Questionable doings not just a management thing at PAT

Pittsburgh PA - The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review unearthed a highly questionable act by the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) transit union. The highly questionable act was the formation of a special retirement package by former ATU Division 85 Union President Joseph Hutzler for himself which was kept quiet, even from his union.

The special pension deal revolved around allowing Hutzler to collect pension payments in a special account while he was retired and still union president. While Hutzler retired from PAT in 2001, he kept the retirement a secret from the union. This has upset the current union local leaders as Hutzler was leading the union in contract talks with PAT at the time which ultimately stripped the union of many protective work rules.

The pension arrangement was crafted when Hutzler was president of the PAT union and sat on a four-member pension board. The current union leadership called the Hutzler's self-crafted retirement deal an abuse of power. Current ATU Division 85 Union President, Pat McMahon, said ""I think he abused his position on that board to his own benefit."

Here I must credit the current PAT union president, Pat McMahon. When the Hutzler deal was discovered, McMahon and the current union leadership brought the questionable deal to the attention of PAT's management as they should do. PAT's corrupt management however swept the affair under the rug as they were too busy double-dipping into the management pension fund for their own benefit. Hutzler's arrangement was very similar to the controversial DROP program which key management people participated in during the same period.

The news came to me without much shock. I was aware there there were some shady deals occurring within PAT's union during the Skoutelas years at PAT. What did shock me however was Pat McMahon's response to the controversy. Instead of defending the former union leader, he said what was needed to be said which was that the deal was wrong and self-serving.

While I often disagree with Pat McMahon on transit matters, I must award him a Laurel for not trying to bury an embarrassing union incident under the rug and showing that the current union leadership is not acting as their predecessors. He's earned a lot of my respect today.

Mayor drops streetcar proposal

Madison WI - Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz officially dropped his streetcar proposal Monday. The proposal had drawn fire from many sources due to the expense as well as the effectiveness of the plan.

The Mayor said in a press release, "There is an old saying in politics; when you've dug yourself into a hole, the first thing you do is drop the shovel. So I have decided I will not continue to pursue the issue of streetcars in Madison. The issue is off the table."

I do have to applaud Mayor Cieslewicz for dropping the controversial plan and not being stubborn and continuing to push it through. With a proposed Regional Transit Authority being planned for the Madison area, it will be tough enough to ensure they can run what they have in place now without the headache of a transit project that was designed more for taxpayer supported development than for actual transportation.

The problem I had with the Mayor's plan was just stated, it was to be for development at the taxpayer's expense rather than for transportation. Considering that Madison's bus system needs help and the streetcar line was not aimed at actual transit service, the plan was more of a fiscal black hole than a benefit.

Once Madison gets the RTA in place, the bus service up to par and a more reliable source of funding the transit system in place, it can be brought up again. Until then, it's best to put the proposal on the shelf.

I would suggest that any future streetcar plan be focused around actual transportation needs rather than the hope of development along a line that goes nowhere.

For backing down from his streetcar plan as well as finally recognizing that you need the broad support from the community before undertaking such a major investment, I'll award Mayor Dave Cieslewicz a Laurel.

MARTA to review operations

Atlanta GA - After 25 years, the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) has decided to do an in-depth look at their bus and rail operations. From routings to just about everything else that it takes to provide service is going to be looked at. MARTA hopes to retool its operations to meet current times starting with a $1.8 billion dollar study.

While reviewing operations is something all systems need to do, such an undertaking should have been happening all along. This situation is all too common in the transit industry and has been a major complaint of mine for decades. Every few years at least, operations should be looked at to ensure things are running smoothly. By waiting 25 years or more, as some systems have done, your talking an expensive undertaking that can result in dramatic changes rather than gradual changes.

$1.8 billion dollars isn't chump change, even in government circles. Much of what is to be studied could have easily been done cheaper in-house if it had been done on a regular and timely basis over the past 25 years. It does often take an outsider to point out the flaws in an operation however and even if studies were done every few years by a consultant, it would end up being cheaper than having to do it when the system is in crisis.

"The system's unwieldy tangle of bus routes — some still following the paths of old trolley lines — is difficult for even longtime Atlantans to grasp." A common theme among many systems that insisted on hanging onto historical routings rather than move them to meet the changing demographics of an area. This single issue alone, if corrected, could greatly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of transit service.

