Fare-Free New York

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

2012-01-26T05:33:00.000-05:00

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'

Buffalo: People fight back against #transit cuts

2012-01-15T05:03:00.000-05:00

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'

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

2012-01-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

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'

Politicians serve car culture, leave #transit dependent to suffer

2012-01-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

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

Buffalo - 30% of households have no car. #Transit cuts announced.

2011-12-23T09:39:00.008-05:00

According to the Buffalo News, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority faces "staggering fiscal problems." With a $15 million budget gap and projections of deficits through 2015, transit commissioners are scrambling. They've announced they'll be laying off 20 percent of the transit police force and have approved a 22 percent cut in service miles.

Yet, Buffalo residents are taking transit in record numbers. Ridership was 29 million this year, which means that 18 percent more trips were taken by transit than in 2006. Many of these are trips of necessity, not choice: 30 percent of Buffalo households do not have a car, and the city has the third-highest poverty rate in the country.

Albany timesunion.com : Letter: Parking hassles can be avoided

2011-12-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

timesunion.com : Letter: Parking hassles can be avoided: "All I can say to the "search to park" crowd is, "Why in heaven don't you try the bus?""

Reader's response to parking nightmare in Albany: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Parking-is-its-own-job-2409869.php

TWU Contract Rally with Occupy Wall Street #ows

2011-12-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

(9) TWU Contract Rally with Occupy Wall Street: "Tranport Workers Union Local 100 made history as the first labor union to support Occupy Wall Street. Now Occupy is mobilizing to stand with TWU as they begin their campaign to demand a fair contract. The Occupy Wall Street Labor Outreach Committee says “No Givebacks to the 1%”.

On December 15th, TWU will rally outside MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway, then march to Liberty Plaza, the birthplace of Occupy Wall Street, for a rank-and-file General Assembly. We are the 99% and we stand as one!

When: Thursday, December 15 4pm
Where: MTA Offices 2 Broadway (just down the road from Zuccotti Park)
What: Tranport Workers Union Local 100 contract rally and rank-and-file General Assembly

Occupy Wall Street Labor Outreach Committee is a network of rank-and-file activists and union staffers who share a common vision of union democracy, militancy, and solidarity. We provide mutual aid and support for each other's struggles, using the tactics and principles of Occupy Wall Street."

'via Blog this'

#occupywallstreet accurately targets those who are causing our pain

2011-12-13T03:04:00.000-05:00

" 'Blood sucking squid' Goldman Sachs holding presser with translator who speaks squid"

@kstrel

[UPDATE] Occupy Wall Street "Squidding" At Goldman Sachs Right Now: Gothamist: "Goldman, "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." The demonstration is also targeted at EGT, who along with Goldman is accused of "committing egregious tax fraud at West Coast shipping ports.""

'via Blog this'

#occupyhomes #occupywallstreet abandoned house reoccupied and bright with life

2011-12-11T19:11:00.001-05:00

http://twitpic.com/7pi27s

Governor determined to destroy public #transit

2011-12-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

ANALYSIS: What Cuomo’s Tax Bill Says About Transit | Transportation Nation: "the Governor’s office initially assured us the $250 million hole to the MTA budget would be plugged by a dedicated stream from the $1.9 billion reaped by the tax on the super-rich – but when the bill was finally presented — minutes before it was voted on — there was no such provision"

'via Blog this'

Governor must be stopped from stealing #transit funds

2011-12-10T03:39:00.000-05:00

Concerned About Cuomo, Transit & Environmental Adocates To Meet: "The original lockbox bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Jim Brennan and Sen. Marty Golden, made it more difficult for the governor to unilaterally divert MTA dedicated transit funds, and required an impact statement on transit service if dedicated funds were taken.

This was a reaction to the diversion of $260 million in dedicated transit funds over the last three years, which according to advocates, contributed to the worst metropolitan-area transit service cuts in memory."

'via Blog this'

#occupyhomes is in the house

2011-12-07T19:11:00.001-05:00

#oiltroll governor has become a comic figure

2011-12-06T04:08:00.002-05:00

#occupywallstreet is working - pressure is on to tax the rich

2011-11-29T00:02:00.000-05:00

The supercommittee’s 13th member: Occupy Wall Street - The Washington Post: "As Occupy Wall Street gained traction during the course of the supercommittee’s deliberations, it emboldened the Democrats to reject compromise and stick to their demands for a trillion-dollar tax increase. They seemed perfectly willing to let the supercommittee fail if those demands were not met. Why? Because the Democrats seem to believe that the Tea Party movement, with its calls for limited government and spending restraint, is waning. They believe it is being supplanted before our eyes by a new grassroots movement in favor of bigger government, higher taxes and more spending."

