Mark said: "A large metro area needs user-friendly, cost-effective
public transit, but to assign the word 'justice' to that goal is a very
big stretch. It implies that that public transit is an entitlement, and
the tax base (collective) needs to accomodate the needs in the name of
'justice'. It also suggests, I think, an underlying belief that nobody
should ever be inconvenienced or have to solve problems on their own.
Not being able to match bus schedules or LRT routes to your personal
needs does not rise to the level of oppression."
I wonder if that was the thinking in New Orleans as well. It certainly
resulted in an oppressive situation for the poor who did not have cars
and could not reach the buses to evacuate. But perhaps they should
have thought about that inconvenience in advance and tried to solve the
problem on their own by some creative means.
Cities nearly always have a certain population that do not own cars
either for convenience or because they cannot afford to. In my
neighborhood, 21% of those in the workforce used public transportation
to get to work (2000 census). 27% of the population lives below the
poverty line. Public transportation is important. Certainly, it is
not a "right." However, since it is PUBLIC transportation, it needs to
serve the public fairly. When significant geographic areas of the city
have come to rely on bus service, changes in service need to take into
account the impact it will have. People buy their homes or live in
areas based on the amenities that are available that are important to
them. It is not easy to sell your house or give up your home and find
a new location where bus service matches your work schedule. And it's
really hard on the kids.
Here's a radical idea: We have a $.50 "downtown zone" fare on Metro
Transit that allows people to ride the bus anywhere in downtown for a
really cheap price. Why can't we have a "neighborhood zone" fare like
that in poor areas where people must use public transportation to run
local errands near their home? Is it really fair to charge downtown
residents and workers $.50 for a short ride while we make those in poor
neighborhoods pay $1.25 to do their grocery shopping?
Dottie Titus
Jordan neighborhood
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