Then there is the other common plague of many cities, rail maintenance that has been deferred over the years due to the excessive cost, inherent in any rail operation, has come back to haunt the operation. You can call for better maintenance in the rail operations however, that money has to come from somewhere and public transit budgets are already stretched to the breaking point, MARTA included.

While MARTA should get a Lance for spending $1.8 billion dollars on a one-time study that should have been occurring on a regular basis, I'll award them a Laurel for actually waking up and realizing their transit system is in trouble, needs fixed and starting the long overdue process.

Pittsburgh's routes may be changing

Pittsburgh PA - The Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) announced yesterday an initiative called "Connect '09" which may bring some sweeping changes to how transit is provided in the Pittsburgh area.

Starting with the introduction of smart card fare collection technology, the Connect '09 initiative is ultimately aimed at overhauling how the entire transit system is structured. Data collected from smart card usage will give PAT a better idea of its customer's riding habits claims PAT Chief Executive, Steve Bland.

One thing that is funny is that many of the things that Bland states have been being said for decades and totally ignored by PAT. Suddenly PAT discovers what needs to be done and acts as though it has never been thought of before. Wrong Steve, much of this has been said from long before PAT even took control of Pittsburgh's public transit system. I know personally that I've been waving the banner claiming PAT needed to look at transit in a new way for decades.

The Connect '09 plan also can be used to integrate the surrounding counties into a single transit system with either a direct agency or as an umbrella agency. That fact was heavily downplayed at the press conference by PennDOT Secretary, Allen Biehler as well as Mr. Bland.

Now before any catcalls about how PAT can afford this, it is being paid for through a Federal grant and has no effect on the service cuts. The cuts would happen with or without this program. One side note however is that the grant only pays for this to be used on the buses and PAT will have to come up with other forms of funding to pay for the implementation of the smart card technology on the rail vehicles.

While Steve Bland has earned himself and PAT a few Lances since his arrival, I must give him a Laurel for finally acknowledging that PAT needs to overhaul its route structure. It took long enough for someone in a position to do something to actually shed light on what us common folk have been pointing out for decades now.

PAT's CEO posts contract for all to see

Pittsburgh PA - In a long overdue move, the Port Authority of Allegheny County Executive Director, Steve Bland, has posted his contract on-line for all to see. The move, reported in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is aimed at making the transit agency more transparent to the public. This is something that all public and non-profit agencies should be doing.

I also see a hidden motive behind Stave Bland's move to post his contract. This motive is to take a jab at the union and force them to accept concessions, something the union is fighting.

PAT's union has stated for years that they don't feel they should make concessions when the management doesn't. A complaint that I have to agree with. Well now, PAT's management is making concessions and the big boy took many concessions himself. The union complaint is no longer valid and by Bland publicly posting his contract, as well as the concessions he took, it will put added public pressure on the union to make contract concessions.

I have stated for decades that the various contracts at PAT should be made public when the taxpayers are paying for it. This goes for the management contracts as well as the union contracts. The taxpayers deserve to know what they are being forced to pay for. I am so tired of hearing that these types of items are "confidential" when the money to pay for these "confidential" contracts are paid for by the public.

Steve Bland earns himself a Laurel for allowing the public access to view his contract, especially since his paycheck and benefits are paid for by the taxpayers.

Hybrids too costly

Fort McMurray AB - I came across a news story from the Fort McMurray Today news site which I found interesting. It is basically a discussion over hybrid buses and the costs to buy and operate. It is especially interesting as this is a very small operation and one mistake can prove very costly.

The debate in Fort McMurray revolves around the recent purchase of 3 diesel buses which the city opted for rather than purchasing 1 hybrid bus and 1 diesel. Mayor Melissa Blake correctly stated "In the end, you simply can’t justify the hybrid bus when we can get two (regular) buses for the same price". However, Councilor Carolyn Slade insists that the hybrid would save money in the long term.

Sorry Ms. Slade, the hybrid won't do anything except raise your long term costs to operate, especially given the Canadian tendency to hang onto buses for 20 to 30 years. The current hybrid technology still is in its infancy and has not been proven over a long period. Considering the fact that most manufacturers stop producing parts for buses now after 10 years, how in the world are you going to get the parts for it when the bus is 20 plus years old? Many buses today in the United States (including those manufactured by Canadian firms) wear out before their 12 years old and many get scrapped because you can't get the electronics for them any longer.