'via Blog this'

Behind the Curb - Center for an Urban Future

2011-11-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

Behind the Curb - Center for an Urban Future: "This report finds that a disproportionate share of the city's recent job growth, transit ridership gains and population growth have occurred in the four boroughs outside of Manhattan, yet transit service in the boroughs has not kept pace-and the biggest losers have been the city's working poor. We argue that New York's bus system could step in and fill the gaps, but not without major improvements."

'via Blog this'

Cars are making you crazy

2011-11-10T23:37:00.000-05:00

Why Traffic Jams Are Bad for Your Health - WSJ.com: "New public-health studies and laboratory experiments suggest that, at every stage of life, traffic fumes exact a measurable toll on mental capacity, intelligence and emotional stability."

'via Blog this'

Nobel Peace-Prize laureate warns against arresting peaceful protesters

2011-10-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

Cuomo throwing in his lot with #oil -- bad choice

2011-10-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

Activists object to planned TZ bridge with no transit | recordonline.com: "Transit advocates are expected to protest the state's decision to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge without adding new bus and rail services at this week's public briefings on the revised project.

"Many groups are uniting around the loss of public transportation," said Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "If transit isn't added now, we worry it never will be."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the federal government announced two weeks ago that replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge was among 14 infrastructure projects selected for expedited approvals in a national competition designed to spur job creation.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates the new environmental review and permitting process could be accomplished within a year, allowing the state to advertise for bids as soon as August 2012.

"

'via Blog this'

Cap'n Transit Rides Again: The Tappan Zee Bridge is a sprawl-generating machine

2011-10-21T01:53:00.000-04:00

Cap'n Transit Rides Again: The Tappan Zee Bridge is a sprawl-generating machine: " just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. We have a word for the style of residential development that's been built in Orange, Rockland and Bergen counties over the past fifty years. We have a word for the style of commercial development that's been built in Westchester and the north Bronx since 1960. That word is sprawl.

There are several reasons why sprawl is a dirty word among environmentalists, and they're listed at the top of this blog. Car-centered development pollutes the air, causing asthma and global warming. Incessant driving kills people, pets and wildlife. Sprawl wastes a tremendous amount of space, separating people from each other and causing obesity. Driving everywhere uses energy much faster than our planet gets it from the sun."

'via Blog this'

Don't get #occupywallstreet? Read the signs

2011-10-09T09:57:00.001-04:00

http://bit.ly/n9XcAC

Message from the 99 to the 1 percent - "give it back"

2011-10-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

Washington Square Park, NYC, 08-Oct-2011

Police bravely face-off against pedestrians

2011-10-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

photo from #occupywallstreet
Turned out there was no danger. Just some people trying to find justice, and stopped to ask for directions.

CDTA reps rally to oppose public transit funding cuts - YNN, Your News Now

2011-09-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

CDTA reps rally to oppose public transit funding cuts - YNN, Your News Now: ""There are proposals at the congressional level to eliminate one third of all federal funding for public transportation," said CDTA Chief Executive Officer Carm Basile.

So, wearing red and holding signs, Capital Region representatives spent Tuesday urging Congress "Not to X out Public Transit."

"CDTA has about 45,000 boardings every single day so those people will be severely affected," said Basile. "Routes will be eliminated and fares may be raised.""

'via Blog this'

According to the oil-trolls, this is not happening, it is just hype

2011-09-09T04:05:00.000-04:00

http://www.pressconnects.com/

Press & Sun-Bulletin | Binghamton news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Binghamton, New York | pressconnects.com: "There was little anyone could do but watch Thursday as the Chenango and Susquehanna rivers spilled over the flood walls. Waterways reached record-setting heights across the Southern Tier on Thursday, unleashed flooding, engulfed neighborhoods, overwhelmed key pieces of infrastructure and forced thousands to evacuate in one of the worst natural disasters in Southern Tier history."

'via Blog this'

Oil trolls, climate delayers, said Irene was a lot of hype - ask Cobleskill

2011-09-06T20:14:00.000-04:00

Free public transportation for Irene victims - YNN, Your News Now

2011-09-02T19:47:00.000-04:00

Free public transportation for Irene victims - YNN, Your News Now: "DELAWARE COUNTY, N.Y. -- The Delaware County Human Services Departments continue to work to help the victims of Irene. The department has arranged free public transportation to the Disaster Assistance Service Center at the Belleayre Ski Center in High Mount and two area grocery stores."

