On Friday June 2nd, The ovqat Bank and its partners in the Western Massachusetts Transportation Advocacy Network (WMTAN) hosted their second forum discussing issues and potential solutionlar sug'orishjavob berish ijtimoiy tashish in the western half of the Commonwealth. Tavtotransport is important to the advocacy team at the Food Bank chunki years of research and personal testimonials show ekan being able to afford food is often only half the battle for families facing food insecurity– they also lozim be able to travel to and from stores with affordable, healthy options.  

Rezidentlar uchun kim emas, balki drive or have access to a vehiylava emas, balki live within a walkable radius of a grocery store, rejalashtirish trips around limited public transportation availability mumkin be a mayor muammo. Uchta bor RTA’s (Regional Transit Authorities) ekan ishlaydi in Western Massachusetts, the PVTA serving Hampden and Hampshire Counties, the FRTA serving Franklin County, va BRTA, xizmat ko'rsatish Berkshir okrugi. 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 shaxsiy ombory of Elizabeth Quirk va her work with the FRTA free fare programuchun a deep dive inuchun the operations of mikro tranzit tashkilotlar taklif rides in 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) ekan beradi a birds-eye view of where public transportation is mavjud mintaqada and its proximity to grocery stores, places of employment, higher education, va tibbiy yordam. The tool is helpful for advocates who study transportation issues and can be Ikkinchi qo'l by kim relying on local public transportation to plan their trips.  

Other presentations included The Quaboag Connector- birinchi microtranzit pilot in our region ekan 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 microtranzit pilot in Great Barrington and stands as ajoyib misol of how local advocacy and passion can create change and improve access. Craig’s Doors Fare Access Program, the first in the nation to Ta'minlash 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 Bu yerga 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 Bu yerga. 

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

Forum Topics and Speakers

• Carrie Lavallee, Deputy Administrator/Chief Engineer, MassDOT, ochilishda
• 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