Thursday, November 22, 2012

127. Final Tally

It's final: Prop One to support local public transit defeated by 700 votes out of 200,000 cast.  The county also voted against gay marriage and for legalization of marijuana.

And to no one' surprise, the proposition to change the county's motto won by a whopping 65-35 vote.  As of Jan 1st, the county's new rallying cry will be, "It's All About Me."

Saturday, November 10, 2012

126. Prop One, Part Two


The governor-elect of my home state claims a greener outlook than his liberal but still road-loving predecessor, but he can't claim a mandate.

The public transit authority in the state's second largest county asked for a 0.3 cent increase in the local sales tax (that's 3 cents for every ten dollar purchase).  But out of 175,000 votes counted so far, the nay votes lead by about 900.

The local Chamber of Commerce opposed Prop One on the grounds that any increase in sales tax threatens business.

Transit officials predict that weekend and night service will disappear, a nasty blow to the poor, disabled, and those of us who ride public transit because we believe in it.  We'll find out for in a month or so if this was a real prediction or a campaign false alarm.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

125. SRO

Well, not exactly Standing Room Only, but to have 26 riders on my bus this morning--6 am and against rush hour--that's not bad. Back in the day (we're talking last century) there were days when just 2 or three of us made the ride).

The local transit authority says that Sept 2012 ridership increased 13% over Sept 2011 on its bus/light rail/commuter rail system.

Maybe we are approaching a critical mass: more riders generating more routes, attracting even more riders, and on to a nuclear explosion of mass transit

[there there is a downside; I may have to start sharing a seat, common at the 5:30 pm homeward bound route]