Op-ed: Public transit is key to tackling global warming

Crain's New York Business : "New York has a major opportunity to lead the nation in reducing emissions and to strike a blow against inequality by making significant and bold investments in public transit across the state. These could give most residents access to efficient, reliable and extensive public transit networks, and provide transit-dependent communities access to opportunities that are not readily available."

Free public transit important part of college success plan

#Autosprawl meltdown continues. US chose cars overs buses. Now, can't afford either.

Times Union : "AMSTERDAM – In a move that some say will hurt the chances of young people to get afterschool jobs, the city's transportation department is being dissolved because financial woes."

RVT Begins Clinton County Public Transportation; Free Through March 10

The Record Online : "LOCK HAVEN – Two years in the making, Clinton County’s first public transportation in a generation is now up and running. Today was the first day of service for Williamsport-based River Valley Transit, the agency charged with implementing the new bus routes. The blue, grey and red natural gas-powered RVT buses are serving the Lock Haven area from the Clinton/Lycoming County line to the WalMart off Hogan Boulevard in Bald Eagle Township."

Free public transit trial drew 98 employees from Medical Campus

The Buffalo News: "A program to get more people to take public transit to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus drew 98 campus workers from member institutions that took advantage of a one-week free trial in May, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. said.

The campus organization and public transportation officials partnered to offer the free trial to entice people to consider alternative forms of transportation to the growing Medical Campus."

In US, #publictransit sucks, while billions are spent fighting for oil to waste on cars

The New York Times: "Commuters from the East End of Long Island to the western edge of New Jersey suffered a transportation meltdown and four days of upheaval last week — all because of the faulty maintenance of a federal railroad they may never ride."

Auto-Free New York!

Auto-Free New York!: "Traffic jams in both directions crowd the East River Drive in this view looking north from the Manhattan Bridge (Sept 2016). Hundreds of millions of dollars of public money have been spent adding lanes and ramps to this waterfront-killing highway. This new space for cars was sold to us as a way to eliminate traffic bottlenecks, but of course only invited even more motorists. The vast majority of the cars in this picture carry only one person - the driver; most of the cabs and for-hire cars carry only one passenger. Photo: Wayne Fields."

Cohoes City School District considers free public transportation for some students

WNYT.com: "Mayor Shawn Morse said the Cohoes City School District is considering a proposal to give about 960 eligible students swipe cards to take CDTA buses.

“It's just about time that our kids have this opportunity so I applaud the school district,” Morse said. “I'm fully supportive of it as is the rest of the city officials I believe,” he said.

The proposal follows the death of 16-year-old Brittany Knight who was killed along 787 by a driver last June.

Knight’s death sparked outrage over the dangerous intersections on 787.

It was the third pedestrian death in 15 years at that stretch of road where the highway becomes an urban street."

Why #publictransit should be fare-free

Next City : "The more people who use public transit, the more people who benefit, whether they are riders or not, due to reduced congestion and pollution and increased potential for productivity. Eliminating fees to use public transit (rail and bus) would entice more riders to use the system and would reduce cost burdens on low-income families. How would transit budgets be covered? By paying for it out of the city budget, the same way we do with roads and public education, thereby sharing the cost across all taxpayers. This is the fairest solution since non-riders also are gaining benefit from the transit system."

Transit riders air grievances in Lackawanna march to bus stop

The Buffalo News : "Passengers who frequently use public transportation marched Sunday afternoon along Ridge Road in Lackawanna, calling for "transit justice" and urging the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority to improve service and offer more bus routes.

About 60 marchers traced the steps walked by residents of Lackawanna's First Ward, who on Saturdays must hike at least a mile by foot to catch a bus on South Park Avenue heading south toward McKinley Mall. Depending on where you live in the First Ward, that walk could be much longer, and on Sundays there are no buses. If you want to head east, toward the Southgate Plaza, you're out of luck entirely on weekends for bus service."