New

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:
Sean Crowley, 202-572-3331-w or 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org
 
(New York, NY – November 17, 2008) In response to transit agencies being on the verge of financial collapse, Environmental Defense Fund launched a new ad campaign today to call for a strong state and city commitment to transit. The ad features a photo of a blood transfusion bag alongside the message: “Transit Lines are Lifeblood. Stop the Bleeding” and includes a web page link, www.edf.org/transit, for more information.
 
“Transit is the lifeblood of New York City’s economy and environment. Now more than ever, we need this lifeline to work,” said Andy Darrell, vice president for Living Cities at Environmental Defense Fund, a member of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board and the 2007 New York State Traffic Mitigation Commission. “Other world-capitals are investing in transit, so New York simply can’t afford to fall behind with crumbling infrastructure and gridlock.”
  
The campaign includes full page, full color ads in the: Albany Legislative Gazette, and Manhattan Media publications The Capitol and City Hall. It also features web ads in the New York Daily News Daily Politics blog (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/), the Albany Times Union Capitol Confidential blog (http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/), the New York Observer Politicker blog (http://www.politickerny.com/) and the Gotham Gazette (www.gothamgazette.com/).
 
Nationally, transportation is the number two household spending item — second to shelter and ahead of food — and is responsible for 30% of the national greenhouse gas emissions. It is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases in New York.
 
“Imagine New York City with the subways unplugged,” concluded Darrell. “From suburban trains to city subways, transit is at the heart of what New York is all about. A sustainable and affordable ride to work connects people to jobs, lowers greenhouse gas pollution, and fights traffic congestion. Investing in innovative transit will create a new wave of green jobs in New York, from building subway cars and bus-rapid-transit lanes to designing high-tech train signals and hybrid-electric buses.”
 
To solve the transit finance challenge, Environmental Defense Fund calls for:
 
1.      A transparent capital plan for our transit system that:
 
·        Better uses what we have, with technology to allow more trains and buses per line.
 
·        Prioritizes investments that deliver jobs and service quickly, such as bus-rapid-transit, suburban park-&-ride, and vanpools to connect low-transit neighborhoods to transit stops.
 
·        Focuses on neighborhoods without good transit options, especially in fast-growing communities outside of Manhattan that lack convenient subway access.
 
·        Is clear to the public about its priorities and service decisions.
 
2.      State and city cooperation to keep fare hikes as low as possible. We’ll all have to pitch in, but government should be doing everything it can to make transit affordable.
 
3.      Employers to do their part, by enrolling in programs to subsidize transit passes (such as TransitChek)
 
4.      Keeping all financing options on the table, including controversial ideas such as road pricing.  New York will have to take difficult steps to finance transit, and any new tools must be designed to be effective and fair.  
 
Transit has improved since the 1970s. We can’t let it backslide now.
 
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Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund