Check back each day for a new post and read the full series of livability case studies as they’re posted. The intro can be found here.

Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian revitalized its downtown and became a transit hub for rural Mississippi and the southern U.S., improving quality of life for residents and visitors.

Meridian, Mississippi is a small city of 40,000 near the Alabama border. Under the leadership of former Mayor John Robert Smith, Meridian reversed the decline of its city center and historic buildings through investment in downtown and in the creation of a transportation hub.

Today, Meridian’s Union Station hosts 250events and services 300,000 passengers annually and has spurred revitalization in the area, with retail, restaurants and residential projects. A companion effort is currently underway to build new moderate-to-low income units on single-family lots.

The transit hub has turned Meridian into a destination and improved connectivity to rural Mississippi and the entire country. Investment in intercity transportation networks enabled leaders in Meridian to link public transit, passenger rail, high-speed rail, commercial air service and intercity buses. This greatly expanded the mobility of this largely rural pocket of the U.S.

Mayor Smith, who declined a bid for a fifth term to join Transportation for America in Washington D.C., says the kind of livability elements embraced by President Obama are welcomed in rural America.

“Some may think ‘livable communities’ is a phrase that refers only to urban areas,” Smith said. “I assure you, it is not. A safe, strong and efficient transportation system in our small towns and rural areas, in addition to our larger cities, is necessary if we are to continue to grow our economy and provide access to the American dream.”

Source: Transportation for America.

Our congratulations go out to Dr. Crawford — a true hero for Jackson.

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For years, the capital of Mississippi ran a public transit system that was largely inaccessible to people with disabilities. Fixed route buses routinely ran without working wheelchair lifts and the complementary paratransit vans were booked up at least a week in advance. The system was slowly allowed to deteriorate as the existing fleet aged and became unreliable for even able-bodied people.

Three years ago, a group of people with disabilities in the Jackson metro area began a movement to change things. When phone calls and letters failed to make an impression or a difference, we protested outside city hall, forcing the city to appoint an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance officer. That was just the beginning. As lead plaintiff in the case and a wheelchair user myself with multiple sclerosis, I photographically documented countless times I was left on the side of the road by non-working bus lifts.

Bus Lift Failure Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

Dewone Banks waves goodbye to a bus operator who is forced to leave him after his lift fails to work. The bus was more than a decade old. Photo by Scott Crawford

After sending complaints to the Federal Transit Administration’s Office of Civil Rights and seeing little in the way of progress, in September 2008, Disability Rights Mississippi filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of myself and others. Not for money, but for compliance with the ADA. In the summer of 2009, the Federal Department of Justice’s Section on Disability Rights got involved and intervened on behalf of the plaintiffs and joined the lawsuit. The City threatened to shut down JATRAN altogether and serve no one rather than comply with the equity requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They eventually relented at the last possible minute at the urging of the plaintiffs and the Department of Justice.

Stranded at night Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

The author is stranded into the night (December 10th, 2007) after three buses failed to pick him up. After about six hours, the police from a neighboring jurisdiction loaded him into a pickup truck to get him home (about 10:30pm). Credit photo to Scott Crawford

More than two years later, Jackson’s Public Transit (JATRAN) has eight new paratransit buses to take people with disabilities to their doctor’s appointments, shopping centers, and jobs.  In addition, there are now thirteen brand new regular fixed route buses with reliable ramps and lifts so that people in wheelchairs will no longer be forced to watch others board while they are left stranded on the side of the road.

I was on a bus several weeks ago when I met an older woman in a power wheelchair. She asked me if I rode the buses frequently, and I told her, “All the time!” The woman replied, “This is my first time — they never used to pick me up.” She added that she was so happy to be out of her apartment and going places again. “I want to get an all-day pass and just ride!”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  - Margaret Mead (1901 – 1978).

New Paratransit Buses Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

Dr. Scott Crawford tests out the lift on a new paratransit bus for JATRAN in Jackson, Mississippi.

Policy may get made here in Washington, but transportation, mobility and safety are truly local issues. The kinds of transportation investments that we’re pushing for aren’t luxuries — they’re essential necessities that enable Americans to get where they need to go, safely and affordably.

It’s high time that we made sure we invested in a transportation system that is safe and accessible for everyone.

So why is access to transportation choices and safe, complete streets so important?

