Cuomo urged to provide extra funding for ROC public transportation

WHAM: "Rochester, N.Y. - Leaders and businesses in Rochester are calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to provide additional funding for public transportation in town."

Why does #publictransit suck? Ask yourself "who benefits"

Public transit in the US is just a minimum to keep the system from collapsing. It's frustrating to get to work. Those who profit from autos, oil, and sprawl, keep it in bad shape to keep cars rolling.

27east: "“They are talking about the first step—restoring some of the funding,” Ms. Fleming said. “Cutting [the bus routes] really left people without a way of getting to important appointments, and to and from work. We need to restore the service.”"

Autosprawl meltdown, people can't get to work

Public transportation highlight of Beacon town hall session: "Mayor Casale said with the new improvements to public transit, and having seen a number empty county buses running through Beacon from time to time, the main effort is to get people to utilize public transit.

“We need people to start riding public transit to sustain public transit,” said Casale. “The more we promote it, and the more the businesses promote it, and the more people get used to it- we talk about parking problems, we talk about, ‘It’s hard to walk here to there,’- use the public transit. So, that’s what we plan on moving forward and hopefully we can promote it, we can get people to ride it and the more people that ride it, the better the service will get I believe.”"

The US has $Trillions in autosprawl infrastructure, but buses go begging. We can't afford buses because they are empty, but they are empty because they are too few and unreliable. Make them fare-free. You will get your money back ten times in better health, lower congestion, less parking headaches, fewer collisions, etc etc.

Economists "confused" as they try to figure out #degrowth without considering energy

The New York Times: "It increasingly looks as if something fundamental is broken in the global growth machine — and that the usual menu of policies, like interest rate cuts and modest fiscal stimulus, aren’t up to the task of fixing it (though some well-devised policies could help)."

Lackawanna residents calling on NFTA to expand public transportation

wivb.com : "More than 800 Lackawanna residents have signed a petition. They say they can’t make it to their jobs, grocery stores, and schools due to a lack of public transportation."

Don't ferry public money to those who need it least

Crain's New York Business: "There are better, more targeted ways of helping average folks. Resources 
should be spent on addressing the transportation deserts where dollar vans operate, improving intra-borough travel. After all, the outer boroughs have more residents commuting within them than to Manhattan, according to the Regional Plan Association.

New Yorkers have urgent public transportation needs, but subsidizing boat rides for tourists and mostly higher-income people living along the East River will exacerbate the city’s inequality, not reverse it."

Glens Falls, NY, cars have death grip on US public, more pain to come

poststar.com: "A proposal to remove funding from the federal gas tax for public transit systems, such as those that operate in Glens Falls and Watertown, has resurfaced in the Republican presidential platform."

Public Transit Riders Want Better Service, Not Free WiFi

WIRED: "TransitCenter asked more than 3,000 online respondents from 17 regions across the country what sorts of upgrades they’d like to see on their commutes, with choices like free Wi-Fi, outlets, more frequent service, faster travel times, cheaper fares, robust shelters built for bad weather, and updates on when their bus would arrive.

PEOPLE MOVERS

Watch London Get Its Shiny New Crossrail Tunnels Ready for Action

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They ranked perks like outlets and Wi-Fi dead last. Even tap-and-go fare cards, a relatively low-tech update many agencies are racing to implement, landed near the bottom of the pile. Surprise—people care more about reliability and practicality than frills."

Move more people with less fuel

The Buffalo News: "Millions of Americans today utilize various public transportation alternatives. They include local and express bus, ferry, jitney, light rail, subway and commuter rail services. All of these systems use less fuel and move far more people than conventional single-occupancy vehicles. Most of these systems are funded with your tax dollars thanks to Johnson.

Depending upon where you live, consider the public transportation alternative. Try riding an NFTA bus or light rail vehicle. The ability to travel from home to workplace, school, shopping, entertainment, medical, library, etc. is a factor when moving to a new neighborhood. Economically successful communities are not 100 percent dependent on automobiles as the sole means of mobility. Seniors, students, low- and middle-income people need these transportation alternatives. Investment in public transportation today contributes to economic growth, employment and a stronger economy.

Dollar for dollar, it is one of the best investments we can make."

People of Yates County want #publictransit

fltimes.com: "Of those surveyed, more than 400 said they would use public transportation to get to and from Penn Yan, and more than 300 said they would use it to go to Geneva. More than 200 said they would use it to go to Canandaigua if a route there were offered.

Yates County is one of only two counties in the state without public transportation. The plan would see Arc of Yates provide public transit along five routes that would go from Penn Yan to Dundee, Dresden, Rushville, Naples and Geneva."