This won’t hurt a…YEEEOOOOUCCH!

By MICHAEL K. NORRIS

The other day I read an article in the Stamford Advocate, Rell Train and Bus Fare Hikes Draw Fire (on the print paper, the headline could be read in the newspaper box from across a street). The story details the proposal by Governor Rell to, well, jack up train/bus fares to help cover a deficit. 

If it weren’t June, I’d think it was an April Fools joke.

There are times when politicians think a rise in this little fee or that little tax will provide what they think is a little pain to just a small group of people, but there are times, particularly now, they end up inflicting a lot of pain to everyone without taxpayers knowing it and without politicians acknowledging it. 

We’ve all been through this before. With transportation, all the pieces matter, and touching one part affects all the others. Make a bus or train harder to choose and driving may end up the choice.  When I ride my bike instead of drive, motorists benefit by having one less car on the road. And you want that. I drive slow. Also, when I bike, bus, or walk, there’s an extra parking spot for you to pick from when you get to where you want to go. And you want that. My car isn’t small. 

It’s unfortunate that Metro North Railroad had a deficit, but the train benefits more than just the people who take it. Keeping the fares reasonable, as Jim Cameron and State Sen. Bob Duff said in the article, takes pressure off the rest of the transportation infrastructure; and there are long term benefits to making the train and bus option easier for people to choose, even if some who don’t use the train or bus whine about the cost to the state (which is a pittance when measured up against what we’re spending on roads; some of which I have no intention of driving on but my taxes help pay for anyway).

Never plan to use the train or bus, ever? Happy with your car and your car alone? Well, get ready to welcome some new faces on your morning, noon and night commute. One will always drive the car in front of you that refuses to run the yellow light that precedes The Long Red. Get ready to allow more time in stop and go traffic; I recommend you make friends with a trustworthy brake mechanic. Get ready to spend more time looking for a parking space and brush up on your sign language/miming skills (Are you. Leaving. That space? No???). Exercise your middle finger so it won’t get sore from overuse. Time in your car will eat into your time at home as you allow more minutes getting to and from everything. And here’s the best part: get ready to did deeper into your wallet. More cars on the road means more demand on gasoline, and that’ll cost far more than the suggested penny-per-gallon gas tax increase that was proposed as an alternative to raising bus and train ticket prices. 

When you’re faced with all of these inconveniences, think of how nice it would be to have a governor that sees the entire transportation picture rather than one who doesn’t. I’ll see you at the next red light; be sure not to block the box.