Metro Magazine

Blogs

From the Editor's

Are public tweetings in your future?

What if you set up a meeting to get public comments on your transit system’s proposed fare increase or service changes and nobody came? I’m sure that’s the case for many transit systems. What if there was a way to reach out to your customers directly without all the hassle that goes into a public meeting?

May the best state win

California and New York have both asked for the extra slice of the federal high-speed rail pie, which was rejected by Florida’s Governor. But would it help California’s project or its chronic traffic problems? Is New York a better candidate?

The cost of not funding public transportation

Last week, Proposition 1 in Lakewood, Wash., which would have raised a sales tax by three-tenths of 1 percentage point to help pay for bus service, was defeated 56 percent to 44 percent. As a result, Pierce Transit is set to recommend a reduction of services by 20 percent in October and another 15 percent early next year, to help shore up its budget issues, according to a News Tribune report.

Is reauthorization on backburner again?

Working on a story for the magazine regarding federal legislation and reauthorization and let's just say I am not filled with optimism. It seems that at this time last year, all the experts expected reauthorization to be somewhere behind health care and climate legislation on the federal government's list of priorities. The long, slow process of getting both of those bills completed has now led to a reconstituted Congress...

Quiet, the audience is listening!

I love going to the movies! Despite the high cost for tickets, and the ridiculous amount they charge you for concession stand items (I always bring a stash of Red Vines in my purse), I still love the whole experience of it — sitting in the dark watching the story unfold on the screen. From time to time, other things fill the theater — like unwanted noise.

What’s wrong with Wisconsin…and Ohio?

Turning down millions of federal funding dollars for rail will cost both states thousands of jobs now. The financial support is being redirected to about a dozen other grateful states. Do the new Governors that Wisconsin and Ohio recently elected care that they may end up being left behind in the race for jobs and transportation?

The tide turns quickly for public transportation

It was just less than two years ago that the cry for more public transportation funding or, at least, an understanding that more funding was necessary, had been heard by the federal government, in particular by President Barack Obama. Now, a half-term of bi-partisan incompetence has yielded a swift change in congressional leadership that is nearly unprecedented.

Calling on Your Customers to 'Buy Local for Transit'

"We had to make some hard choices, but it was a necessary response to the economic situation we...

Community Transit based in Snohomish, Wash., launched its Buy Local for Transit campaign Thursday, a long-term effort designed to encourage people to shop in their communities, strengthening local businesses and increasing local tax revenues, which supports public transportation. Community Transit gets a majority of its funding from a voter-approved 0.9 percent sales tax within its service district. For 2010, 56 percent of its budget is funded through sales tax, with the remainder being made

Elections are over...now what?

Now that the elections are over, we can all collectively exhale and begin to assess what may actually happen as opposed to what could happen. My meaning is that now that we're done hearing about the worst case scenarios, we can open our eyes and embrace the realities that the elections have brought.

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