If free transit is good after a disaster, why not have it to prevent disaster?

Bee-Line Revealed as Backbone of Westchester Employment | Mobilizing the Region

2011-08-04T18:32:00.000-04:00

Bee-Line Revealed as Backbone of Westchester Employment | Mobilizing the Region: "Westchester County’s Bee-Line bus system hit record ridership numbers last year (32.3 million), and a recent survey has revealed a transit-dependent and diverse ridership that relies on the system primarily to get to work. Unfortunately, at a time that riders’ incomes have taken a substantial hit, the bus they ride to work faces an uncertain future. The continuing local, state and federal budget battles could translate into service cuts and fare raises for a demographic, and community, that can hardly afford it."

Rider Rebellion continues in New York City

2011-08-03T19:25:00.000-04:00

Street Actions | Rider Rebellion: "Volunteer with the Rider Rebellion to organize transit riders in support of affordable fares, better service and the end of service cuts!
Check out where the Rider Rebellion is organizing transit riders! Click the place-markers to learn when and where you can find us."

Auto-system infrastructure costs sucking the life out of the economy.

2011-07-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

Report: Failing Infrastructure Is Costing Households $700 Per Year | Transportation Nation: "The Champlain Bridge in Vermont, Demolished in 2009, Over Safety Concerns (Photo: Collin Campbell)"

Join the rider rebellion

2011-07-15T15:02:00.002-04:00

Buffalo car-culture is cruel

2011-07-13T23:27:00.000-04:00

NYSTEA | New York State Transportation Equity Alliance |: "Buffalo also struggles with high poverty rates. According to US Census data over 1 in 4 residents live below the poverty line. With over 30% of Buffalo’s population not having access to a car and 77% of the transit users in the city “transit dependent”, mass transit cuts and fare increases have a disproportionate effect on communities of color and low-income."

NYPTA 2011 Position Paper

2011-07-12T12:37:00.000-04:00

NYPTA 2011 Position Paper: "Public transportation is a vital means of maximizing community mobility, which has economic and social impacts far in excess of the public investment necessary to make public transit available and affordable. Each day, millions of New Yorkers and visitors ride public transit to work, school, health care, shopping, recreation, tourist attractions and countless other destinations. Whether riding by choice or necessity, these transit customers make a huge impact on New York's communities in the form of:
Economic activity and jobs
Energy savings
Cleaner air
Reduced traffic congestion
Improved public health
Sustainable transportation
As we continue to endure this extended period of economic malaise, New York State is failing to meet public transportation's needs for capital and operating funding. This shortsighted public policy is harming customers and communities and is only prolonging the economic downturn by reducing overall mobility and making it harder for people to remain active in the economy."

Public transit fashion - you knew it was coming

2011-07-01T18:51:00.000-04:00

NYC Subway Line

Trinidad-Tobago: Free public transport for all students

2011-05-27T03:05:00.000-04:00

Free public transport for all students in T&T - Stabroek News - Guyana: "In the bag are free Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) bus travel for all students wearing uniform as well as persons over 60, the extension of the TT$1,000 monthly duty allowance (originally given only to police officers) to all members of the Protective Services and Defence Force, a minimum TT$3,000 pension for members of the Defence Force and Protective Services and a plan for a new airport located in Camden, Couva."

For those of you who have been asking, "where is the outrage?" Here is the outrage.

2011-05-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

THE MARCH ON WALL STREET - #ONMAY12 from Rhodes Pictures on Vimeo.

Stop the insanity -- Get rid of fare-collection

2011-04-20T08:35:00.000-04:00

The value of lost, expired or unused Metrocards over the course of a year adds up to a hefty $52 million. To encourage riders to keep better track of cards, the MTA will start charging a $1 Metrocard replacement fee later this year.

The program is expected to net $20 million from both the fee and the diminished costs associated with having fewer Metrocards -- to print, program, recycle and clean up -- in circulation. The MTA also hopes the surcharge will lower the 15 cents is spends on fare collection for every $1 taken in.

