Brooklyn Dollar Vans Offer Free Rides This Saturday

DNAinfo.com: "Riders, who can catch the vans by hailing them or by waiting at bus stops along the routes, will be able to win tickets to a Brooklyn Nets games if they post about the free ride with the hashtag #MetroFreeRide and everyone will get MetroPCS gift bags, organizers said. But beyond the marketing push, nothing is required of customers.

“We are just a couple of commuter vans who want to give back to the community,” Williams said."

Albany among cities setting records in public transit ridership

timesunion : "The Capital Region is among a number of mid-size American cities seeing record levels of ridership on its public transit, the American Public Transportation Association reported Wednesday. It said that nationwide, 2.7 billion trips were taken on public transit in the third quarter, the highest level since 1974, the oldest third quarter APTA said it has available for comparison."

Staten Island #publictransit is poor. What is the solution?

SILive.com: ""Yes, I know, it's all but impossible. The truth is though, for a city (yes, I'll use that word here) of half a million people, it really isn't that big a deal," oxfdblue continued in his comment. "It just doesn't exist because of the poor planning and ineptitude of planners like Robert Moses who hated trains and loved cars (even though he never learned to drive).""

Capital intensive rail projects are not the answer. Make the buses fare-free and people will show you what they want.

Join Us In Improving Public Transit To Improve Our Quality of Life

Bensonhurst's News Blog: "When public transportation services are cut or reduced, the entire neighborhood suffers. But, if public transit is improved, whether by restoring previous services or adding new ones, the entire community benefits. It’s a win-win situation for everyone."

NY governor takes away dedicated #publictransit funds

Cuomo seals the deal for a $30 million transit raid :: Second Ave. Sagas: "For a little while, it appeared as though Albany would stop Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s latest raid on transit funding, but when the budgetary dust settled this past week, the status quo remained unchanged. Despite an initial plan to grab $40 million that didn’t pass the New York State Assembly or Senate, state legislators ultimately accepted a budget that diverted $30 million in transit funding the state had previously agreed to issue. With fare hikes on tap for 2015 (and every two years after that), the diversion is a stark reminder of the way Albany treats New York City’s transit riders."

Plenty of room in Rochester, if you get rid of cars

Parking Madness: Rochester, Streetsblog USA: "Submitter Matthew Denker describes the empty heart of this grotesque parking cluster: ”It’s an intersection with surface parking at all 4 corners. There is literally no reason to have a road here when it’s just a sea of parking. Even better (worse) you can see a massive parking garage on the left edge on the same block, and if you move just a hair north, you can see a park that was cut in half by a highway. And of course the area used to be the main square of Rochester and where the town Christmas tree was raised.”"

Why Did Police Beat an Elderly Man for Jaywalking?

truth-out.org : "84-year-old Kang Wong is recovering today from a brutal attack on the streets of New York City.
Wong’s attackers jumped him as he jaywalked across a busy street in Manhattan, threw him up against a wall, and left him with cuts all across his face that have since been sealed up with four metal staples.
The attackers then brought Wong to the nearest police station, where he was booked on charges of jaywalking and resisting arrest.
Kang Wong’s attackers, you see, were New York City cops."

There is a killer on the loose -- the private auto

De Blasio aims for zero traffic deaths with plan to halt pedestrian killings   - NY Daily News: "Eleven New Yorkers have been killed in auto crashes in 2014, including seven pedestrians. Last year, 173 pedestrians were killed in the city, and overall 286 people died in traffic accidents. The mayor’s push includes handing out more tickets to reckless drivers and lowering speed limits."

Bus Ridership on the Rise in Rochester, NY

WXXI Photo

Bus Ridership on the Rise | WXXI News: "More people are taking public transportation in Rochester, while the number of commuters traveling by car is down."