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Date: Mar 04, 2009
Public Forum on Expanding Regional Bus Service to be Held at Hofstra
Regional Plan Association, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Hofstra sponsor hearing on Ravitch Commission proposals
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – A public forum to address the recommendations of the Ravitch Commission on expanding regional bus service in Nassau County and the larger region will be held at Hofstra on Friday, March 6, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Guthart Cultural Center Theater, first floor, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.
Sponsored by the Regional Plan Association, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, the hearing will address regional bus service, one of the recommendations in the "Ravitch Commission" report on funding and reforming the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which manages transit, buses, subways, trains, bridges and tunnels in New York City and surrounding areas, including Long Island.
Panelists include Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi; former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch; Joseph Smith, president, Long Island Bus; Patricia Bowden, TWU, Local 100; Bob Yaro, president, Regional Plan Association; Kate Slevin, executive director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign; Lawrence Levy, executive director, The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University; and Walter Hook, director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
The event is free, but space is limited. To RSVP and for more information, contact elizabeth@rpa.org, or Ina Katz at Hofstra at (516) 463-9939. Breakfast will be served.
While some of the Ravitch funding recommendations, such as the regional mobility/payroll tax, have received significant public attention, the concept of regional bus has not. As proposed in the Ravitch report, bus service would be expanded throughout the MTA region. Nassau's Long Island Bus and other suburban bus systems would be further consolidated into a new MTA Regional Bus Authority and the counties would be relieved of financial responsibility for running these systems. The forum will address the potential for these recommendations, along with the management, labor and funding issues that would need to be overcome.
According to the RPA and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a regional bus authority could also accelerate the creation of a modern, efficient, 21st-century bus system that includes innovative technologies like bus rapid transit (BRT). BRT uses a combination of technology, infrastructure and procedure to get buses moving faster. A pilot BRT route in New York City has increased speeds by 20% and has a 98% approval rating from riders.
The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University is a non-partisan research institution dedicated to promoting objective, academically rigorous study of suburbia's problems, as well as its promise. Rooted in the laboratory of Long Island’s diverse and aging suburbs, almost literally in the shadows of the iconic Levittown, the National Center studies a broad range of issues from local and national perspectives and, whenever possible, collaborates with researchers at other respected institutions.
Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services; and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.
Sponsored by the Regional Plan Association, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, the hearing will address regional bus service, one of the recommendations in the "Ravitch Commission" report on funding and reforming the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which manages transit, buses, subways, trains, bridges and tunnels in New York City and surrounding areas, including Long Island.
Panelists include Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi; former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch; Joseph Smith, president, Long Island Bus; Patricia Bowden, TWU, Local 100; Bob Yaro, president, Regional Plan Association; Kate Slevin, executive director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign; Lawrence Levy, executive director, The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University; and Walter Hook, director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
The event is free, but space is limited. To RSVP and for more information, contact elizabeth@rpa.org, or Ina Katz at Hofstra at (516) 463-9939. Breakfast will be served.
While some of the Ravitch funding recommendations, such as the regional mobility/payroll tax, have received significant public attention, the concept of regional bus has not. As proposed in the Ravitch report, bus service would be expanded throughout the MTA region. Nassau's Long Island Bus and other suburban bus systems would be further consolidated into a new MTA Regional Bus Authority and the counties would be relieved of financial responsibility for running these systems. The forum will address the potential for these recommendations, along with the management, labor and funding issues that would need to be overcome.
According to the RPA and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a regional bus authority could also accelerate the creation of a modern, efficient, 21st-century bus system that includes innovative technologies like bus rapid transit (BRT). BRT uses a combination of technology, infrastructure and procedure to get buses moving faster. A pilot BRT route in New York City has increased speeds by 20% and has a 98% approval rating from riders.
The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University is a non-partisan research institution dedicated to promoting objective, academically rigorous study of suburbia's problems, as well as its promise. Rooted in the laboratory of Long Island’s diverse and aging suburbs, almost literally in the shadows of the iconic Levittown, the National Center studies a broad range of issues from local and national perspectives and, whenever possible, collaborates with researchers at other respected institutions.
Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services; and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.
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