Letters, 7/16: Stop NASCAR to save gas
We keep hearing that we must conserve gas to help lower oil use and price. They say they want us to drive 55 mph to lower fuel use.
Then why doesn’t the government stop NASCAR racing? Consider all the fuel traveling from one race to another, in their motor homes, the fuel used in qualifying and the fuel used to run the race itself. Also, the fuel used by those fans who go to watch the races.
There must be many thousands of gallons of fuel wasted for each race.
That would reduce American fuel use more than what the normal drivers can save.
Is NASCAR that important to us that we can’t do without it?
Len Hoggatt, Lincoln
Reducing routes bad idea
It has come to my attention that the mayor’s proposed budget service revisions are being heard on Thursday by the StarTran Advisory Board.
It is ironic that the city is once again being asked to make changes to our bus system. I hope this time the City Council and the mayor will listen to public input. The last time these meetings were held, I felt that we were not seriously taken, and indeed they approved a system that has major flaws. However, that said, I oppose any reduction of midday fixed routes.
This would impact people trying to get to doctor’s appointments, work, school, etc. Before changing the system, I would like the City Council members to ride the bus for a month. They would then understand what those of us who are riding the bus are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
There are alternatives:
* Raise the rates. A 25-cent raise in the bus rate would be amicable to a lot of people instead of cutbacks (you can still keep the Ride for Five program for the poor).
* Start using or buying smaller vans to use in the residential areas. You can transport these people to main hubs.
* Put the bus system on a grid and start using right-turn-only policy like some of the package delivery trucks do. They have found that to be very economical.
The City Council also would be wise to consider that gas isn’t going to go down in price. More people will be forced into using the bus system even if they have never depended upon the system in previous years.
The City Council must start to look to the future. We must start to treat Lincoln as a city. We must have a mass transportation system to move the masses to and from work, school, doctor’s appointments and events in the city.
If you want Lincoln to grow into the city it can be, you need to have a viable transportation system.
Julie Banks, Lincoln
More need bus discounts
This letter is in regard to the proposed change in qualifications for Ride for Five bus passes. The change would allow those with an income level of 200 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for the $5 monthly bus pass. The current qualification is 100 percent of the federal poverty level. This would allow more people to take advantage of the Ride for Five bus pass. This is a much needed change.
I work for an agency that assists low-income families, and I see the need that is out there for affordable, reliable transportation. Those of us who just hop in our cars and go where we need to go may rarely give a thought to the many families and individuals in Lincoln who do not own a car.
Some drive old and unreliable cars; $4 a gallon gas causes most of us to complain when we fill up the tank, but it is an extra expense that we suck up and pay because we want to drive our SUV or Hummer to the grocery store.
For some, it means no longer being able to drive. Period. Riding the bus may be the only way to get to work, or to school or to a job interview. The regular bus rate of $1.25 per ride, which may be pocket change to you, is cost prohibitive to many of the city’s poor.
Expanding the eligibility to allow more low-income individuals to qualify for the Ride for Five is needed now more than ever. Encouraging bus ridership by making it more affordable is good for Lincoln’s low-income population and good for the environment. It is win-win.
And in response to Councilman Jon Camp’s comment as reported in the Lincoln Journal Star on July 9, please, if you see me hanging around the bus stop smoking a cigarette and drinking a Mountain Dew, don’t assume I am unemployed, poor or don’t own a car. Maybe I am just having a soda and a smoke while waiting for the bus to take me to work.
Tessa Foreman, Lincoln
Then why doesn’t the government stop NASCAR racing? Consider all the fuel traveling from one race to another, in their motor homes, the fuel used in qualifying and the fuel used to run the race itself. Also, the fuel used by those fans who go to watch the races.
There must be many thousands of gallons of fuel wasted for each race.
That would reduce American fuel use more than what the normal drivers can save.
Is NASCAR that important to us that we can’t do without it?
Len Hoggatt, Lincoln
Reducing routes bad idea
It has come to my attention that the mayor’s proposed budget service revisions are being heard on Thursday by the StarTran Advisory Board.
It is ironic that the city is once again being asked to make changes to our bus system. I hope this time the City Council and the mayor will listen to public input. The last time these meetings were held, I felt that we were not seriously taken, and indeed they approved a system that has major flaws. However, that said, I oppose any reduction of midday fixed routes.
This would impact people trying to get to doctor’s appointments, work, school, etc. Before changing the system, I would like the City Council members to ride the bus for a month. They would then understand what those of us who are riding the bus are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
There are alternatives:
* Raise the rates. A 25-cent raise in the bus rate would be amicable to a lot of people instead of cutbacks (you can still keep the Ride for Five program for the poor).
* Start using or buying smaller vans to use in the residential areas. You can transport these people to main hubs.
* Put the bus system on a grid and start using right-turn-only policy like some of the package delivery trucks do. They have found that to be very economical.
The City Council also would be wise to consider that gas isn’t going to go down in price. More people will be forced into using the bus system even if they have never depended upon the system in previous years.
The City Council must start to look to the future. We must start to treat Lincoln as a city. We must have a mass transportation system to move the masses to and from work, school, doctor’s appointments and events in the city.
If you want Lincoln to grow into the city it can be, you need to have a viable transportation system.
Julie Banks, Lincoln
More need bus discounts
This letter is in regard to the proposed change in qualifications for Ride for Five bus passes. The change would allow those with an income level of 200 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for the $5 monthly bus pass. The current qualification is 100 percent of the federal poverty level. This would allow more people to take advantage of the Ride for Five bus pass. This is a much needed change.
I work for an agency that assists low-income families, and I see the need that is out there for affordable, reliable transportation. Those of us who just hop in our cars and go where we need to go may rarely give a thought to the many families and individuals in Lincoln who do not own a car.
Some drive old and unreliable cars; $4 a gallon gas causes most of us to complain when we fill up the tank, but it is an extra expense that we suck up and pay because we want to drive our SUV or Hummer to the grocery store.
For some, it means no longer being able to drive. Period. Riding the bus may be the only way to get to work, or to school or to a job interview. The regular bus rate of $1.25 per ride, which may be pocket change to you, is cost prohibitive to many of the city’s poor.
Expanding the eligibility to allow more low-income individuals to qualify for the Ride for Five is needed now more than ever. Encouraging bus ridership by making it more affordable is good for Lincoln’s low-income population and good for the environment. It is win-win.
And in response to Councilman Jon Camp’s comment as reported in the Lincoln Journal Star on July 9, please, if you see me hanging around the bus stop smoking a cigarette and drinking a Mountain Dew, don’t assume I am unemployed, poor or don’t own a car. Maybe I am just having a soda and a smoke while waiting for the bus to take me to work.
Tessa Foreman, Lincoln
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