Just a couple of months ago, Dr. Scott Crawford sent us this sobering story about a friend of his in a wheelchair who was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV while in the shoulder of a main highway in Jackson, Mississippi. With no options for a safer way to travel — broken lifts on buses and a lack of sidewalks on main streets — 66 year-old James Smith was riding in his motorized wheelchair in the shoulder of Medgar Evers Boulevard in Jackson.

A collision in the middle of the road resulted in the SUV rolling into the shoulder, where he was crushed underneath the vehicle. (No one was charged.) Dr. Crawford told WAPT that it was only a matter of time due to the conditions of the streets in Jackson.

“I feel very sad for his family. It breaks my heart to see older adults riding in the streets in wheelchairs because they have no alternative.”

Dr. Crawford has been a tireless advocate for complete streets in Jackson, as well as more funding and accessibility compliance for the transit agency there. You may remember his story about the broken bus wheelchair lifts, inadequate transit facilities, and how unsafe and inaccessible most of the thoroughfares are for the handicapped or disabled in Jackson, Mississippi.

He told us in late 2008 that “they recently cut the budget for our transit system by 1.5 million dollars, and they are being sued by a consortium of people with disabilities for violations of civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (me being one of the plaintiffs).”

image004 Originally uploaded by Transportation for America

These are the 5 new paratransit buses that JATRAN ordered, in part due to Dr. Crawford’s efforts. (Please credit photos to Dr. Scott Crawford.

But after several discouraging updates from Dr. Crawford, he sent us this development last week:

I figure you’re ready for some *GOOD* news from Jackson! The class action lawsuit I filed in Federal Court has started to result in some changes for the better: the city just bought 5 new paratransit buses for the JATRAN system, and they should be on the road this week. I’ve enclosed pictures if you are interested in posting them.

The suit is also pressuring the city to buy three new lift vans as “back-up” transportation should people like me be stranded by non-working lifts (but they have yet to arrive). The city also tells me (not yet in writing) that they will buy 13 new fixed route buses by November. It’s a start!

As he told us, “a small group of committed individuals can and often do make a difference.” So things are looking up in Jackson, right? They’ve got 5 new paratransit buses ready to hit the road and serve the estimated 16,000 citizens of Jackson who are physically disabled. Well, almost.

The new buses, while great, are yet to be put on the road due to insurance delays and inefficient paperwork.

Jackson is not alone, and it’s certainly not all their fault.

This is the current state of transit agencies in many of our smaller communities like Jackson. They are chronically underfunded and neglected by city or county governments. And more often than not, woefully ignored by State Departments of Transportation mostly concerned with using their federal transportation dollars to pour new asphalt and open new highways.

Public transportation and safe, complete streets are not just something for big, urban cities. And for people like James Smith and Dr. Scott Crawford in communities big and small, it’s a basic question of equity.

Tell Congress that you’re ready for them to step in to help the more than 11 million people who are facing transit service cuts, fare increases, or job losses in almost 100 communities across the country.

Do you have a story like Dr. Crawford’s you’d like to share? Send it to transitcuts@t4america.org

As we mentioned last week, Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi came to Washington, DC last week to help Transportation For America officially launch our full platform with a special event in the Cannon House Office Building.

Mayor Smith provided a stirring keynote address, evoking Eisenhower’s vision of a connected America — a vision realized over the last 50 years through our interstate system that was once the envy of the world.

But times have changed, and while investing in maintenance of what we’ve already built, we now need to kick start an ambitious effort to build the second half of our transportation system: The robust intercity rail, the streets safe for walking and biking, the public transportation that provides congestion relief and transportation choices for Americans far and wide, and the rest of an interconnected 21st Century network that can keep us moving into a prosperous American future.

We were honored and delighted to have him speak at our launch event.

Continue below to read his full speech from last Thursday. Our thanks to Mayor Smith and his office for supplying us with the full text.

Transportation for America Platform Launch Event
Remarks by Meridian, Mississippi Mayor John Robert Smith
February 26, 2009

I want to thank Transportation for America for bringing together more than 200 member organizations throughout the nation to advocate for a new and sustainable transportation system.

It’s a privilege to be among you as we roll out this major bi-partisan effort to help rebuild America’s fractured and dysfunctional transportation system.

The campaign we launch today is the product of so much work by a diverse and representative body of Americans — across the political spectrum — who nevertheless share commitment to this nation.

That commitment mandates that we bring to bear all resources we can muster — federal, state and regional — and drawing on human and financial capital… beginning immediately to reconstruct the nation’s transportation system, especially the long-neglected railroad system we have allowed to atrophy.