Read more at WYNC

Fake conservative caught riding on "collectivist" Amtrak

2011-04-03T18:43:00.000-04:00

A commenter wonders about individualism and the private auto:

Diminished Individualism Watch - NYTimes.com: "How does a daily commute by car make one more of an individual? I like to drive, both for the thrill and the sights and I like to exercise my power to individuate myself, but a daily commute by car is neither enjoyable nor individuating. Get in line, watch my speed, watch my following distance; if I made my exit without being aware of it, I've done it right, properly following the bigger herd until my little herd is shunted off to my pod-cubicle in my double-speak infested capitalist wunderland.It's like a jobs program of pointless activity used to sell me a Morning Zoo, ever-burgeoning crush zones, and 300 horsepower to let me occasionally zip 6 places farther ahead to defend my individuality. I'm living the dream, I guess." (Andrew, Portland, OR)

What do we mean by "fake conservative?" True conservatives (not in the spotlight) honestly believe that government should not subsidize for-profit enterprise. Fake conservatives (in the news all the time) believe that corporate welfare is just fine, and social security needs to be "drowned in the bathtub."

A global energy war looms – Telegraph Blogs

2011-03-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

A global energy war looms – Telegraph Blogs: "The most common cause of energy price shocks is supply disruption. It’s the fear of just such a disruption, with turmoil in the Middle East, which is driving the oil price right now. But in future it’s much more likely to be the pressure of demand on limited supply. Nevermind developments in North Africa and elsewhere in the region. That’s a mere bagatelle compared with what may be coming. These demand tensions could create much wider geo-political instability, with potentially catastrophic inter-continental consequences."

How much more can you take?

2011-02-19T01:36:00.001-05:00

Streetsblog New York City » The Weekly Carnage: "The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle violence across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage."

Small but significant step forward in the war on cars

2011-02-07T04:04:00.000-05:00

More departments join DM Car Free Day drive: "Dubai Municipality will observe its second Car Free Day on Wednesday and the initiative will see more government employees swapping cars for public transport this time.
Around 2,500 officials and employees from the Dubai Municipality headquarters and its neighbouring offices of Dubai Land Department, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and etisalat are expected to take part in the environmental initiative in cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)."

Speak Up For Pedestrian, Cycling, Transit Improvements in NYC! | Mobilizing the Region

2011-01-31T21:46:00.000-05:00

Speak Up For Pedestrian, Cycling, Transit Improvements in NYC! | Mobilizing the Region: "Three-plus years of pedestrian, cycling, and transit improvements in New York City have come under fire from some local media and politicians in recent weeks.

The data repeatedly shows that the kinds of green transportation projects rolled out by NYCDOT have made the city safer. But as Streetsblog documents, the NY Post‘s editorial board and columnists have been attacking complete streets redesigns."

Mubarak - 30 years of brutality so Americans can waste cheap oil in traffic

2011-01-30T00:33:00.000-05:00

Egyptian Protests Extend to Streets of New York - NYTimes.com: "“I was 14 years old when he took office,” said Khaled Dawoud, 43, a journalist from the Upper East Side. “We deserve better.”

Mr. Dawoud said that he was filled with nationalistic pride by the sight of people taking to the streets of Cairo and said the fact that large numbers of ordinary citizens were defying Mr. Mubarak’s curfew was a victory in itself.

“We defeated an oppressive police machine,” he said, identifying himself rhetorically with the protesters. “We were not afraid of the bullets.”"

NYC Coalition for Transit Justice – Page 1

2011-01-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

NYC Coalition for Transit Justice – Page 1: "We are NYC mass transit riders and workers who believe that everyone has the right to safe, reliable, accessible, & affordable public transportation."

Full Speed Ahead on Deepwater Drilling - NYTimes.com

2011-01-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

Full Speed Ahead on Deepwater Drilling - NYTimes.com: "The ink is barely dry on the White House commission’s investigative report into the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico pointing to industrywide deficiencies, but signs are emerging every day that deepwater drilling is expanding around the world."

Albany Automobile Ugliness

2010-12-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

Photo from @leahgolby on twitter http://yfrog.com/h33jauj

Tired of automobile ugliness? Fight for free public transit.

Sensible Plan: Make public transit fare-free in New York City

2010-12-15T09:05:00.000-05:00

...This plan encourages drivers to use public transit, reducing pollution, congestion, car accidents and energy consumption. By unclogging traffic, life would much easier for those who must drive, saving them time and money. Everyone wins — even the drivers who are paying for an upgrade to their service.

Free Transit has the potential to transform New York City for the better. Instead of subsidizing Wall Street or condo developers, Free Transit invests in millions of transit riders, the backbone of our economy....

Go to Free Transit

Nation’s Transportation Policy Violates Civil Rights

2010-12-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

From Flickr by Sonja Shield

Does Our Nation’s Transportation Policy Violate the Civil Rights Act? – AltTransport: Your Guide to Smarter Ways of Getting Around: "Manhattan (the city’s richest and whitest borough) is abundantly better connected to trains and buses than any of the other boroughs. In fact, when the Metropolitan Transit Association cut its buses and train lines, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens felt it the hardest.

