Tag Archives: transportation

Take action today to protest proposed NJ Transit fare hike

NJ Transit commutersTransit fare hikes is the sort of democratic activity we really need to rally around, and New Jersey riders still have 12 hours left to do it. Green Drinks co-host Sally Gellert advises that public comments on the proposed NJ Transit fare hike can be made online. So, why not take a few minutes out of your day to post a comment sharing your opinion on the proposed fare hikes – and your feelings about how buses and trains function in New Jersey?

Add your comment until 11:59pm tonite 21 May 2015.

Further actions you can take as a public transit advocate:

You might also enjoy reading this Record editorial spotlighting Christie’s disregard for the needs of public transit travelers:

Commuters spoke of late trains, crowded conditions at New York Penn Station and proposed cuts in service. At a time when rail and bus ridership is increasing, reducing service is nonsensical. Fewer trains and buses will force more people to use cars, and that only will add to the congestion on the state’s equally poorly maintained roads and bridges. The governor, who has a penchant for private jets, remains clueless to the plight of low- and middle-income New Jersey residents who, one, have to show up at their day jobs five days a week — something he has not done in more than a year — and, two, do not have the financial means or friends to provide free first-class travel to their desired destinations.

New report shows people of color want more cycling equity

New Majority: cycling equityThe New Majority: Pedaling Towards Equity, a joint report released on May 29, 2013 by the League of American Bicyclists and the Sierra Club, shows that

85% of people of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and mixed race) have a positive view of bicyclists and 71% say their community would be a better place to live if bicycling were safer and more comfortable.

It is safer to bike in white neighborhoods than communities of color, where there is less access to bicycles and more bicycle and pedestrian crashes. The report,

… underlines stories of powerful local efforts of communities organizing to address these issues, opening up new lanes to cycling in communities often overlooked by traditional transportation planners and cycling advocates … and … uncovers stories and data that point to consistent disparities and inequities in the manner in which people of color, women and youth — including groups that are bicycling at higher rates and have more to gain in terms of bike benefits — are engaged in bicycling-related matters. For example, data gathered by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition revealed that neighborhoods with the highest percentage of people of color had a lower distribution of cycling facilities — and areas with the lowest median household income ($22,656 annually) were also the areas with the highest number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes.

Download report