasn't surprised that they did well. I have faith in them. I also would want to let the person know who made the comment know that maybe unintentionally they have said something not appropriate. I would have a side conversation with them to clarify the point if necessary. Then I would like to build some bias training exercises with staff that focusses on addressing our biases and using words more deliberately.

Kammy Horne | Senior Vice President of Development, VIA Metropolitan Transit I would take direct action by immediately following up with the executive leader to discuss the comment. I would urge the leader to consider the potential impacts of his or her comment in a public setting--and not knowing exactly what the comment was (in the context of this challenge)--maybe suggest a follow up with the employee. If it was a very inappropriate comment in violation of sexual harassment policies--I would also make sure to report as necessary to others in the organization.

There is not a lot more in the description of the situation to know what transpired--but I would not just let it go--because no matter what--commenting on an employee's clothing is probably not appropriate in a public setting. I think this would also require some follow up--and it might turn out very positively. I have been in several recent (past couple of years) situations--where individuals have been very honest in their discussion of newly understood comments that represent bias. The wakeup call has seemed to be welcomed. Similar to the first scenario-there isn't a lot of detail to know why the person made the comment--it may not have had anything to do with race--it could have been something else. But if it seemed to demand some interpretation--I would still follow up to discuss with the person. I have found many good things can actually come from this--sometimes people just need to know how their behavior is being interpreted.

Khisha Dukes | Assistant Vice President - Strategic Initiatives, Jacksonville Transportation Authority I would approach each scenario in the same manner by having an open and honest conversation with my peer before escalating or jumping to conclusions. Understanding the context of each conversation would guide my response. In scenario one, if my peer was commenting to the employee because the skirt length violated the dress code policy, I would alert my peer that I overheard the conversation and suggest that future conversations such as this one be conducted in a private space. If my peer made a comment that seemed derogatory to me, I would address it with him or her in a private setting. I would remind my peer of our responsibilities as leaders and our sexual harassment training. I would suggest that he/she is proactive and seek further training from HR and apologize to the employee. As an African American woman, the second scenario would elicit a stronger response because this statement has been used as a racial bias by others against people of color. However, I would have a conversation with my peer before assuming that he/she intentionally made this statement due to a conscious or unconscious bias. Also, regardless of race or gender, this comment would be offensive to me. I would discuss this with my peer and would suggest that my peer carefully think about the words that he/she uses in the future. If it is truly a racial bias, I would attempt to start having more open conversations with him/her and also suggest diversification training.

The next issue's Ethical Question will be posted in the Eno Alumni LinkedIn and Facebook groups. Be sure to connect with us to provide your response and potentially be published in the next edition!

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Legacy

Eno Al

Alumni Spotlight: Jonathan Church We caught up with one of Eno's alumni and member of our Board of Regents to learn more about her path to success and leadership.

Jonathan Church Central Transportation Planning Staff

Tell us how you first got involved in with transportation.

Tell us about your most challenging day as a leader.

As a summer intern with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston. I was the Planning Department’s intern in Summer 2000. This experience lead to my first job out of grand school with the Boston Region MPO.

Having to tell 150 people who came to an evening public meeting that certain portions of their bus service was going to have to be cut due to budget restrictions.

As the presenter of the proposed plan, and listening to the attendees’ feedback, it really bothered me to do it because I knew that the proposed service cuts would be affecting people’s livelihood. As a child I would take the bus with my mother to Downtown Worcester as we were a one car family for many years and my father needed it to commute to his work in a suburban community with no transit. I knew first hand how the service cuts were going too affect people that relied on bus service to get to medical care, grocery shopping and religious services.

A Little About Jonathan:

What has surprised you most about working in transportation?

Mr. Church has over 18 years of experience in

The diversity of not only the people in the industry but also how the transportation industry is a crucial part of the U.S. economy that, in my opinion, is overlooked by many as just “being there” and not valued as a major infrastructure asset.

transportation planning, with a focus on transit, including as the Administrator of the Worcester (MA) Regional Transit Authority (WRTA), where he served as the Chief Executive Officer formulating WRTA policies and providing overall direction of the WRTA staff and its contractors. Mr. Church is also a graduate of the Eno Center for Transportation’s 2017 Transit Senior Executive Program.

