[Nfbmd] FW: you are in the Washington Post

[Melissa Ann Riccobono]

Hello everyone,

Shawn Jacobson is fighting bus service cuts where he lives.  He sent me this
article and I thought I'd pass it along.

Melissa

 

From: Jacobson, Shawn D [mailto:Shawn.D.Jacobson at hud.gov] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:55 PM
To: Jacobson, Cheryl (SBT US); Melissa Ann Riccobono; Gosse, Mike;
lras at sprynet.com; Lewallin at yahoo.com; Deborah A. Brown; Reyazuddin, Yasmin;
nfbmd; nrip at iowatelecom.net; Falloutwest; Teninga, Cheryl A; Adeline Wilcox;
Lobaugh, Matthew C. AGAN (CVN69); debspecialed at aol.com
Subject: FW: you are in the Washington Post

 

This article describes what I was doing last night, fighting to keep our bus
route.

 

Shawn

 

From: Schmehl, Richard L 
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:07 PM
To: Jacobson, Shawn D
Subject: you are in the Washington Post

 

Riders Challenge Bus Service Cuts

 

When transit officials are forced to cut back on service, they say they pick
reductions that will harm the least number of people. At a public hearing in
Rockville last night, a portion of those least told the transit officials
that they count, too.

 

Montgomery County is considering a plan to cut five weekday routes, five
Saturday routes and three Sunday routes starting July 5. Two other routes
have segments that are proposed for elimination, the frequency of service on
two more would be reduced evening service would be reduced on six more.

 

The county says the routes have relatively few riders and that in many cases
there are other buses those people can take. The riders who attended the
hearing challenged that on every count. (And by the way, almost all of them
think they're being under counted. They note the number of times they board
buses only to find that the fare box isn't working, or there is no fare box
at all. They say Montgomery County would get a better count or riders, as
well as more money, if it would send out more buses with working fare
boxes.)

 

The best organized challenge came from riders who use the Route 53 bus, a
peak period service between the Shady Grove and Glenmont stations on Metro's
Red Line. Most of those challenging the cut live in Olney. They said they
need the 53 to from their upcounty community to work. One man said he is
legally blind and can't make it to another bus stop.

 

Others said they have no realistic transit alternative to the 53, because
they don't own cars. (The existence of a bus line is a rather thin reed on
which to hang a housing decision. This comes up in the debate over whether
the Purple Line should be a bus service or light rail train. Maryland hopes
that development will cluster around the Purple Line stops, but developers
would be reluctant to make plans based on something as movable, or as
removable, as a bus route.)

 

Some who do have cars said they would be forced to drive down Georgia Avenue
to the Glenmont Station. This does two bad things: It adds to the traffic on
Georgia -- like anybody needs to do that -- and it adds to the parking
problems at Glenmont.

 

There were many other passionate defenses of individual bus routes last
night. Among them: People fighting elimination of Route 3, a peak period
service between Takoma and Silver Spring stations via Dale Drive, point out
that this is the only bus that runs along Dale, which has no sidewalks.
Those riders would have to walk to Georgia Avenue or Colesville Road to
reach other buses.

 

Most people who testify at hearings like this do so in personal terms: This
is what the cuts would mean to me.

 

Ben Ross, who represents two citizens groups called Transit First! and the
Action Committee for Transit, made the case for all riders in saying that
the cutbacks are "not necessary." Instead of eliminating $4.8 million in
transit service, he said, the county should redirect the $8 million (derived
from parking fines) that it uses to subsidize the cost of parking at its
garages. Instead of helping to keep cars on the road, Ross said, the county
should use that money to help get more people on transit.

 

Use this link to see the full list of cuts proposed by the county. This does
not include the already approved list of cuts scheduled to take effect on
April 5.

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