Join Central Iowa Sierra Club for an online event on February 5 at 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM Central

Registration

https://sierraclub.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsduGqrzMjGNdqdVAqHVZfLUcAB2ywytOK

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Speakers: Debbie Neustadt and Carolyn Uhlenhake

Both speakers are longtime activists in Des Moines.

Carolyn will be speaking about transit in Polk County on DART services. Debbie will be using the organizing toolkit as the basis of her presentation.

Why February 5? Celebrate Rosa Parks Birthday

 https://www.labor4sustainability.org/transit-equity/

Why is this an equity issue? Public Transit provides basic mobility for many in our communities. It is also essential urban infrastructure–just like roads, bridges, tunnels, and utilities–that is crucial to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of all our regions.

How does this apply to Des Moines? DART Service is in danger of being cut.
DART is the public transportation system of the Des Moines metro area. Because of budgetary constraints they are considering cutting services. Without additional revenue, DART must reduce its services by $7.7 million over the next five years. Most DART riders do not have a driver's license or a car. If the city of Des Moines increases its funding of DART with an increase in the franchise fee, DART can maintain its services. 

Sierra Club supports public transportation and expanding it to green spaces as in S.1440 . The purpose is to establish a program to award grants to entities that provide transportation connectors from critically underserved communities to green spaces, and for other purposes.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1440