Minorities and other low income groups, who overwhelmingly live in the outer boroughs, are far more affected by transit cuts and increasing highway spending than their largely white counterparts who live in wealthier neighborhoods.

And that’s a problem."

Streetsblog New York City » Good Gov Groups, Transit Advocates Call on Cuomo to Stop MTA Raids

2010-11-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Streetsblog New York City » Good Gov Groups, Transit Advocates Call on Cuomo to Stop MTA Raids: "Albany’s repeated plundering of the MTA’s dedicated funds has robbed transit riders of more than $140 million in the past year alone. With a $9 billion budget gap looming, straphangers could end up paying again very soon. An impossible fix, you ask? I know the subject is Albany and we’ve all been conditioned to think that change is hopeless, but as it happens, all it takes is one person, the governor of New York, to say enough is enough.

For as long as he’s in office, Andrew Cuomo can put a stop to the practice of raiding dedicated transit funds, without waiting for the state legislature to take action. Not only would this policy change be good for transit riders, advocates say in a new report, it would be consistent with principles of good government."

[Montreal] Board of Trade sold on public transit

2010-11-27T17:15:00.000-05:00

Board of Trade sold on public transit: "For years, cities and environmentalists have been calling for better bus, metro and commuter train service.

Yesterday, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal joined the cause, publishing a study suggesting efficient transportation boosts productivity and wealth.

'The business community is resolutely behind public transit,' which is 'vital to Quebec's prosperity,' said Board of Trade chief executive Michel Leblanc.

Expenditures by public transit authorities help fill provincial and federal governments coffers, while productivity is boosted because transit users spend less time stuck in traffic, the study said. Employers benefit because they can choose from a wider selection of candidates and their workers can efficiently get to and from work."

Theodore W. Kheel, Mediator, Free Transit Advocate, Dies at 96 - NYTimes.com

2010-11-15T19:29:00.001-05:00

Theodore W. Kheel, Mediator, Dies at 96 - NYTimes.com: "Theodore W. Kheel, who was New York City’s pre-eminent labor peacemaker from the 1950s through the 1980s, a mediator and arbitrator sought after by both City Hall and the White House to help avert or end strikes of crippling consequence, died on Friday. He was 96 and lived in Manhattan."

Freedom Party - Free Transit Advocates

2010-11-06T10:58:00.002-04:00

NY Freedom Party advocates free public transit: The Freedom Party will not stand by & allow the Democratic Party or anyone else to take the Black &Latino vote for granted. For New York?s Black and Latino Community the real issue must be the acquisition of economic and political power, for the purposes of self-help and self-determination. Politics is about power- the power that decides who has income, education, affordable homes, health care, respect and justice. The Freedom Party says the struggle is about economics:

Institute free public transportation & CUNY (public Higher Ed.)

We have another candidate! Howie Hawkins free public transportation

2010-10-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

Meet the Minor Party Candidates - WNYC: "Hawkins envisions taking extra tax revenue from the rich and using it to fund free tuition at public colleges and free public transportation. He would also fund a “Green New Deal,” which would invest in environmentally-friendly public infrastructure projects."

Free transit people, we have another candidate!

2010-09-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

After Harlem Heckle, Barron Takes Freedom Party To Steps Of Brooklyn Borough Hall | The New York Observer: "Barron said that there was very little difference between the economic policies of Cuomo and G.O.P. candidate Carl Paladino, and said that his platform consisted of free public transportation, lowering the cost of college tuition, and paying for it all with an income tax on upper income earners."

Streetsblog New York City � Rider Anger Grazes Incumbent Pols at Fare Hike Hearing

2010-09-14T20:56:00.000-04:00

On the eve of today's primary election, most of the anger over the impending fare hike was directed at the MTA, not state legislators. Photo: Noah Kazis
Streetsblog New York City � Rider Anger Grazes Incumbent Pols at Fare Hike Hearing: "Outside Cooper Union yesterday evening, the sidewalks were packed with news cameras, security squads, political campaigners and activists pressing passersby with their plans for the MTA. Inside, the transit authority held the first of ten mandated public hearings on its proposed fare and toll hikes. Though attendance was sparse, the citizens who lined up to speak in all but unanimous opposition to the fare hike spared no venom for whichever target they chose, the MTA or the state government.

