April 4 Day of Action at the State House « Occupy MBTA

April 4 Day of Action at the State House « Occupy MBTA: "April 4 at the State House
Hearing: 3-5pm
Rally & Speak Out: 5pm until we’re done

Join us as part of the National Day of Action on Transportation to demand:

• No service cuts
• No fare hikes
• No layoffs
• No privatization of our treasured public transit system.

A comprehensive state-wide plan for affordable and sustainable transportation that works for the 99%.
The MBTA says it plans to raise fares and slash service.  The 99% have other plans."

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The power of the 99%: MBTA scraps initial draconian proposals; activists vow to escalate fight for public transit! | HereWeProtest

photo boston.com

The power of the 99%: MBTA scraps initial draconian proposals; activists vow to escalate fight for public transit! | HereWeProtest: "After an uprising from the 99%, MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis announced last night that neither of the agency’s proposals to slash service, raise fare hikes, and layoff hundreds of workers will be adopted.  No details for the new proposal have been released. On January 3, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) released two proposals – both a toxic mixture of draconian service cuts and unacceptable fare hikes – to close the MBTA’s $161 million deficit for the coming fiscal year.  But thousands of members of the 99% – including members of Occupy the MBTA and other advocates for seniors, the disabled, students, workers, low-income communities, and the environment – flooded public hearings and rallied to tell the MBTA, “No Hikes! No Cuts! No Layoffs!”"

Surreptitious Underfunding | Pedestrian Observations

Surreptitious Underfunding | Pedestrian Observations: "Supporters of transportation alternatives talk about the inequity between highway and transit funding in the US, but what they’re missing is that the transit funding bucket includes a lot of things that are manifestly not about transit. At their best, they are parking lots and other development schemes adjacent to train stations, which would’ve been cheap by themselves. At their worst, they are straight highway projects, benefiting road users only."

Transit Union Endorses Occupy’s National Day of Action for Public Transportation - Amalgamated Transit Union

Transit Union Endorses Occupy’s National Day of Action for Public Transportation - Amalgamated Transit Union: "“Occupy understands that the transit system that took a century to build is threatened by the 1% who want all of the financial benefits, but none of the financial responsibilities of a civilized society,” Hanley continued. “It’s time for the 99% to demand that all Americans pay their fare share so that the U.S. can maintain the mobility which has been one of the hallmarks of its remarkable success, and changes must be made so that everyone has an equal opportunity to take part in that success.” "

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Young people feel that cars are a pain

How Millennials Feel about Cars, Public Transit and Electric Vehicles : TreeHugger: "They are unhappy about the problems associated with vehicles, from big ones like pollution from cars and trucks to the smaller pains like finding parking. They hate waiting in traffic and don’t love the cost of maintaining vehicles. They dislike the amount of land used for parking lots, roads and highways, and they loath the alternatives car companies are offering.
"

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Living better, #carfree in New Haven

...As with all compromises, there were costs. At 80 round-trip minutes per day for the commute to Hartford, I spent about 1,500 hours in the car over a four-and-a-half-year period – the equivalent of 62 days. That’s a lot of time unavailable for other pursuits, and a depressing load of resources for gas,insurance, maintenance, repairs, parking, parking tickets and towing fees. Also, I wasn’t exactly living green.

Eventually I decided I’d had enough. This was not a sustainable routine, for me or for the Jetta. I’d worked that car hard – 199,000 miles hard. Things were about to get ugly....

Read whole article: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/who_needs_a_car_for_an_avocado

MBTA hearing riles up residents, activists in Somerville - Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 - Somerville Journal

Wicked Local staff photo by David Gordon

MBTA hearing riles up residents, activists in Somerville - Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 - Somerville Journal: "As MBTA officials tried to explain their planned steps to battle a $161 million budget deficit, an elderly woman interrupted shouting, “This is our time to talk! Stand up, riders of the T,” eliciting loud cheers and a standing ovation."

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