This rush to jump on the environmentalist bandwagon by transit systems is going to prove costly in the long term, especially for small systems like Fort McMurray. Clean diesel technology works well and is far less costly in both the short and long term for purchasing and maintaining. Replacing Fort McMurray's diesel fleet with hybrids won't make any difference at all in the air quality but it will hurt the finances of the transit system from the purchase date all the way through the life cycle of the bus.

In addition, hybrids actually cause more damage to the environment to manufacture and dispose of than does the lowly diesel. That's a dirty little secret that the enviro-weenies that are trying to price public transit out of existence don't want you to know.

As far as efficiency, the much touted mileage and fuel savings are greatly exaggerated. You save more petroleum fuel by switching to bio-diesel than you do by paying for hybrid technology. Not to say bio-diesel is the best choice out there as it has its issues as well but it is far cheaper in the long term than buying a hybrid bus and having to maintain it.

Mayor Melissa Blake earns a Laurel for taking her position as the steward of the taxpayer's money seriously and making the right choice. Those 3 diesel buses will serve the city better as it will allow more people to benefit and it cost less in both the short and long term than rushing out to jump on the enviro-bandwagon with hybrid buses.

Honolulu takes positive step

Honolulu HI - The Honolulu Advertiser reports that Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou has introduced a bill to bar any company that has had any corruption charges from being able to secure work on the recently approved mass transit project for the area.

A wise move. You can call me a skeptic but I've seen enough corruption over the decades, especially when it comes to expensive transit projects, that I question most every project that comes up. Djou's proposed bill would help keep the project on the up and up.

Now don't be fooled however. It won't reduce the cost of building the planned rapid transit line and in fact may actually cost the taxpayers more money. It's hard to say at this point in time but I am positive that it won't reduce costs. There will still be cost over runs on the project as well as unexpected expenditures.

The positive thing will be that the companies getting the work will be clean and without a history of bid rigging and corruption. It is important that the highly polarized project be viewed as being built with reputable companies.

While Djou's bill, if enacted, may be defeated in the courts, it sends a the needed message to the taxpayers that those that have been elected to run Honolulu don't want this project to be plagued by corruption charges.

A Laurel goes to Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou for putting forth the effort to keep this polarizing project on the up and up.

PAT management a big part of its problem

Pittsburgh PA - In the ongoing saga of the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT), the Pittsburgh Business Times has two reports (story 1 story 2) regarding PAT's fiscal crisis and how management has greatly contributed to it.

The big problem is that PAT's management, especially it's upper executives, have perks that even some Fortune 500 companies don't have. The extravagance of these taxpayer funded management perks has helped to literally bankrupt Pittsburgh's transit system.

An audit performed by Pennsylvania State Attorney General Jack Wagner (D) provided solid proof of massive waste in PAT's management, something that PAT officials have long denied. Most of this waste came in terms of lavish pension benefits which created a $28.4 million dollar shortfall yet no attempts were made to curtail the taxpayer funded outlays.

Then, shortly after Wagner's announcement, PAT's Executive Director Steve Bland and County Chief Executive Dan Onorato held a press conference to announce a plan to curtail the pension benefits to save between $5 and $6 million. They both claim in various other news reports that this plan was being worked on long before Wagner's audit but I seriously doubt it. Given that the pension plan has been under media attention for several years now and the standard reply to questions was that there wasn't anything wrong, their plan was more than likely whipped up within the past few weeks.

While the list of items being changed looks impressive, it's not enough. PAT management will still have better benefits on the public dime than many private companies of similar size have in the free market. The simple fact that all this is payed for by the taxpayer, PAT needs to be frugal with the money. This is something that PAT seems not to be able to accomplish given that it sees taxpayer money as free money to waste.

I award Pennsylvania State Attorney General Jack Wagner a Laurel for finally being the first politician that put the blame for PAT's fiscal crisis where it belongs, directly on PAT's self-indulgent and financially abusive management. While a few other politicians have pointed fingers at management, it was mostly rhetoric. Wagner backs his claim with proof which has PAT's management scrambling to finally deal with the issue.

WMATA looking at administrative cuts to save money

Washington DC - News 7 reported that Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) general manager John Catoe announced that WMATA will look at cutting jobs to save money.

