Ridership up 17% in one year on free bus system in Bozeman, MT

Daily Chronicle: "From slow beginnings in 2006, Streamline has become a mainstay of the local transportation scene. From its inception, skeptics questioned the need for public transportation and whether it would ever be cost-effective. But, in the fiscal year ended last summer, Streamline buses logged more than 330,000 riders, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. And the service expects to transport its 2 millionth rider overall in the next year."

"People are hungry for good #publictransit"

Seattle City Transportation Committee optimistic about new transit funding and leadership | West Seattle Herald / White Center News: " But overall there is strong public support for transportation, which is encouraging. “While 20 years ago there were a lot of skeptics of the light rail, on this time around people want to see the light rail at their door step,” the Councilmember Mike O’Brien said. “It’s exciting to think what’s possible.” Rasmussen also agreed it’s “positive” to see how people are now in favor of the light rail. Folks "on the ground are really hungry for good public transit and light rail is part of that and that’s exciting,” O'Brian said."

King County, Washington, voters have a chance to vote for better bus service

Post by Move King County Now.

#Freetransit too expensive? Car collisions cost Portland a billion a year

Metro: "Across the metropolitan area, 159 people were killed on the region’s roads and more than 1,400 were severely injured from 2007 to 2009. Crashes and the resulting injuries and deaths cost the region $958 million a year in property damage, medical costs, and lost productivity – not to mention the pain and suffering from the loss of life. "

New union aims to represent public transportation passengers

portlanddailysun : "Gaudette and Arsenault say the core concerns for bus riders these days revolve around the antiquated schedules, which haven't been adjusted for 20 years.
"Buses don't run when people need them," Arsenault said. "They're the same old routes although the populations have changed. There are more traffic lights, more automobiles. In the afternoon, there's supposed to be a bus every 20 minutes; they're all late."
The GPPTC hopes to fix that, and become a vehicle for fixing public transportation concerns as they come up.
For more information or to sign up for the GPPTC, email portlandtransitcoalition@hotmail.com."

Support Transportation Proposition 1

Slog: "Transportation Prop 1 significantly improves from the county-wide transportation measure that failed at the ballot (due to suburban opposition) last April. That measure spent heavily on roads in addition to funding Metro bus service. In contrast, Proposition 1 is a transit-only city measure that will fund Seattle bus routes."

No buses, no peace

Bus Chick : "...Meanwhile, road projects all over the state are mismanaged and bleeding our tax dollars.There are no ballot measures to ask us if we want to pay the bill.

I’ve been thinking about how this state of professed progressives creates task forces to talk about pollution and global warming and pays lip service to social justice but can’t make one single transportation decision the reflects these professed priorities.

I’ve been thinking about how ridiculous it is that in 2014, in this growing, prosperous, innovative county, we’ve had to fight so hard–and for so long–just to preserve a basic bus system...."

Seattle Transit Riders Union

Seattle Transit Riders Union: "TRU took it to the streets today with our 'dead bus' -- remember, Rally this Thursday at 4:00 PM outside City Hall, public hearing starts at 5:30!"

A better place for youth to work, live, and go to school - #freetransit

What is the cost of not having #freetransit?

The Cost of Fixing Bertha? Could Be One-and-a-Half Times What It Cost to Build Bertha. So: How Else Might We Spend That Money? | Slog: "This is a pretty stunning bit of tunnel news. It cost $80 million to build Bertha, the downtown tunnel-boring machine that's taking a year off for repairs. Now we learn it could cost $125 million to fix Bertha."

Transportation director calls traffic 'public health threat'

portland tribune : "Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat declared war on cars Tuesday, saying her top priority was providing more alternatives to automobiles for city residents.

"We have a growing public health crisis in Portland — traffic," Treat said .... Citing statistics that show more Portanders are being killed in traffic accidents than by homicides,"

Young people speak out about the pain of car-dependency

BikePortland.org: "Nicole Johnson, OPAL's youth organizer and another person on Monday's panel, was especially eloquent Monday in drawing on her experience growing up in Portland in the 00s to explain the importance of non-car transportation to young people:"

Bus cuts will add 30,000 cars to daily commute

A vote against bus funding is a vote against equity and a healthy environment | Crosscut.com: "The benefits of transit extend even to those who do not ride it. Transit reduces congestion on the streets and pollution in the air. King County estimates that 30,000 cars will be added to the daily commute if Proposition 1 does not pass."

