From What I Want the Transit Forum to Hear

I have used public transportation in both the Los Angeles Metro area and the Orange County Metro area. As a young adult I had health issues, they thought I had epilepsy and so I did not qualify for a drivers license. I have experienced the limitations of not having a car in Southern California. To make a trip from North Hollywood to Glendale to get an immunization took all day on public transportation. It actually would have been quicker for me to go to San Fransisco that day.

I argue that the need for local, immediate transportation is what will serve the constituents of California. I say that cutting the local bus services is a huge disservice. No, cutting local bus services is blatantly ignoring the needs of the public good and the demands of the future.

Gas prices are soaring with the promise to soar more. Job cuts, unemployment levels ... probably the car is going to go as well for a lot of these people. And then what is the biggest obstacle for their job hunt, their economic recovery? You think looking at wants ads in the newspaper is discouraging ... try cross checking with an available metro route, a metro route you can depend on to meet your work schedule.

Demographically speaking we have a huge generation of aging Baby Boomers. When adults are faced with the onset of legal blindness transportation issues loom even greater than literacy! How will I get around? How do I maintain my independence? How do I take care of myself?

The local transit system is the life and blood for many people to get basic needs cared for, to find work, to go to school, to get their children to the doctors.

Why are we cutting back on local buses and neighborhood solutions?

I don't need to get from Anaheim to LA in 20 Minutes. I need to get to work, to school, to the grocery store, to the doctors office. These are the transportation issues that need to be addressed. This is the infrastructure that people need. This is the solution we want.