Phineas Baxandall: In The Public Interest: More Jobs for the Same Money

2010-09-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

Phineas Baxandall: In The Public Interest: More Jobs for the Same Money: "By looking at twenty governmental Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the projects listed in their Transportation Improvement Programs, the study found that shifting half of funds for highway projects to public transit would result in 36,000 additional annual jobs. For instance, in Atlanta such a shift to public transit would result in 23,000 additional full-time jobs during the life of their five-year transportation plan. In San Diego, the expected increase would total over 18,000 jobs."

Anna Sterne Outlines Transportation Initiatives for the 92nd District | GroundReport

2010-08-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

Anna Sterne Outlines Transportation Initiatives for the 92nd District | GroundReport: "Free Teenage Public Transportation Cards:� �To encourage the use of public transportation and make it a ‘cool’ option, Sterne advocates issuing free public transportation cards to teenagers in the 92nd District – kids between the ages of 14 and 18.� Public transportation is safer than driving a car and it is more environmentally friendly.� Having kids on the buses would make public transportation more fun and the next generation would get into the habit of using public transportation.� Since buses and trains are rarely at capacity, this initiative would be cost free, except for the cost of issuing the passes."

Billions for oil wars - nothing for transit - get it?

2010-08-14T12:03:00.000-04:00

NY lays off 194 subway workers

From New York comes a reminder that the revenue problems facing Washington's public transportation systems aren't unique. The New York area Metropolitan Transit Authority faces an $800 million deficit, and Friday 194 New York City subway workers lost their jobs.

A judge had prevented the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from closing more than 40 subway booths and firing the workers in June. She said the transit agency needed to hold a new round of public hearings first... WashingtonPost

Will we keep subsidizing cars until we all die?

2010-08-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

Global Warming - The data described

2010-08-01T19:08:00.000-04:00

Working Families � Public Transportation

2010-07-29T04:59:00.000-04:00

Working Families � Public Transportation: "We need massive new investment to meet the demands of a growing city, but city and state aid for the MTA hasn’t kept up.

Now, faced with looming budget deficits, the MTA is talking about raising fares again, further driving up the cost of living in a city working people already can’t afford.

We need a transit system that’s affordable and reliable. But without increased state and city aid, more fare hikes are inevitable."

Streetsblog New York City � NYPD Let Witnesses Leave Scene of Fatal Fort Greene Crash

2010-07-21T18:09:00.001-04:00

Streetsblog New York City � NYPD Let Witnesses Leave Scene of Fatal Fort Greene Crash: "Aileen McKay-Dalton
The NYPD failed to follow up with at least one key witness in its investigation of the crash that killed Aileen McKay-Dalton earlier this month, according to a woman who saw the collision and stayed at the scene."

This is heart-breaking. But, let's face it. We don't care. Why do we blame the police? This is not a problem of individual accountability. It is a system problem. Saying otherwise is to prolong the agony. We have let this monster, private auto traffic, grow and kill... and we have done little or nothing. Now, you CAN do something. Join the international campaign for free public transit. Let's get rid of this killer once and for all.

Pump price doesn’t cover gasoline cost / LJWorld.com

2010-07-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

Pump price doesn’t cover gasoline cost / LJWorld.com: "That means the gasoline you’re buying at the pump is — stick with me here — too cheap. The price you pay is less than the product’s true cost. A lot less, actually. And it’s not just catastrophic spills and dramatic disruptions in the Middle East that add to the price. Gasoline has so many hidden costs that there’s a cottage industry devoted to tallying them up. At least the ones that can be tallied up."

Pollution Free Cities

2010-07-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

Pollution Free Cities: "Key Quotes:
“I would have mass transit be given away for nothing and charge an awful lot for bringing an automobile into the city.” (Michael Bloomberg, Mayor New York City)
“in 2000 the government subsidy to each private vehicle owner was about $5,378 in Canadian dollars. In that year, the average cost of providing each trip taken by transit in Vancouver was approximately $5. The equivalent subsidy for transit users would have been 1,075 free trips’
“Revenue for any system drops when ridership dips or when fares are increased.. the Simpson-Curtain rule.. It drops 3.8 per cent for every 10 per cent increase in fares, researchers have found.”
“public transport .. an essential public service, and as such, like health and education, should be paid for out of general taxation.”
“72% of people interviewed in a recent survey said they would not give up their car until they could use public transport without charge (UK survey)”"

Students fight for the free transit pass

2010-06-12T18:48:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK -- About 1,000 New York City high school students chanted "This is what democracy looks like!" and waved homemade signs and banners Friday as they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest a plan to eliminate their free transit passes.