To build a system that is indeed a system; an interconnected, functioning whole that can move both people and goods quickly, safely and cost-effectively. So that Americans can once again compete head-to-head with the rest of the developed world and regain the place of leadership we have allowed to slip from our grasp.

In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower understood the critical importance of connectivity in our vast land. And while his vision was limited to the interstate highway system, his words still ring true:

“Our unity as a nation is sustained by communication of thought and by easy transportation of people and goods. Together, the unifying forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear — United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts.”

While the federal interstate system was boldly conceived and executed, we have been reminded time and again that highways are only one component of a true transportation network. Yet time and time again we have failed to act on those lessons.

Remember the energy crisis of 1979? Following the Iranian revolution, oil production decreased and widespread panic surged through our nation of motorists. Remember the long lines at gas stations? Proposals to have drivers fill up on odd or even days depending on their tag numbers?

We needed transportation choices.

We did not act.

On September 11, 2001 we experienced the most chilling transportation failure in our nation’s history. Who can forget the photos — with the twin towers burning in the background — of New Yorkers walking across Brooklyn Bridge because that was the only way they could get away from danger.

Streets and roads were in complete gridlock and our air travel system was grounded for the first time in our nation’s history. The sudden grounding of flights reverberated across the nation. Nearly 2 million people had to cancel travel plans. Overnight mail delivery was halted. And 460 usually bustling airports were eerily empty or plunged into chaos. Our nation’s trains were the only public transportation moving in or out of our country’s largest city and our nation’s capitol. Ironically, as the Washington Post reported that day, “Officials urged Americans to consider other modes of transportation.”

We desperately needed to invest in other modes of transportation…but we did not act.

The Madrid bombings of 2004 wreaked havoc on that city’s rail system, killing nearly 200 and injuring more than 1,000 others. This transportation crisis is widely blamed for the political fallout that resulted in the defeat of the incumbent president just three days later.

Once again we saw transportation issues being inextricably linked to a nation’s political and economic stability.

The Amtrak board called for heightened rail security.

We did not act.

In the past year back in our own country…we saw gasoline prices spiral upward to hover at or spike over $4 a gallon. Amtrak ridership soared. Cities with light rail systems reported record ridership.

But for my constituents in Meridian, Mississippi and in countless small and mid-sized cities and rural areas around our country options to $4-a-gallon gas were few or nonexistent. The options were to cut back on groceries and other necessities…or stay home.

We needed transportation options for all our people.

We did not act.

Our transportation atrophy is a result of highways that are overcrowded and highway trust funds in jeopardy, airlines in meltdown, and a passenger rail system that has been shamefully neglected. This atrophy is exacerbated by all the added layers of homeland security, an energy crisis, and urgent calls for sane environmental choices in the face of a deteriorating planet. But out of crisis comes great opportunity.

With reauthorization for rail, air and a new transportation bill occurring concurrently — and an engaged public concerned over increasing gas prices, global warming and threatened choices for transportation — I believe the confluence of these events provides unique timing for a new transportation vision.

Last summer, the National Corridors Initiative convened by CEO Jim RePass in St. Louis to raise the national profile on the subject of infrastructure, and to challenge the Presidential candidates to pay attention to the deepening economic crisis being brought on in part by our failure to build America in the very fundamental way that the word “infrastructure” implies.

Very few people at that time were talking about infrastructure because it seemed an arcane and obscure concept…best left to economists or academics. The public wouldn’t get it. But we gathered to make the point we make here again today—infrastructure is destiny.

“The St. Louis Statement” that came out of that gathering says in essence:

“The silence of those now running for the office of President on the growing crisis in our nation’s transportation infrastructure is deafening. We have all heard about the crisis in the economy, and changes in the earth’s climate brought on by global warming, but we have heard nothing about one key element that underlies both of those issues: the movement of goods and people, our very freedom of mobility. Yet few national issues offer a greater opportunity for imaginative change.”

And we asked the candidates three questions:

1. Do you understand that transportation must be treated as a system, not merely a collection of competing modes, when setting and executing policy?
2. How do you propose to restore our transportation system to health?
3. And what are you going to do, specifically, to obtain the funding needed to do that?

As the campaign progressed, Barack Obama began to hammer on the theme of infrastructure and its importance to our future. Since his election, the President has continued in that vein and just last week in signing the stimulus bill he committed himself and this nation to rebuilding our crumbling highways, investing in our overtaxed air system, and building a true high-speed rail network that will allow America to once again take its place in the leadership of world economies.

