More $$ Needed

For Public Trans.

I'm writing to encourage Vermonters to attend the public meetings that the Agency of Transportation has begun to hold throughout the state. The meetings are being held to hear the concerns and needs of citizens regarding public transportation.

On the evening of July 14, I attended the meeting held in Montpelier. I'm pleased to report that it was a very crowded room, with over 65 people in attendance. Unfortunately, no one in the media was present to record the cross section of the population in attendance or the many excellent comments that were made.

The audience was a mix of senior citizens, commuters, people with various disabilities, bicyclists, and young parents. Each person who spoke expressed how important public transportation is and how important it is to improve existing services.

Those of us in the audience were told that although demand is very high, services are being cut, not expanded. The reason given is that public transportation funding is not keeping abreast of expenses.

Our legislators have the power to change this equation by allocating more dollars to support public transportation. Please check out the VTrans web site to see when hearings are scheduled for your area. If you can't attend, please submit your comments in writing.

And, most importantly, please let your representatives in the Vermont Senate and House know that you want more funding dedicated to public transportation. Thank you.

Nancy Schulz

Vt. Bike & Pedestrian Coalition

Montpelier