Monday, March 8, 2010
Local News Big money for buses, but not bus service
Posted by J. Adrian Stanley on Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 6:22 PM
- Our buses: All dressed up with no place to go
Apparently, our U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet are thinking of us. In an e-mail, the two touted more than $4 million in funding coming to Colorado Springs for bus service. Actually, though, the money is for buses, bus stops, buildings and equipment.
Which is all well and good, but it unfortunately won't help the Springs expand its bus service, or bring back the night and weekend service that got axed this year. Federal money is often for "capital needs only" — no "operations needs" like paychecks, and that seems to be the case with these Recovery Act funds.
Oh well. Money is money, right?
Here are the details from the release:
Funding Supports Employees who Rely on Bus Service to get to Work, Will Create American Manufacturing and Construction Jobs
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that the city of Colorado Springs will receive over $4.2 million from the Federal Transit Administration to improve bus service. The funding, which was made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will pay for badly needed maintenance, expand transit service, and create jobs.
The $4,238,893 in funding will enable the city to purchase three support maintenance vehicles, 30 paratransit vans, and security equipment, and do construction on bus stops and passenger and administrative facilities. In addition to the funding for Colorado Springs, the Colorado Department of Transportation will receive $2,152,195 to rebuild two buses, and purchase three replacement buses and a van.
“Thousands of Coloradans rely on bus service to get to work every day, including many people who have disabilities that make it difficult to drive,” Senator Udall said. “So bus service is a critical part of keeping people on the job. But this funding will also put construction workers on the job and boost American manufacturing across the supply chain.”
“These resources will put more Coloradans on the job while providing a much-needed service to get people to their place of work,” Senator Bennet said. “Improving and expanding the availability of bus services is a win-win for people in need of reliable public transportation options and Coloradans looking for good-paying jobs in Colorado’s construction and manufacturing sectors.”
The Colorado funding was part of a national announcement of 191 new projects in 42 states and Puerto Rico, which will help transform the nation’s infrastructure and support thousands of jobs across the country. More information can be found on the FTA website by clicking HERE.
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We clearly witness the waste we are burdened with! ie., If our Sen's. were responsable, they wouldn't accept funds that our city won't be able to use to increase ridership. "Money, is money"..exactly the issue in a nut shell.
I'm fairly certian many municipallities NEED additional dollars for parts, and, equiptment. CSpgs., has enough parked busses, a crisis of not having a bus to fill a needed route will probubly not arise.
Trust, and, belive, this money WILL be spent. Our city could act responsably (OMG-LMAO!!!)RETURN the money, making the clear statement that we don't need earmarked funds, monies that can't be used to increase access to our public transpo. needs.
When our Senators grab tha' DOLLAS" rather than act reasonably, note these funds aren't vital, and,"PASS ON THE CASH"..our wasteful system continues to grind up, and, spit out the tax payer!
A SAD NOTE, I'm positive both Senators have SORE shoulders from all thier back patting on what a FINE JOB they are doing! This is typical, NOT just here, but, nationwide...
Posted by jakeredwing
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Who said these funds weren't needed? Just because some regular buses have been parked and others have been sold (like specialty FREX buses) doesn't mean there aren't other capital needs for the transit system, even the shrunken down version. If you actually read the press release and knew anything about the system (I myself do ride the bus) other buses like the smaller paratransit buses for handicapped folks, improvements to bus stops (oh like actually paving it with concrete instead of standing in the dirt), and adding improvements to the system's reliability and predictability for riders are desperately needed. So this money isn't being wasted on us. Sure, it would be great if some of these funds could be used for operations but that's just the rules of the game right now. If you want to do something constructive, why don't you write the two senators and your respective congressman and copy the Secretary of Transportation and politely suggest that federal stimulus funds are also needed for operations and maintenance, not just new capital. At the very least, I am glad we got the money,even if it isn't as flexible as we would like. These are federal dollars that come from taxes already paid in by us Colorado Springs residents so we should definitely be getting it back. The effort on disgruntled citizens should not be to bitch about it but ask your repsentatives to get more flexibility built into the funds that due flow back to local communities!
Posted by midwest realist
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Why not expand service to nights and week-ends with part of this money? It sounds like the senators want to improve the transit service in our city.$4 million is a lot of money; my hope is that the city government will use the funds wisely and use common sense and think about what they are doing to this city.We need to improve routes and service before even thinking about a cute trolly running around the Springs.Molly
Posted by Molly
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"my hope is that the city government will use the funds wisely and use common sense and think about what they are doing to this city." We all do, but in the words of Lewis Black .."where can one find a drug that would make one so delusional?"
Posted by colorado120
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hahaha, what a JOKE !!!... Give back the money, we DONT NEED IT !!!! What we DO NEED is SERVICE - NIGHT & WEEKEND !!!! .... Bring BACK OUR BUSS SERVICE !!!... Soooo tired of these B/S solutions.. Please, someone take the REINS and get back our BUS SERVICE !!!!
Posted by NasyaCV
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