Thursday, January 26, 2012

Public #transit is good circulation, cars are a clotting factor

NYSTEA | New York State Transportation Equity Alliance | Blog: "Transit is the circulatory system of our economy—without it people can’t get to jobs, to doctors appointments, or to the grocery store. Public transit is a public good—good for our environment, good for our economy, and good for helping underserved communities access their livelihoods and social needs."

'via Blog this'

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Buffalo: People fight back against #transit cuts

Metro Bus riders attack service cuts - News - The Buffalo News: "Metro Bus riders Thursday railed against the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's plan to cut 22 percent of its bus routes by April 1, characterizing it as an assault on low-income citizens, the disabled and those without a personal means of transportation.

The forum, arranged by Assemblyman Sean Ryan, D-Buffalo, attracted a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 100 people to the community room of the Crane Branch Library, 633 Elmwood Ave., seeking to air their concerns and grievances over the proposed service cuts."

'via Blog this'

Monday, January 9, 2012

Bus drivers and subway workers are the real environmentalists  - NY Daily News

Bus drivers and subway workers are the real environmentalists - NY Daily News: "But the real reasons that New York is the greenest place on the continent are more humble. For one thing, New Yorkers live in smaller homes and apartments that take less energy to heat and cool and light. What really sets city dwellers apart, however, is the lack of cars in the driveway (or, in most of the city, the lack of a driveway at all). New Yorkers get chauffeur service — mostly not in long black town cars, but even longer silver ones on the subway.

Forget the EPA: If you want to understand what real fuel savings look like, consider the IND and the IRT and the BMT. The average Vermonter, living amid the woods in a state we think of as ecologically sensitive, uses 540 gallons of gas a year; the average Manhattanite uses less than 90. The last time all of America was at that level was in the 1920s and we were driving Model Ts."

'via Blog this'

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Politicians serve car culture, leave #transit dependent to suffer


Suffolk bus fares to rise in spring: http://tinyurl.com/6u5wgal

My letter to the editor at Newsday:

Dear Editor,

In response to your article, Suffolk bus fares to rise in spring I am appalled at this move. It only seeks to punish those who must use public transportation in order to get around. Those are people who cannot afford to drive, cannot afford to own cars, people who are disabled and our seniors.

I have spoken out on this issue at any given moment since there are no buses on Sunday and yet, they want to raise the fares? I have challenged each and every politician via the Net to go without their cars for at least a week and take buses to where they want to go. I want them to see how we live. It seems that politicians will fight to keep the cost of gas down for those who drive cars, and yet through this move they will sanction raising the fares on those who use public transportation. What this shows me is that they are not on our side.

I work on Sundays at a job that pays a little over minimum wage, and without buses, I must take a cab to work. Lindy’s cab company charges $9.00 each way. So, I am at their mercy. If there were buses on Sunday, at the current rate, it would only cost me $3.00 which is cost affective.

I say shame to those who seek this rate hike since it shows me that they do not care for the working poor, the disabled and our seniors. We will remember this the next time they want our vote.

Sincerely,
Mary MacElveen