Catoe stated that every position within the agency will be looked at to make sure that it is in fact a needed position.

I feel it's safe to say that if he is serious in his statement and does a proper evaluation, he'll find at least 20% of the staff positions are unneeded. Transit systems across North America are loaded with unneeded positions, especially in the offices. From creating positions when funding was less of an issue to creating positions for the sake of nepotism which is common within the public transit industry, unneeded positions abound in the administration.

John Catoe earns a Laurel for looking at all the positions within WMATA to make sure they are needed before doing any fare hike.

TARC offers "travel-training" program

Louisville KY - The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is doing a similar program that Sun Tran in Tucson is doing and that is offering clinics to help new riders learn the system. The story on this program is in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Partnering with an outside group, TARC is aiming to teach seniors that are giving up driving how to utilize the bus system. Seniors tend to be the most confused when it comes to riding transit for the first time or the first time in a long time and they do need some assistance in understanding the operation so they can utilize it effectively. This group is a key demographic group to target as they become more of a captive rider rather than a choice rider.

While the initial rider clinic at TARC was poorly attended, it will pick up as more people become aware of it. Many attempts at such programs are usually met with poor attendance the first few times and they are dropped from the budget. Systems that are persistent and don't give up do see an increase in attendance as time progresses.

A Laurel goes out to TARC for reaching out with a much needed program. The one suggestion I have would be to expand the program, once it has become more established, to include other age groups. The more people understand the transit system in their area, the more likely they are to use it.

Sun Tran offers "How to Ride" clinics

Tucson AZ - The Arizona Daily Star reports on Sun Tran's program for educating Tucson residents about how to ride public transit.

This program is something that should be done everywhere. While it seems illogical to many that people actually don't understand how to ride the bus, many really don't. How to ride your local transit system is something that is rarely taught in school and even if it was, changes over the past 20 years have made your local transit system even more confusing.

From how to read a schedule to using wheelchair lifts, it can be daunting for someone who has never ridden or hasn't ridden in many years. By reaching out to the community and helping to educate them, transit systems can help bolster ridership numbers simply by showing people how easy it is.

Seniors and the disabled tend to be the most confused with riding at first however, your average commuter can be just as confused. Where to board, when to pay and how much, transfers, where the bus goes along with a host of other issues can keep potential ridership off the bus simply because don't understand the operation.

I know when I was young, my local transit system used to offer a program where they would go to schools, senior centers and other locations to teach people about the system and how to use it. Even though I was already well versed in how to ride, I still learned about a few things I didn't know about until that moment.

I see this type of education program as a needed operating expense for public transit systems nationwide. Sadly, this type of program is one that few systems want to put up the money for these days as they are too busy wasting money on useless marketing attempts at attracting new riders. The more people know about how to utilize their transit system, the more likely they will be to utilize it. It's a well proven fact.

Sun Tran gets a Laurel for reaching out to their community, explaining how their system works and how the residents can utilize it.

LRT may not be so easy in Orange County

Orange County CA - In a comment that will get the pro-rail crowd upset, the new chairwoman of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Carolyn V. Cavecche, has announced that she wants the negative impact of rail expansion explored before slapping down a new line.

Reported in the Los Angeles Times, Cavecche wants more scrutiny of future rail projects in Orange County.

All I can say is that it is about time. Too often the negative impacts of LRT lines are ignored and glossed over by the pro-rail crowd that pushed for the lines. Once built, it's too late to deal with the problem an LRT line can create. This process may help get a better handle on solving problems before they occur and possibly place the bar a bit higher to get an expensive project rammed through.

If Cavecche is successful in pushing her idea, it won't eliminate new LRT lines but will make the process more complete and less one sided. Currently, how rail will effect surrounding communities is often viewed in the idealistic sense. Problems are rarely considered until after the line is built and by then it's too late.

The pro-rail crowd will hate it if she gets her way. They don't want anything brought up that may hamper getting another LRT line in place. By exposing the negative aspects of LRT during the planning stages, it does risk not having the line built and that's blasphemy for the pro-rail crowd. As mentioned, Cavecche's idea will not eliminate any future line unless the negatives far out weight the positives. The risk for denial is still there however and that will not sit well with the pro-rail crowd.