The students walked out of classrooms all over the city at noon and converged at City Hall Park for a rally with elected officials and transit union members.

Then they marched across the bridge for a second rally near the former headquaters of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Brooklyn.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=940476&category=STATE#ixzz0qgKDj4Ys

New York Students fight for free transit

2010-06-11T07:07:00.003-04:00

Students are planning to walk out of 23 high schools to demonstrate outside City Hall against the threatened end of free bus and subway rides to and from school, protest organizers said Thursday. NYTimes

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/mta.metrocard.student.2.1745808.html

Komanoff and Kheel New York Heroes

2010-06-03T21:20:00.000-04:00

Reuters/Eric Thayer

Komanoff’s work may not have made him a celebrity, but his rigor gained him a reputation within the rarefied world of traffic geeks. In 2007, he got a phone call. Ted Kheel, a legendary labor lawyer and one of Komanoff’s heroes, had made it his personal mission to completely rethink New York City’s traffic policy. Was Komanoff free to help?

Now 95 years old, Kheel has been trying to improve New York’s traffic for more than half a century. He is obsessed with the economic damage that cars do to cities—damage that’s much greater than most people realize. In 1958, as the New York City Transit Authority was preparing to raise subway fares, Kheel wrote a paper citing a survey that found that traffic congestion cost more than $2 billion a year. “This vast sum,” Kheel wrote, “equal to $1 a working day for every man, woman, and child in the city, has to be paid by someone, and it is. It is assessed against all of us in the form of higher prices, inflated delivery costs, and increased taxes.” It would be cheaper, he argued, to subsidize public transportation and save the hidden costs associated with driving.

Kheel made the same point a decade later, in a New York magazine cover story arguing against another fare increase: “Any balanced analysis will surely prove that the taxpayer actually pays, for every person who chooses to drive to and from work in his own car, an indirect subsidy at least 10 times as great as the indirect subsidy now paid the mass-transit rider.” Reuters

Light Rail plans for 42nd Street New York

2010-05-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

Michael Bloomberg - have the courage of your convictions !

2010-04-14T09:19:00.000-04:00

He did venture to suggest his plan to charge people for driving into Manhattan would funnel millions into mass transit. He noted that more money would come from increased ridership and that the feds would kick in a bigger chunk of change. He allowed himself to imagine an ideal that is not likely ever to come to pass.

"I would have mass transit be given away for nothing and charge an awful lot for bringing an automobile into the city," he said.

A reporter might have expected a politician to then rumble away in a black SUV. He instead walked the two blocks to the G train without a single news camera to record the event. The subject of the subway fare again came up as he strode toward the turnstiles and he noted that the MTA currently offers significant discounts geared to those who commute underground.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/07/2007-06-07_its_hizzoner_to_ride_train-2.html#ixzz0l529D0I9

Peak Auto?

2010-04-12T18:51:00.001-04:00

... The question is whether or not we in the USA will wake up to this new reality in time to take advantage of the economic opportunities and needs of the new era -such as the need for American manufacturers of streetcars, for instance.
The really good news in this story is that this could be a transition to a time when the carnage from motor vehicle crashes will no longer be considered an accepted part of modern life. A time when our urban places will once more be designed for people and not be trashed to accommodate cars. And when the profligate burning for mobility of the earth’s finite store of petroleum will be looked at as a quaint relic of the past. A past not unlike the one now regulated to the movies where people smoked in doctor’s offices and on airplanes. A past that causes us to say: what were they thinking?...Norman Garrick on Planetizen

How can I help?

2010-03-18T11:48:00.000-04:00

When you plan your vacation, if you are going to a resort town, ask them if they have free buses. Contact the local Chamber of Commerce or mayor's office. Many ski resort towns have free public transit. Other resort areas are catching on.

Public Transit - Fiscally Responsible Investment

2010-03-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

It’s time to face what all of us know: much of our transportation system is broken. Traveling in the NY/NJ/CT metropolitan region is often a nightmare. In fact, transportation is our region’s number one economic and environmental problem.

Follow on Twitter Webpage

"Connecticut is making significant steps towards spending its transportation capital dollars in a more sustainable manner," the report says. "Projected capital funding for transit projects is up significantly, and funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects has also increased." ConstructionPros

Costs of NOT HAVING free public transit

2010-02-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

New York City – The average New York City driver loses $1,888 each year as a result of driving on roads that lack some desirable safety features, have poor pavement conditions or have inadequate capacity to meet travel demands. In total, New York State motorists lose $16.4 billion each year due to traffic crashes, additional vehicle operating costs and congestion-related delays, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation organization.

