Water on tap for presidential inauguration

According to Corporate Accountability International (CAI), U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has committed to ensuring that tap water will be served at the presidential inauguration.

“New York Sen. Charles Schumer said in a letter to Corporate Accountability International that just as Washington tap water is available in the Capitol every day, it will be available at inaugural ceremonies.”

Schumer heads the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

As reported by HuffPost: DC on Aug. 23,  Schumer announced in August that New York-based Saratoga Springs Water would supply water for the inauguration.

CAI credited public outcry and national media attention with Schumer’s changed stance.

In a letter, George S. Hawkins, general manager of the D.C. water authority, asked Schumer to serve tap water instead of bottled water. The letter said tap water costs 1 penny per gallon, while bottled water costs 100 times more.

Lakeport needs more bus shelters

 Lake Transit stop near the Lakeport Library
(with a yarn bombing tag, but that's another story)

When a fellow bus commuter learned I was going to write about the need for waste containers at Lake Transit stops, she brought up what has been another concern: the absence of any benches and shelters at many Lakeport stops.

There were major bus stop improvements during 2011-12 as noted in the annual report on the Aug. 8 Lake Transit Authority agenda.

The report credits partnerships with Konocti Unified School District, Clearlake Rotary Club and Lake County Public Works for major improvements to several stops.

 I am profoundly grateful for the shelter from which I begin my commute to work. But I would like to suggest a target area for improvements in the coming year.

Would you give up your seat on public transit?

Ian Hill asks, “When do you give up your seat on public transportation?” on the KQED News newsfix blog. The question elicited some opinionated responses, which Hill compiled with Storify. Great reading for we “straphangers” who commute by public transit.

Book advocates greater investment in public transit

For the past three weeks, my daily commute on Lake Transit has offered me an occasion to read Straphanger by Taras Grescoe (Times Books, 2012).

Grescoe, like me, is a “straphanger,” defined as “somebody who, by choice or necessity, relies on public transport, rather than a privately owned automobile.”

We need trash containers at bus stops

Trash can attached to CityBus pole in Santa Rosa

Discarded drink containers are a blemish on the landscape at our Lake Transit stops. The problem is that when drivers very reasonably prohibit boarding by people with flimsy cups, the people leave them on the ground.

At the bus shelter at Highway 29 and Young Street, a container is in place for trash and for recyclables but only because my husband and I dragged it from its original location down the street.

Jonathan and I dragged a trash and recycling container from down the street
to its new location at this Lake Transit stop

(This same container is too seldom emptied, however, and is once again near overflowing.)

At the majority of stops, trash containers are non-existent and garbage is left on the ground or, at those stops that have shelters, is left on the seats or seat backs.

Disposable cup left on bus shelter bench

During a recent walk in downtown Santa Rosa, I found a possible solution: a sturdy metal waste container attached directly to the pole designating a CityBus stop.

Next time a person faces the dilemma of being unable to board his or her bus with a plastic cup that is prone to spilling, how simple would it be to provide similar containers where bus patrons and walkers-by can conveniently dispose of their trash?

‘Straphanger: Making a Case for Public Transport’

Cover image: Straphanger by Taras Grescoe

To my list of must-read books, add Straphanger by Taras Grescoe (Times Books, 2012). An excerpt from the book’s introduction is published at utne.com.

Considerable gap between transit and auto costs

Cost of travel for transit-proximate and car-dependant households
Source of data: Taras Grescoe, citing Brookings Institute study

From Taras Grescoe, author of Straphanger (Times Books, 2012), comes this amazing statistic about the cost of travel in households that are near public transit versus those that rely upon cars:

“According to a Brookings Institution study, transit-proximate households in the United States devote only 9 percent of their income to transportation compared to 25 percent for the car dependent.”

Cover: Straphanger
by Taras Grescoe

The book has accompanied me during my bus commute each day. I used Microsoft Excel to create this chart, which visualizes the considerable gap between transportation costs.

Clearly, the cost of auto travel adds up and I need only compare the monthly cost of my Lake Transit pass -- $40 for the entire month -- and the cost to fill up the tank -- at least $40 a week.

Grescoe cites additional health benefits for relying upon public transit:

“Because every trip to a bus stop or subway station starts with a walk, transit users in the United States average 19 minutes of walking a day -- close to the 22 minutes a day recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control.”

Grescoe recommends the use of WalkScore.com, which rates neighborhoods nationwide from 0, completely car-dependent, to 100 for a “Walker’s Paradise.”

My neighborhood, I was pleased to note, rates 75, very walkable.

Straphanger (388.4 GRESCOE) can be found through the combined catalog system of our Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma County libraries. An excerpt from the book’s introduction is published at utne.com.