What's your personal motto?

Winston Churchill’s famous quote: “If you’re going through Hell, keep going.”

I love this quote because it tells me that while times get tough, if you keep moving forward, things will get better.

What might our readers be surprised to know about you?

That one of my “bucket list” goals is to drive an RV around the United States and visit as many National Parks as I can!

What advice would you give to leaders today dealing with the COVID crisis?

These are unprecedented times for anyone living today. The decisions and actions that we make as leaders today will not only affect everyone now, but will be recorded in history for future generations to look back on (like a lot of people are looking at the actions taken during the 1918 Flu pandemic). To paraphrase part of Captain Michael Abrashoff‘s book, it’s “our ship” and we need to manage it with focus, analysis of the facts, and caring for others.

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umni Impact Tell us about someone who has influenced your leadership style and/or career.

Dennis DiZoglio, the former Director of Planning at the MBTA, who I worked for in Summer 2000. He is a brilliant man and very politically astute. I learned a lot from him about how to work with the public, navigating political processes for achieving results and how to be emotionally intelligent with staff.

What opportunities or challenges do you see ahead in a post-COVID world?

While I’m not trying to predict the future, I do see the following opportunities and challenges post-COVID:

What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?

Challenges Increasing transit ridership after many stopped using it during COVID. Who will lead changes in mobility/transportation – public or private sector?

Will public health concerns now be a factor for transportation planning like Environmental Justice?

How does shared-mobility service adapt or change to user fears of contagion or communicable disease?

Does tele-work become more of a factor going forward?

Building things! From gardens to sheds to home repairs, I really enjoy DIY projects (side note: because I like to do DIY projects myself, it had been a real challenge to learn how to delegate tasks once I became a manager/leader.

Thankfully, I have found more balance in this area).

Opportunities Potential to develop new or improve exiting forms of transit (does Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) make a comeback/expansion?)

Transportation modeling/forecasting could develop better systems and potential scenarios that could be evaluated and help determine spending priorities.

Technology innovations now and in the future may provide a plethora of solutions to mobility issues including telework.

Alumni On the Move Jonathan Church New Position as Manager of MPO Activities at CTPS

Debra Johnson New Position as CEO and General Manager of Regional Transportation District (RTD)

Stephanie Wiggins New Position as CEO of LA Metro

Nadine Lee New Position as President and CEO at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

Ali Mir New Position as Vice President at STV

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Re a d y t o b e p u b l i s h e d ? H e r e ' s h o w : Submission Guidelines There are three types of submissions: feature articles, standard articles, and responses. Details about each type and guidelines for submission are below. Each issue will have a theme, announced in the previous issue and on alumni channels on social media. Submissions should relate to theme or to leadership learning. Send all submissions in a word document, along with a headshot, your full name, organization, and title, to pdpsupport@enotrans.org. If your submission is selected for publication, we will reach out to let you know prior to publication.

Feature Article

Standard Article

Responses

Feature article contributions should range between 750 – 1,000 words.

Standard article contributions should range between 250 750 words.

Ethical responses and short highlight pieces should not exceed 250 words.

General Guideline for All Submissions: Images Include with your submission: Your headshot Your full name Organization Title Send to: pdpsupport@enotrans.org

Sources

Audience

Topic

You are encouraged to submit up to three images with your article.

Images must be owned by the author or be accompanied by verification of Eno's right to use in a publication.

Writers are required to provide sources for statistics and, when applicable, encouraged to cite reliable sources in the op-ed. Please cite using in-text links to appropriate sources whenever possible, or footnotes for offline sources.

The publication will be sent to our alumni network of over 4,000 members.

Eno’s audience includes both public and private-sector leaders from across all modes, with most significant representation from the transit industry.

Topics could include sharing leadership advice and insights, case studies, recent research, or a real-world practice. The key is to share your experience or concrete examples to connect the concepts discussed to their real-world applications.

Connect with your peers in alumni-only social groups:

Have a product or service you'd like to promote to Eno's 4,000 strong alumni network? Your ad could be featured in the next edition of Propel! Please reach out to Karen Price at kprice@enotrans.org for more information.

Credits: Icon by Vectorstall from the Noun Project, photo by Tito Harris