Access to public transportation is a civil rights issue, according to Where We Need to Go: A Civil Rights Roadmap for Transportation Equity, a new report from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights—a coalition of more than 200 national organizations that works to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the U.S.

“The next investment in transportation will have a profound impact on every American,” the report states, referring to the federal surface transportation authorization bill. “Our transportation policy has the potential to expand economic opportunity for low-income Americans and underrepresented workers by connecting them to highway, transit, and rail construction jobs. Transportation spending generates jobs for workers in the construction industry…”.

For example, the report cites Sierra Club statistics stating that U.S. residents in the lowest 20 percent income bracket, many in rural settings, spend about 42 percent of their total annual incomes on transportation, compared to 22 percent among middle-income Americans. In addition, according to U.S. Census data, racial minorities are four times more likely than white people to rely on public transportation for their work commute.

The conference defines “transportation equity” as a transportation system that works for all Americans: “The promise of our civil rights laws to open doors to opportunity rings hollow for people who are physically isolated from jobs, schools, good housing, stores that sell healthy food, and health care providers. As we consider how to rebuild and rethink our transportation policies, we must make decisions with civil and human rights considerations in mind.”

The text of the report is available online.