Carolyn V. Cavecche earns a Laurel for wanting to get information on the negatives of future LRT projects before they are approved. The expense to taxpayers for expensive projects need to be scrutinized much more than they are. More operations out there need to do the same before they just slap a line down.

Dayton ditches bus advertisments

Dayton OH - The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) will be ditching advertising on its buses according to a news story in the Dayton Business Journal.

Bucking the trend of ad wrapped buses that have been appearing across transit systems all across North America, the GDRTA has determined that the revenue generated for having buses wrapped up as a rolling burrito and other advertisements is minuscule to its overall budget.

The GDRTA wants to make it's buses more appealing to ridership by having a uniform fleet color and a clean appearance. Advertising, including standard exterior board type ads, detract from the appearance.

One thing I found interesting from reading the article is that the GDRTA repaints its buses after an ad wrap is removed. Unlike my local transit system in Pittsburgh which rips the ad wrap off and sends the bus back out in service with the adhesive still applied to the bus so road dirt and even litter will stick to it (at least where it didn't rip the paint off with it), the GDRTA realizes that a clean appearance is important to making public transit appealing to the public.

A clean and uniform livery for the fleet is a good method to make a transit system more appealing. Psychologically, it tells people that you have a system that works and is well ordered. When you have a variety of fleet liveries with various ads slapped on them, it subconsciously transmits that the system is messed up and doesn't know what it is doing.

I will be watching how the GDRTA does without bus advertising. I like seeing buses without ads slapped all over them but I realize that advertising is an important part of the revenue stream for many operations.

The GDRTA earns itself a Laurel for understanding that a uniform fleet appearance will do more to attract ridership than a rolling burrito will.

Transit decisions based on ideology

Honolulu HI - The Hawaii Reporter has an article regarding the recent decision to build a fixed guideway mass transit system in Honolulu. The writer, Richard O. Rowland, brings a good viewpoint regarding why these plans are approved.

Rowland correctly points out that if it was a private business that built a fixed guideway system and it failed, the business would lose it's money and go out of business. When government does such things, the public continues to pay regardless if the line is a failure or not.

Too often, the handful of politicians that come up with these plans use their personal ideology to drive the idea rather than the facts or what is best for the people they represent. While forward thinking is needed, plans such as Honolulu's push for light rail are driven by past thinking and fantasy dreams of the future. Rowland points this out in his article rather well.

While I agree with Rowland's premise, he missed one point. That point is that the Honolulu Council members are also looking for a legacy. Many politicians will sell their constituents up the river just to get their name emblazoned on a brass plaque that's placed on some edifice that will be there long after they leave this world.

Personal ideology often clouds the decisions that are made in politics. Public transportation politics are no different and are often more blatantly obvious in the abuse of personal ideology. It's why we have expensive transit projects being built in many cities across the United States. Projects that will further strain transit systems that can't even afford to operate what they already have.

The fixed guideway plan for Honolulu has little basis in reality for relieving traffic congestion. The plan is based around the hope of future development which the proponents also hope will bring economic boom times. It is also based in looking at the past with rose colored glasses. The good 'ol days when life was easy and streetcars and passenger rail ruled the transportation of the area.

The desire to go back to those good 'ol days is one of the personal ideologies that drives many decision makers when it comes to approving these expensive transportation plans. When it comes to rail, the rose colored glasses are put on to drive them towards the legacy they all want. I've questioned politicians before regarding this where I live and you could just see their reality drifting away as they transported themselves back to the past in their own mind when everything was better, the air was cleaner and rail was king. A definite look back with rose colored glasses in my area of the country considering the time frame that one politician drifted back to when I asked why he was supporting an unneeded extension to the rail line in Pittsburgh. He drifted back to the 1940's when Pittsburgh was pitch black at high noon due to pollution but you'd never know that from from his descriptions of how clean the trolleys made the air.

Even putting such a plan up to a vote of the residents wouldn't deter the proponents of these expensive plans. They routinely feed the public half-truths based on questionable studies and that would continue. All too often I see people who were totally disillusioned after one of these projects are built. They were promised all kinds of things to support the project but once built, they realize they were handed a bill of goods that includes increased taxes, increased fares and reduced transit service.

