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

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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."

Subways are very expensive, but if we didn't have cars in the city, we would not need them.

One day, 624 Delays (New York Mag) | A post-automobile world?: "Money is naturally behind all the system’s shortcomings. Last year, after the MTA leadership declared a funding crisis, the city committed a record $2.5 billion to the agency’s capital plan, and the state committed $8.3 billion. Even with that new $29 billion budget, only 68 percent of stations will have countdown clocks by 2020."

Car-loving NY governor gets some push-back

Spotlight News : "“The Assembly’s investment in transportation finally provides funding for all users of the road, whether they are a pedestrian, a user of public transit, or a motorist,” said Assemblymember Patricia A. Fahy (D-Albany). “This unprecedented appropriation for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements will make an incredible impact of the lives of all New Yorkers.”"

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus offering employees free bus/rail passes

The Buffalo News: "The Medical Campus has launched the “Try Transit” program, an initiative designed to promote bus and rail use among employees. It will provide free NFTA-Metro passes to employees who have not tried local public transportation before.

Try Transit is part of a larger GO BNMC program, which encourages alternative transportation such as public transit, carpooling, biking and walking. It has also worked to make sure the medical campus’s infrastructure is friendly to alternative modes of transport."