Burlington, NC, woman has a job, but no way to get to it

The Times News: "“The many nonprofits that we serve daily and talk to on a regular basis are very excited about the possibility for public transportation and hope whatever has delayed that vote on the $5 and any other concerns can be rectified so people can get that public transportation that they need so desperately,” Norwick said.

A woman said Tuesday morning she had to get a ride to the Women’s Resource Center and wanted to find out whether transportation was available because she was employed but had no way to get to her job, Watson said."

‘Tourist trolley’ vs. public transit: Will locals actually use the new streetcar line?

The Lens: "I live just blocks from the Elysian Fields terminus, and I can see no benefits to public transportation in my area from this costly new infrastructure."

Houston continues to grow subsidized sprawl

Houston Chronicle: "The city suffers today from low-density suburban growth (or sprawl), which without serious public transport creates major dependence on the automobile. Consider that 2.1 million additional cars on our roads translates to an additional 17,640 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions every day.

The situation has risen in part by more than a century of developer-driven radial centric growth, and, as the capital of the oil industry, by a relentless dependency on the automobile."

Kasim Reed wants 45% of transportation funding in metro areas for transit | Political Insider blog

ajc : "The long-awaited transportation blueprint didn’t offer any recommendations for a mass transit funding split, but suggested a historic investment to the growth of transit. It pointedly said lawmakers should encourage the “development of responsible, well-funded and coordinated public transportation” in metro areas."

Thousands of Nashville students take advantage of free MTA rides

tennessean: "Thousands of Metro students are taking advantage of Mayor Karl Dean’s program that allows them to ride city buses for free.

More than 4,600 students - grades 9 through 12 - are riding Metro Transit Authority buses for free just by showing their student IDs. It’s all part of Dean’s StrIDe program."

Confirmed: Sprawl and Bad Transit Increase Unemployment

Metro Jacksonville: "A new study [PDF] from researchers at the U.S. Census Bureau, the Comptroller of the Currency, and Harvard University, however, addresses those shortcomings and confirms the original theory of spatial mismatch: Geographic barriers to employment — sprawl, suburban zoning, poor transit – do indeed depress employment levels."

In Texas, many people are afraid to advocate public transit

Advocate : "Victoria Transit offers fixed bus routes with stops throughout the city, provides a service to help people get to work and has routes for people with disabilities.

Each year, the number of passenger trips increases, and residents have expressed interest in more routes being offered in town and in less highly traveled parts of the city.

With the indication that there is a growing demand for public transportation, should the city of Victoria invest more in public transportation?"

In Alabama, too many of our neighbors can't get where they need to go

arise : ""Our state's current transportation system simply can't be sustained," Forrister said. "Alabama's failure to invest in public transportation means too many of our neighbors can't get where they need to go when they need to get there. That doesn't just hurt them; it hurts our entire state's economy.""

Good #publictransit would save people a lot of time and money in Hernando, Florida

hernando today : "This would also enable elderly citizens to cancel their dependence on driving their own cars, even purchasing automobiles, canceling car insurance, saving hundreds or thousands of dollars, and providing a safer more secure mode of transportation to the drivers and to the community at large. This system would give passengers more independence, freedom and savings. It would enable parents to be less dependent upon providing rides to their children and free up their own time."

Palm Beach County more people want #publictransit instead of more roads

Sun Sentinel: "An increased focus on public transportation is a shift for the county, which has poured much of its investments in the past into building and expanding roads. Part of the shift is because residents are asking for it.

In a county survey asking how residents would rank transportation priorities, some 61 percent included expanding Palm Tran as a top priority. Compare that to 53 percent who included expanding and building new roads as a top priority."