Transit projects need to be based in reality. Not future hopes and dreams or looks back to the past. Yes, the preceding are important in the fine tuning of the decision but they shouldn't be the basis of the decision. The majority of transit projects planned for the U.S. aren't based in reality and in fact, reality is often ignored in order to ram the expensive and unneeded projects through.

A Laurel goes to Richard O. Rowland. He gets what so many out there don't. Politicians need to wake up to reality and stop trying to ram these expensive projects down the taxpayer's throat and the already over stressed public transit agencies that will be forced to come up with a way to operate them.

Metro's Adopt A Bus Stop returns

Houston TX - The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) has reintroduced its Adopt-A-Stop and Adopt-A-Shelter program according to a Houston Chronicle story.

The main focus of this program is to allow businesses and community groups that want to help do their part to control crime and improve transit to become involved. The volunteers are the watchdogs of their adopted stop or shelter and are given numbers to report crime, vandalism or other incidents including just plain lack of maintenance of a shelter or stop by Metro.

The program is a very low cost method to help improve the safety of the area as well as helping to keep Metro notified of problems at a particular stop or shelter that need attention. By getting the community involved, it helps both police and Metro out through giving both agencies many more eyes and ears.

A low cost program such as this is something that transit systems should be doing everywhere. It helps build awareness of the transit system as well helps give the transit system that positive image which so many operations across the country are willing to spend millions of our tax dollars on. The big plus is that it also helps put more eyes and ears out to help police reduce crime.

This is one of the few times you will read or hear this writer say anything along these lines: While the Adopt-A-Stop program does cost some money to administer and run, the overall benefits to the transit system and the community far outweigh the small cost of the program to taxpayers.

A Laurel goes out to the Houston Metro for putting this program back in place as well as one to Dimitrios Fetokakis who's phone call about problems at one of the Metro's stops and willing first volunteer in the program was the catalyst for Metro to reintroduce the program.

Honolulu's proposed rail transit

Honolulu HI - A commentary piece in the Hawaii Reporter regarding the proposed rail transit line brings up a few points that need further discussion.

Hawaii State Representative Colleen Meyer (R) questions the recent vote by the Honolulu City Council on their desire to jump on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) bandwagon. The main issues? The cost as well as if it is really needed.

Rep. Meyer correctly states that public transit usage is declining. While there has been a recent increase in ridership over the past couple of years, this is mostly due to higher fuel costs and the spike of ridership is already declining nationwide.

Also mentioned in the article was the point that LRT is not exactly the choice of the people living there. A survey of residents show 53% said they would not use the line. While surveys leave a lot to the imagination, the survey was commission by the City and County of Hawaii, who were pushing for the line, and it didn't come back exactly as they had hoped but they still pushed the vote through.

Rep. Meyers suggested that the residents should have a chance to vote the project up or down. There's little chance of that happening. Rail activists have done a good job spreading the word of all the "benefits" of having an expensive toy built. The residents won't believe that LRT isn't all that was promised to them until after the line is built and by then it's too late.

While there are places LRT will work well, it won't work well everywhere. My major problem with LRT are mostly the arguments made by the proponents. False promises of good times ahead if only you support building the line. I have heard the same arguments made for every rail line proposed. The proponents gloss over or ignore any problems with having an LRT line such as the cost, effects on the rest of the transit system and how much it will cost the general public. All you hear is of economic boom times and the massive development that will occur if only you support building the line.

Rail proponents from all walks of life are so desperate to get LRT lines slapped down all over North America that most refuse to even question the proposals. Questions such as, "Why is the line being proposed where it isn't needed?" and "How are you going to pay to run this line when you are already screaming about fare hikes and route cuts for your transit system?", are rarely asked by rail proponents.

Rep. Meyers has a better handle on what is happening than those that have control of the project. A rare trait in a politician these days. The whole proposal needs to be looked at again and by a neutral party that has no interest one way or the other. Traffic congestion will not be eliminated or reduced by Honolulu's multi-billion dollar LRT line. One of the major selling points to the residents is that this rail line will solve the traffic issues.

The general public need hard facts, not activist and political spin, to better understand what is happening. Pro-LRT spin is among the top for being smooth and effective among the general public. Those who dare question LRT proposals are routinely shouted down as being closed minded and being against improving the "quality of life".

A Laurel goes out to Hawaii State Representative Colleen Meyers (R) for questioning this rather ill-conceived plan.