Utah Transit Authority is a greed machine

Salt Lake City News: "How can we say this politely? The Utah Transit Authority is a greed machine. Ridership and public service are secondary to the jingle of cash in the pockets of management and the developers they nurture. Now we hear, again, that UTA executives are getting nice, fat bonuses—double what they got last year. And this is on the heels of an effort to increase taxes, to buy up more transit-oriented development space, to add lines and, of course, cut back service. How does any of this make any sense? Because UTA is an agency without control. It takes from the public coffers and pads its internal machine. Citizen advocate Claire Geddes has it right: “We must have stupid written all over our faces.”"

Pierce, King and Snohomish County residents - Vote YES on Proposition 1: Mass Transit Now!

Futurewise: "This transit-only package will offer immediate relief to commuters by increasing intercity express bus service by as much as 30% in 2009, while building on our regional high capacity transit system with 34 more miles of light rail and improvements to north and south commuter rail lines—all for a half cent sales tax increase totaling about $69 per person per year - less than the average tank of gas!"

Fluffy needs to think about what bus cuts mean to car drivers

Cuts to #publictransit will clog highways and slow economy

Seattle Times: "With all the extra traffic that would result from cuts to service, our region’s economic engine would be slowed down at the worst time possible given the current recession and with transit ridership growing to record levels. The environment, as well as commuters, would suffer from the 30,000 or more extra cars idling in the ensuing traffic jams. Everyone benefits from public transportation; whether it’s in the form of reduced traffic for commuters, reduced emissions for the environment, increased access to basic needs, or increased economic opportunity for everyone."

3 Charts: Bus Cuts Drive Riders Away

Sightline Daily: "A good part of that bump came from Sound Transit. But King County Metro’s bus ridership also grew by 3 percent last year, and it has nearly reached the record levels the agency hit in 2008 before the latest recession drove ridership numbers down.

Yet several Cascadian neighbors, namely Portland and Tacoma, haven’t had that same experience. Portland’s bus ridership remains about 10 percent lower than its pre-recession peak, and Pierce Transit’s ridership has dropped by more than 30 percent.

What’s the difference? Bus cuts."

Know Your Rights: Civil Rights and Transit Workshop

facebook event : "TriMet is Violating Your Rights!

Riders are paying more than ever to wait in the cold for late and overcrowded buses. Even worse, TriMet recently cut an hour from weekend bus transfers and is aggressively punishing riders caught with expired fares.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Know your rights and insist that TriMet begin respecting them!

Join us for a FREE Civil Rights and Transit Workshop
Wednesday, March 19
6:00 - 7:30 PM
OPAL office
2407 SE 49th Ave.
bus lines #4, 14, 71

Then join us for a RALLY and ACTION at the TriMet Board Meeting at 8:30am on March 26.

To RSVP or for more information, call 503-342-8910 or e-mail nicole@opalpdx.org

Also mark your RSVP by joining this Facebook event!"

That walk to the bus stop is saving your life

KMBZ: "The researchers found that walking before and immediately after a transit trip -- for example, walking to and from a bus stop -- was the main difference in physical activity between transit users and non-users.
"

Doorbell to Save Metro & pass Prop 1!

facebook event : "Because we have never had a countywide special election, most people don't know there's even an election next month, much less what's at stake. Join us as we go door to door to talk to voters who will help decide this election."

America Loves Public Transportation

Portland Mercury: "Whoever runs for president in 2016 on the Democratic side had better have a plan for improving public transit. This is a winning issue, and Democrats have mostly ignored it on the national level. It should have a prominent place in the platform next time around—not just because Americans want and need public transportation, but because it's smart politics. Forcing Republicans into an anti-transit position would be a major blow to Republican outreach in American cities, and Republicans need to win more in cities if they want to win the presidency."

Sound Transit sets record in 2013 for train, bus ridership

Kent Reporter: "Sound Transit set annual ridership records in 2013 for boardings on its trains and buses."