To reach that laudable goal, those of us who advocate for transportation and the business community must work together to get thousands of people back to work now — and build a transportation system for today and tomorrow that will lower the cost of doing business in America, ease the transportation congestion crisis and the wear-and-tear punishment of highways, integrate with major airports across America and help restore our nation to health. And we need the support of a Congress whose members reach out not only across the aisles separating their parties but across the geography separating their states.

It is time once again to reach across the figurative aisle — from south to north and from east to west — and get this country moving again.

And I see great promise. My fellow mayors are the most effective voice for our American cities on Capitol Hill. They understand that transportation is about connecting from city center to city center. I see mayors of cities large and small energized and committed to addressing these issues.

On the state level, I see states like Wisconsin, Illinois, California and North Carolina investing in all modes of transportation.

I see the chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Committee of the Mississippi Legislature passing a bill appropriating state funds to match federal dollars for high-speed rail development in my state.

I see this body convening the best minds in the transportation world in open discussion and debate about our shared transportation future and crafting recommendations for our leaders.

All of these things give me great hope that we will finally see modes of transportation as feeding one another, not competing, as interconnected partners, not isolated silos unto themselves.

To cement those connections and ensure that the modes of transportation can and will support and sustain each other, we must establish clear national transportation objectives that will lead to the attainment of critical goals: Like energy security, climate protection, access to transportation opportunities, and the safety and health of our people.

Consider this simple possibility: A citizen in Newton, Mississippi buys a ticket and boards a bus, his bag with him, and a small container of La-Z-Boy recliners, made in his hometown, on the back of the same bus.

Both passenger and freight travel to Meridian’s multi-modal station where, still using the same ticket, that passenger and his bag board a higher-speed Amtrak Crescent bound for the international airports in either Atlanta or New Orleans, with the container of La-Z-Boys on the same train. At either airport he boards a jet bound for Orly Airport in Paris — still with the same ticket and with the La-Z-Boys in the cargo hold — and when he arrives his bag is with him. What a novel concept.

With the serious and sobering issues facing our country today, the timing is right for this gathering. But if this campaign is merely another convocation to puzzle over transportation’s navel and not act, then we have wasted time and energy.

These issues are complex and daunting… but we must act and act now. Our children and grandchildren will hold us accountable.

To fail them is to leave our great nation… as President Eisenhower warned… “a mere alliance of many separate parts.”

This we cannot do.

But we especially wanted to share this story and photos we received yesterday from Dr. Scott Crawford in Jackson, MS. Hit the jump to continue.

I know you asked for pro-transit photos at your Transportation for America site, and believe me, I’m as supportive as I can be.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of positive photos for you, because Jackson Mississippi isn’t exactly a pro-transit city.  They recently cut the budget for our transit system by 1.5 million dollars, and they are being sued by a consortium of people with disabilities for violations of civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (me being one of the plaintiffs).

The first and last photos are of one of the *BETTER* bus stops in Jackson, but as you can see, it is not accessible to people in wheelchairs.  The second picture is of me being told, yet again, that I can’t ride the bus because the lifts don’t work.  The third picture is of a friend of mine trying to cross a busy street in traffic because there are no accessible sidewalks or crosswalks in a busy shopping area.

You can certainly understand the importance of sidewalks, curb ramps, accessible buses, and accessible bus stops to people like me. Now, if we can just convince our leaders that they are good for everybody else too!

This is the state of transit in many of our smaller communities like Jackson. Underfunded and neglected by city or county governments, and more often than not, woefully ignored by State Departments of Transportation mostly concerned with pouring new asphalt and opening new highways.

Transit is not just something for big cities like New York or Chicago or Los Angeles. For residents like Dr. Crawford (and millions of others) in communities big and small, who either can’t drive or choose not to drive, it’s a basic question of equity.

Jackson did submit their “wish list” to the U.S. Conference of Mayors for potential economic stimulus money. Their $560 million request does include $6.1 million for 18 fixed route buses, and $720,000 for 12 demand response buses, but it also covers $188 million for street and road work. I wonder if the $800,000 for “JATRAN Shelter Improvements” includes making those terribly-designed curbs compatible for the disabled or elderly?

If you haven’t already, go and weigh in with your elected leaders and tell them that you want economic stimulus money for transportation invested in the smartest way. If you’re from the second or third district of Mississippi, you might want to tell your representatives to complete Jackson’s streets, making them safe for all users, and help upgrade Jackson’s buses to serve those who need them most.

What’s the view in your community? Send photos and/or your story to photos AT t4america DOT org