Christmas Samaritan surprises Spokane bus riders

Spokane WA - A touching story for the Christmas season comes out of Spokane Washington. The Spokesman Review tells of a good Samaritan who has given away several thousands of dollars to the riders of the Spokane Transit Authority's North Division buses.

A woman in her 50's or 60's, along with a child helper, quickly pass out Christmas cards and say "Merry Christmas" to riders of whatever trip they happen to be riding before quickly exiting the bus. The anonymous benefactor disappears off the bus before anyone realizes there is small gift included in the card. Inside of each Christmas card was a $50 bill.

Such acts of random kindness are rare these days. A special Christmas Laurel goes out to this woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, for thinking of others.

A free marketing campaign? Where's the champagne!

New York City NY - The Newsday.com site has a story of a nice little courtesy campaign for the Christmas season being run by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).

Partnering with the folks on Broadway to bring Dr. Seuss' Grinch character to the subways, the MTA is using the Grinch to remind people about simple common courtesy on the subways.

The people who run the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" are offering a $10 MetroCard with purchases of tickets to the show and the MTA is offering free promotional mention of the show on the subway courtesy ads featuring the Grinch.

The lyricist of the musical provided three transit related rhymes in the Seuss style to be used for the MTA courtesy campaign.

What is extremely nice about this campaign is that it costs the MTA nothing as it is a trade of advertising between the MTA and the Broadway show. It is also a fun way to remind people to show some courtesy during the holiday season.

At most, any costs which are incurred by the MTA for the logistics of the campaign (printing costs and costs to place and remove the ads) will be a small fraction of the cost of doing this without partnering with the people at the musical.

The MTA earns itself a Laurel for this innovative and low cost courtesy campaign.

NJ Transit to study bus routes

Newark NJ - After 24 years, NJ Transit is finally going to take a look at it's routes according to a news report found in The Jersey Journal.

While only looking at 5 counties, it's a start and something that is long overdue. Just about every transit system in North America needs to do such a study so that the system can be adjusted to changed ridership and demographic patterns.

The one thing I wish to comment on specifically on this story is that this study should have been an ongoing process from day 1. Too many systems have legacy routes that haul few people today but have always been around. By continually keeping after the routes and ridership patterns, this particular study wouldn't have needed to be done.

Public transit usually scores poorly when it comes to quickly adjusting to ridership trends. Waiting 24 years literally means that NJ Transit will need to do a major overhaul of the route structure. Ridership and demographics of the area should be, a minimum, reviewed at least once every 5 years to keep the entire route structure somewhat on track with the population.

While NJ Transit should get a Lance for waiting 24 years to do what they should have been doing all along, I'll be nice and award them the Laurel for finally recognizing that they need to work on the routes and started the ball rolling with the long overdue study of the routes.

Madison streetcar plan can't find the wire

Madison WI - The first public meeting regarding the Madison streetcar proposal didn't go well for the proponents of the plan. The Capital Times story tells of the meeting, which was attended by 150 people, and about the only ones excited about the proposal were the politicians and plan consultants.

The headline of the news article stated that the reception of the streetcar proposal was lukewarm. From the text of the article, it sounded more like the reception was a bit chilly.

Most of the attendees at the meeting expressed the same view: "Wouldn't enhancing and improving bus service in the city be a better bang for the buck?"

As more and more of these frivolous plans are dreamed up, designed mostly to provide a legacy to politicians, people are beginning to finally question the need for them and why can't the existing transit service be improved system-wide.

When are politicians and transit systems going to wake up to the fact that people want clean, reliable and convenient transportation that takes them where they want to go when they need to be there? Streetcars and other expensive transit projects don't give the vast majority of the residents what they want. People want public transit to go back to the basics of providing service. They don't want frills when the service is sub-par.

Political follies, such as streetcars in Madison, show how out of touch with reality many politicians and transit systems really are. Until people question these plans, force the issue and let their elected officials know that these pipe dreams they come up with are unacceptable, they'll just continue to trot out more of these ridiculous plans to waste taxpayer money and create a legacy for themselves.

A Laurel goes out to the citizens of Madison Wisconsin for questioning this plan and not allowing it to gain any traction to move forward. Perhaps after a few more meetings, Mayor Cieslewicz and his staff will get the message that this proposal needs the pole pulled and the power shut off.