Driving wastes that precious resource -- your time

Mass transit fits lifestyles of the young | HeraldNet.com - Opinion columns: "When I drive, my Honda Accord provides primo telematics — streaming audio, hands-free phoning and a wealth of satellite radio channels. These things ease but don’t solve the big problems of driving: the crashing boredom and stress. And as wonderful as these media offerings can be, accessing them still distracts from the road. (We’re not talking about a radio with an on/off button.)
Time is the ultimate luxury in this age of constant communication, and driving can be a monstrous waste of it. The surge of suburb-raised adults into America’s walkable cities reflects, in large part, a growing aversion to captivity in traffic. Whether young and hip or old or poor, urbanites often don’t own a car. They need alternative means to go distances their feet won’t take them."

A Moment of Truth for Metro Transit

Transit Riders Union: "This is the moment of truth.  Yesterday the King County Council, acting as a newly-formed Transportation Benefit District, voted to put the question to the public on April 22nd:  Should we approve a 0.1% sales tax increase and a $60 Vehicle License Fee, in order to avert massive bus service cuts later this year?  60% of this revenue would go to Metro, with cities receiving the rest.  Ballots will be mailed on April 4th.

The County Council took two actions to mitigate the regressive nature of these taxes. First, they approved a $20 rebate of the Vehicle License Fee for low-income car owners. Second, they agreed that if the ballot measure passes, the new low income reduced fare and the youth fare will be set at $1.25 instead of $1.50 for two years.

Should the Transit Riders Union launch a campaign to pass this ballot measure? This is the question before us at our upcoming Membership Meeting on Monday, March 3. Do you want a voice and a vote in this crucial decision? Then join the Transit Riders Union and be there on March 3, 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Labor Temple Hall #6, 2800 1st Avenue."

One foot of tunneling equals four bus-months

sightline.org SeattleTRU

If buses were more frequent, parking garage not needed, says letter to editor

gazettetimes.com : "As a solution to the problem of parking availability, I see two options: build a parking garage providing more parking spaces, or increase the efficiency of public transport.

The major “cons” of constructing a parking garage are an over-crowding of public space and the degradation of our town’s natural beauty. If we were simply to increase the efficiency of our public transit, there would be no need to build this parking garage."

Snoqualmie Council supports proposal to fund transportation

SnoValley Star: "The Snoqualmie City Council voted to support a proposal by King County Executive Dow Constantine that would create a new $60 vehicle tab fee as well as a 0.1 percent increase in sales taxes. The additional revenue raised will be spent on Metro busses and transportation infrastructure. The revenue will be divided between the county and the various cities in the county such as Snoqualmie, with the county receiving 60 percent of the money."

People in Utah want more #publictransit to clean up the air

Editor column: Will Utah Legislature heed the public? | The Salt Lake Tribune: "A Salt Lake Tribune poll shows growing concerns over our wintertime inversions and the airborne particulates that threaten our health. Most Utahns want tougher emission standards for industry and say they are willing to drive less, and use more public transportation, to clear the air."

Rally with Transit Riders and Drivers on Wednesday, January 29

Transit Riders Union: "Rally to fund public transit now!  Next Wednesday, Bus Riders and Transit Workers will rally together to stop Metro bus cuts and say no to labor concessions.  We want stable funding for public transit and a fair contract for our hard-working drivers and mechanics."



'via Blog this'

Traffic Forecast Follies

Sightline Daily: "As the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin points out, the US Department of Transportation has been making the virtually identical vehicle travel forecasts for well over a decade. All of those forecasts project rapid and incessant growth in vehicle travel for as far as the eye can see. Meanwhile, actual traffic volumes have flattened out, and may actually be falling."

#freetransit proposed for poor in Idaho

Idaho State Journal : "    “This was an interesting one brought up in southeastern Idaho, that perhaps one of the reasons that was impacting the (public) transportation system overall is that we’re a very low-wage economy here in Idaho,” Graff said. “And that being the case, it’s hard to get the resources to build (public transit systems).”
    Graff suggested the idea of free public transportation in some cases."



'via Blog this'

Will UTA address the needs of bus riders? PR blitz is on.

UTA looking to improve and expand transit service | Deseret News: "SALT LAKE CITY — After a historic period of rail expansion, the state’s largest public transportation agency will begin working on enhancing its customers’ riding experience. The Utah Transit Authority’s top executive said the agency is now targeting ways to make riding trains and buses more accessible to more residents along the Wasatch Front as well as providing a more enjoyable."

'via Blog this'