Tripnet [PDF]

Free transit for seniors in NY State - bill introduced

2010-01-26T08:49:00.002-05:00

S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K

________________________________________________________________

323

2009-2010 Regular Sessions

I N A S S E M B L Y

(PREFILED)

January 7, 2009

___________

Introduced by M. of A. PERALTA, WALKER, GREENE -- Multi-Sponsored by --

M. of A. COOK, DIAZ, ESPAILLAT, FINCH, O'DONNELL, ORTIZ, J. RIVERA,

TOWNS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to providing free

public transportation for senior citizens

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-

BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

1 Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section

2 15-d to read as follows:

3 S 15-D. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. SENIOR CITIZENS

4 SHALL RECEIVE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FREE OF CHARGE.

5 S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after

6 it shall have become a law, provided, however, that the commissioner of

7 transportation shall promulgate any rules and regulations necessary for

8 the implementation of this act on or before such effective date.

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/A323
Peralta for State Senate

Want jobs? Fund mass transit

2010-01-21T15:36:00.000-05:00

If we’d spent as much federal stimulus money on public transportation as we spent on highways, we would have created twice as much work and put a bigger dent in the unemployment rate. Read more at Wired

Red state shows yankees how its done

2010-01-03T09:52:00.001-05:00

CAT ridership skyrocketing in Oconee County
... During its inaugural fiscal year in 1996, which consisted of only six months because of its late startup date, there were 173,917 passengers who used the CAT system.
However, that number jumped in subsequent years and, during the 2002-03 fiscal year, CAT achieved a milestone when Janice Young, at the time a senior Clemson University special education major and Six Mile resident, became the millionth rider to board the transit system.
Babinicz said CAT’s fare-free transit system, which is funded through state, federal and local dollars, has provided tremendous dividends to the city that can be measured in more ways than just bus service.
“The part we didn’t anticipate completely when we started was that everyone benefits from CAT — even if they never use it,” he said. “Studies are beginning to show across the country that transit eases congestion, reduces air pollution, saves energy and spurs economic development and job creation, increases real estate values and improves the quality of life for riders and non-riders....” upstatetoday

The world wants a real deal on climate change

2009-12-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

Is space an issue for you?

2009-12-12T19:08:00.001-05:00

Video: The Story of Cap and Trade

2009-12-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

Dump the Pump

2009-11-19T10:26:00.002-05:00

350 Reasons to oppose carbon trading

2009-10-23T13:21:00.001-04:00

As we round the corner to the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, it is clear that the discourse on climate solutions has been hijacked by corporate interests.... 350reasons.org

Here is one of the 350:

•Carbon trading interferes with positive solutions to the climate crisis• Many of the carbon offset and Clean Development Mechanism schemes that carbon markets depend on result in the direct disruption of communities living a low-carbon, sustainable lifestyle. For example, a massive dam being built on India’s Bhilangana River is resulting in the displacement of entire villages. For centuries, these villagers have practiced sustainable agriculture using little, if any, fossil fuels and maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. These are the exact models of sustainability we should be supporting in the fight against climate change. Now these villagers will likely be forced into the cities to enter the market economy. On the other hand, the builders of the dam earned carbon credits which will be sold to energy companies, allowing them to continue spewing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

Reverend Billy Talen’s Climate Protection Agenda - Free Public Transit

2009-10-05T15:30:00.001-04:00

Make public transit free. Finance public buses and subways according to the Kheel-Komanoff Plan by implementing a traffic pricing plan that includes a variable congestion charge for vehicles driving into the Central Business District in Manhattan as well as a distance-based taxi-fare surcharge to ensure that Manhattan residents pay their fair share. RevBilly

One-person gated community - to survive climate disruption

2009-09-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

Free crosstown bus plans still alive

2009-09-17T20:35:00.002-04:00

Bloomberg: crosstown may be free, frequent

If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wins reelection and is able to implement the transit overhaul plan he proposed, the notoriously slow crosstown buses will be faster—and free....ColumbiaSpectator

Cars are anti-social

2009-09-15T15:53:00.001-04:00

...There is little interaction between the motor vehicle drivers. The drivers really are prisoners locked away in their moving steel cages waiting to do environmental/social violence upon society... Victor Bernace

Movie exposes "free market" fakery

2009-09-13T20:44:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Fare-Free NYC

2009-09-11T18:35:00.000-04:00