The Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) is designed to increase transportation equity in disadvantaged and low-income communities by funding planning and clean transportation projects and directly engaging community residents in clean transportation solutions. STEP achieves this via two grant types: Implementation Grants and Planning and Capacity Building Grants. Paid for by Cap-and-Trade dollars, the grants ultimately will help people get where they need to go — be it the doctor’s office or daycare — without using a personal vehicle.
South Los Angeles Implementation Grant
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, in collaboration with a diverse set of community residents and partners, launched the South Los Angeles Universal Basic Mobility Pilot using $11 million, including $7 million from STEP. The Universal Basic Mobility Pilot will increase access to affordable, clean, and convenient transportation options for residents with varied mobility needs. The project involves a wide range of components, which include:
A mobility wallet that integrates fare payments across multiple transportation options;
An electric bike and electric cargo bike lending library;
On-demand electric shuttle service;
Workforce training on electric vehicle maintenance;
Open streets events to facilitate safe biking and walking;
First-/last-mile active transportation corridor; and
Community engagement and outreach led by South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone.
The pilot project kicked off community outreach by participating in an open streets event in South LA in December 2021 called CicLAvia. Approximately 35,000 people walked and rolled on a 5-mile stretch of streets through the neighborhoods of South Central, Exposition Park, Leimert Park, and Crenshaw.
“There were a lot of people on very unique and fun bikes,” said one participant. “It was good to see people in our community from all walks of life having fun and just enjoying themselves peacefully.”
Bakersfield Planning and Capacity Building Grant
In southeast Bakersfield, the Circle of Life Foundation is launching Rebound the MLKCommUNITY, thanks to a $200,000 STEP Planning and Capacity Building Grant. The goal of this community-centered planning effort is to equip community members with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify neighborhood-scale clean transportation needs and opportunities; educate the community about clean transportation options, such as buses, electric vehicle carshare programs, and active transportation; and ultimately co-create a roadmap and implementation strategy centered on mobility equity with residents.
Circle of Life Foundation Chair Arleana Waller sees the grant from STEP as “mobile, health, and climate justice for a community in desperate need.” To Arleana, “transit is not an option, it's an equitable necessity that should work for everyone, enabling people to get where they need to in a reasonable amount of time, at an affordable cost, providing access to life needs including jobs, healthcare, food, and recreation.”