NYC Subway Ridership Reaches Its Highest Levels Since 1950

Skift: "The subway system served an average of 5.4 million riders on a typical weekday in 2013. This was the highest volume served since 1950. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has used some form of rider measurement since at least 1946.

In fact, subway ridership has been on the rise for several years. Annual ridership reached a 62-year high in 2012 with 1.654 billion trips."

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"we need to plan our cities for less cars and more public transit use" - @leahgolby

Credit CDTA

Ticket To Ride: Albany Keen On Public Transit | WAMC: "According to the study, 76 percent of Americans are open to taking public transportation instead of driving, up from 69 percent in 2010.

Albany 10th ward Council Member Leah Golby says alternatives make sense as the population continues to grow. "The writing is on the wall and we need to plan our cities for less cars and more public transit use, more people choosing to walk and ride bicycles.""

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Convenience of fare-free rides increases ridership in Ithaca, NY

Ithaca Public Transportation: Popular, Award-winning, and Under-funded - Ithaca Times : News: "Why is ridership growing? “That’s the question of the day at TCAT,” said Turcotte.
Fernando de Aragon, the executive director of the Tompkins County Transportation Council, can martial several criteria to explain why the system is so popular.
“Cornell employees and students apparently ride free,” he said. “Of course, that’s not true; the university pays, but it makes for easy on-easy off and it’s a tremendous service. Some kids jump on just to a couple of blocks.”"

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Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth

@ae911truth : "This November’s “New York Times Billboard Campaign” is the perfect opportunity to get outside and educate hundreds of Times reporters and thousands of New Yorkers about the destruction of Building 7 and the need for a new 9/11 investigation."

200+ Groups Call on Governor Cuomo to Sign the Transit Lockbox Bill

Mobilizing the Region: "The Lockbox Bill (S.3837/ A.5084), sponsored by State Senator Martin Golden and Assemblyman James F. Brennan, unanimously passed both houses of the New York State legislature in June 2013.  The bill helps to assure revenues dedicated to public transportation are spent on public transportation, not diverted to plug budgetary holes in the state’s general fund. The bill was introduced in response to the dramatic negative impacts to the economy after Governor David Paterson diverted $260 million of dedicated transit funds in 2010, at the height of the recession. This diversion contributed to the worst service cuts and fare hikes in recent memory, impacting transit riders, as well as employers and transit manufacturers across the state. This bill will protect the revenue streams of over 130 transit providers across the state."

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Commuting's Hidden Cost

NYTimes.com: "“In places where people walk more, obesity rates are much lower,” she noted. “New Yorkers, perhaps the ultimate walkers, weigh six or seven pounds less on average than suburban Americans.”"

MTA pays $2.3 billion in debt service per year

Keeping It Running: Mass Transit's Future | Transportation: "Annual debt service totals around $2.3 billion — and that $2.3 billion impacts daily service on the system."

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“Why Regional Rail Should be a Top Transport Priority for NYC’s Next Mayor”

Streetsblog New York City: "As NYC gears up to select a new Mayor, transportation issues often get lost in the sea of other important issues. Yet the Mayor has substantial power to influence public transit policy, even for services not directly under city control.  Especially important to the economy and sustainability of the city are good rail links that connect the city and its suburbs. For many years, The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc (IRUM) has been advocating making better use of the three commuter rail lines–the sleeping giant of regional mobility–that converge on the city, by remaking them into a coordinated Regional Rail system, with frequent service, integrated fares and through-running.

This month’s working group meeting will feature a presentation by George Haikalis, President of IRUM."

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Widen Main St.? Community Had Other Ideas, and Thrived

Brendan Bannon for The New York Times

U.S. 62, which is Main Street in Hamburg, N.Y., was rebuilt to slow traffic and aid pedestrians. The changes have inspired business investment and civic activity.

NYTimes.com: "Twelve years ago, the State Transportation Department proposed improving U.S. Route 62, the village’s mile-long Main Street, by adding another traffic lane, removing parallel parking and narrowing sidewalks. When Susan Burns, a lifelong Hamburg resident, saw the plan, she remembers asking, “What are you doing with the trees and the people?” She said she was told by state officials, “We have to get the traffic through.”"

Banks benefit twice from bailout as they milk MTA with interest-rate swaps

Money For Nothing – New York Interest Rate Swaps: "The economic collapse and federal bailout changed the “rules of the game” with respect to interest rates. Now taxpayers are suffering and governments are stuck with the old rules while banks are allowed to play by the new ones. We need one set of rules for everyone.

Banks should be held accountable for their part in crashing the economy, not rewarded with a second bailout under lucrative swap agreements."