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Riders not on board for BC Transit fare hike  Effective Thursday, fares across the board were raised to help pay for increases in Broome's public transit budget. One-way rides on BC Transit's fixed routes have increased from $1 to $1.25. Riders now have to pay 30 cents to transfer when previously they paid nothing. Seniors and the disabled will pay 10 cents more to ride, with rates increasing to 60 cents for a one-way ride. Rising fuel costs during the summer months and skyrocketing costs for parts pushed the 2008 public transit budget into the hole by about $1 million, Broome officials said. At the request of Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala, Broome legislators approved this year's rate hikes -- the first in at least a decade -- in October. The rate hikes are expected to add about $400,000 to public transit's $10 million budget. The new fares don't seem like a lot of money, but for people on fixed incomes, the increases are a hardship, some riders said Friday. "I've got barely enough to make it as it is," said Michael McCloe. The Binghamton man said he's disabled and relies on the transit system to get him where he needs to go. Friday, he was heading across Binghamton from BC Transit's junction on Carroll and Hawley streets to get his hair cut, he said. McCloe will now pay $27.50, up from $22.50, for a 31-day pass for the disabled, he said. "It seems like everything has gone up," McCloe said. A 31-day pass for students and the elderly also will cost $27.50. A regular 31-day pass will cost $43.75. Allen Zaber takes BC Transit buses across Binghamton to work every day on Glenwood Avenue He estimates he'll pay $10 more a week to get back and forth to work. "It adds up," he said. Urban riders like McCloe and Zaber aren't the only ones looking at increases. Rural riders will now pay $3, up from $2. