June 2008 - Transpo - list.sfgreens.org

Mayor's Ballot Measure Attack On Transit Authority
by Eric Brooks 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

Mayor's Ballot Measure Attack On Transit Authority from http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Budget_Cuts_Hit_Indigent_Political_Skir… ...Finally, Newsom submitted an Ordinance to change the make-up of the Transportation Authority (SFCTA) -- a body that administers $100 million a year in sales tax revenue for transportation projects. While Muni is run by a seven-member Commission entirely appointed by the Mayor (the MTA), the Board of Supervisors run the SFCTA -- which gives the legislative branch some control over the City's transportation policy. Newsom's Ordinance would kick the Supervisors off the Transportation Authority and replace them with five members: (1) the Mayor, (2) an elected official appointed by the Mayor, (3) the President of the Board of Supervisors, (4) an elected official appointed by the Board President, and (5) the City Treasurer. I asked City Treasurer Jose Cisneros at last night's Harvey Milk Club Dinner what he thought about such a proposal. Incredibly, Cisneros -- who Newsom appointed to his post in 2004 -- had not yet been told about it. by Paul Hogarth, Jun. 18, 2008 -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara

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Important! Joint Transpo/Sustainability Working Group, Thu June 26, 6:30pm
by Eric Brooks 25 Jun '08

25 Jun '08

Hi all, VERY important stuff is happening on transportation, utilities and energy in San Francisco, and we really need to meet. This Thursday June 26, 6:30pm, SFGP Office Proposed Agenda 1) Imminent Muni Fare Hikes 2) Mayor's Ballot Measure Removing Board of Supes Oversight Of Transit 3) Nov Ballot Measure For 100% Green Public Power! 4) PREPARING FOR AUGUST APPOINTMENTS TO THE SFPUC 5) Peak Oil Report? (Jeanne) 6) Water Report? (Mato Ska) 7) Quick Update On Community Choice & Power Plants -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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Fuel costs push mayors to push mass transit.
by Ann Garrison 23 Jun '08

23 Jun '08

Same reason all "our" jet aircraft, including the Blue Angles, are slated to fly on coal-based diesel by 2011. http://tinyurl.com/3eq4o5

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New Report: Must -Reduce- CO2 To Avoid Catastrophe
by Eric Brooks 07 Jun '08

07 Jun '08

Hi all, New data that I had guessed would emerge, finally has. James Hansen of NASA (who was the first to broadly alert the world to the accelerating greenhouse effect) and many other scientists, have now released a report that gives a much more urgent warning on the global carbon/climate crisis than previous releases; especially by comparison to the very weak reports that emerged from from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Previous recent releases by scientists suggested that as a planetary civilization we needed to hold CO2 to 400 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere (the planet is currently at 387ppm) to avoid a planet wide climate catastrophe. The new report shows that, because of new understandings about rapid feedback effects in the planetary system, it is now clear that we must instead -reduce- levels of CO2 in the atmosphere from their current levels -down- to at least 350ppm, and possibly even lower than 300ppm. This new information gives us iron clad credibility in our renewable energy, mass transit, localization and efficiency campaigns to sharply state that catastrophic climate, and therefore planetary and human civilizational change is unavoidable unless we immediately switch to a zero carbon emissions economy and food system, AND use rapid soil building, biodynamic agriculture and forest watershed management, in order to draw carbon back -down- out of the atmosphere as rapidly as possible. (Among other realities, this clearly amplifies that biofuel crop production, which is inherently monocultural and forest/soil disturbing, is even more untenable than we have already begun to realize from the serious warning signs of the planetary food crisis.) The previous alarm that I and others sounded that we must cut our CO2 emissions 100% by 2030 is now outdated. The new alarm is that we must both reduce our emissions to zero as quickly as possible, and, completely reform our global agriculture systems to become biodynamically self sustaining (using zero fossil fuel inputs) -and- designed to rapidly pull carbon back down into the soil creating new -feet- of topsoil in decades. (Note that there are already permaculture agriculture techniques that are actively achieving this amount of soil building - we now must simply make these techniques our new global way of life.) To see a report about the new release go to: http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/740711 To see the scientific release itself go to: http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2008/TargetCO2_20080407.pdf This all gives us the best argument we have had to date to insist that our communities take immediate action. Instead of talking in generalities of how global CO2 output must be reduced by various percentages, we can now simply focus on our own local infrastructures and food systems and start setting more immediate rapid targets for specific changes; such as 100% mass transit accessibility by 2018, 100% zero carbon electricity by 2023, a local biodynamic food growth and distribution system by 2028 etc. We can now shift from setting vague targets for climate composition, and instead start setting specific dated targets for specific critical municipal tasks. We have now moved from and age of climate activism based on amorphous scientific figures, to a new phase of climate rescue based on actual near term and large scale infrastructure tasks in our own communities and food systems. The new mantra can now be: Specific complete infrastructure changes must be made - as quickly as possible. peace Eric Brooks -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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Santa Fe, NM Bus Riding Jump Linked To Gas Costs
by Eric Brooks 02 Jun '08

02 Jun '08

http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MTEwNDY3OA== June 1, 2008 Bus ridership jump linked to gas costs " Mike Trujillo clung to the bar overhead as the city bus jostled through rush-hour traffic. He stood for the beginning of his ride because every seat on the Cerrillos Road bus was occupied by hip-to-hip passengers, and six others also surfed the bus aisle that afternoon. Full buses used to be an oddity for Santa Fe's public transportation system, but as the price of fuel climbs toward $4 per gallon, more people are using the system than ever. Last month, ridership on Santa Fe Trails increased about 14 percent over April 2007, and, although numbers are not compiled for May, both bus drivers and riders say buses get more crowded by the day. "I hear people all the time, constantly, talking about how the prices of gas are going up and they are going to start riding the bus," said driver Sonya Lopez. Friday's national gas-price averages continued at record highs of $3.96 per gallon, with a state average at $3.90 and a Santa Fe average of $3.89 per gallon. Lopez has been a driver for three years, but during the last three weeks she's started to notice more passengers on her Route 6, which serves the southeastern edge of town. Instead of two or three passengers heading home on a recent afternoon, her bus had nearly a dozen. Back on the Cerrillos Road Route 2, Trujillo began his ride around Fifth Street at about 5 p.m., heading home Friday from work to an apartment along Airport Road. A broken starter on his car was the impetus for his sojourn into public transit, but now that he's gotten used to the idea, Trujillo said he might just sell the junker. "It's a lot cheaper now to ride the bus," he said. "It's the gas. It's going way up. It's too too much." Another bonus of riding, he said after nabbing the seat of a departing passenger, is that he avoids the frustration of piloting past construction on Cerrillos Road. Instead, the 36-year-old was striking up conversations with the driver and running into an old Capital High School classmate he hadn't seen in years. Retiree Gerry Arnold seemed glad to have a seat across the aisle on his trip home from volunteering at a Plaza tourist information booth. Arnold has been riding the bus downtown two times a week for about three weeks since he got fed up with both gas costs and downtown parking. For seniors who pay 50-cent fares, it's a much cheaper alternative. "I probably will go downtown a lot more now," he said. Arnold drives from his home in Park Plazas to the Santa Fe Place mall to catch the bus, a trick several teenagers also used last week. Teens also get the 50-cent fare, while adults pay $1. Increases in transit ridership are good for the city and its residents, said Santa Fe Transit Division Director Jon Bulthuis, who said gas-price hikes have had an obvious correlation with ridership. "What I see as a good value out of this is that people are becoming aware of an asset that was already in the community and they are starting to make choices that are both good for their personal budgets, but are also good for reducing traffic congestion and all the positive environmental things that go along with public transportation." Although one gripe about the system is that lesser-used routes are not as frequent as the Cerrillos Road spine, Bulthuis said greater ridership could change that. "The more we see people taking advantage of the system, the more likely it will be that the council will look to add services," he said. Other public transit systems are also seeing more riders, including services to rural communities such as Española and Taos provided by the North Central Regional Transit District, and the Northern New Mexico Park and Ride commuter buses provided by the state. Ridership between Santa Fe and Los Alamos jumped by 13 percent between April 2007 and last month, and about 44 percent more workers than last year are riding those buses between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, a figure that takes into a account that bus service became more frequent on the route during that time. The state has also invested $400 million in a commuter train that is already running in the Albuquerque area and will link to Santa Fe by the end of the year. Additional services are planned toward the end the year including later service on Route 2 and greater frequency on Route 4. /Contact Julie Ann Grimm <mailto:jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com> at 986-3017 or jgrimm(a)sfnewmexican.com./ [iCopyright] © 2008 The New Mexican, Inc.. Permission granted for up to 6 e-mails. All rights reserved. You may forward this article or get additional permissions by typing | http://license.icopyright.net/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to-ga… | <http://license.icopyright.net/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to-ga…> into any web browser. The New Mexican, Inc. and The Santa Fe New Mexican logos are registered trademarks of The New Mexican, Inc.. The iCopyright logo is a registered trademark of iCopyright, Inc. -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara

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The Santa Fe New Mexican -- Bus ridership jump linked to gas costs
by Ann Garrison 02 Jun '08

02 Jun '08

Ann Garrison (anniegarrison(a)mac.com) has sent you this article from The Santa Fe New Mexican. Message from Ann Garrison: Rise in gas prices not all that bad, at leaat in New Mexico. But it now dosts $10 round trip to ride BART into San Francisco from Richmond. <http://license.icopyright.net/user/external.act?publication_id=7515> <http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MTEwNDY3OA==> Bus ridership jump linked to gas costs " Mike Trujillo clung to the bar overhead as the city bus jostled through rush-hour traffic. He stood for the beginning of his ride because every seat on the Cerrillos Road bus was occupied by hip-to-hip passengers, and six others also surfed the bus aisle that afternoon. Full buses used... <http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MTEwNDY3OA==> Click here to read the rest of the article. <http://www.clipandcopy.com>Sign Up for Clip&Copy® to find other articles like this one. It's a free personalized news alert and press clippings service. <http://license.icopyright.net/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to-ga…> <http://license.icopyright.net/g1/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to…> E-Mail | <http://license.icopyright.net/g2/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to…> Print | <http://license.icopyright.net/g3/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to…> Post | <http://license.icopyright.net/g4/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to…> Republish | <http://license.icopyright.net/g6/3.7515?icx_id=Bus-ridership-jump-linked-to…> More> © 2008 The New Mexican, Inc. Powered by <http://info.icopyright.com>iCopyright.com.

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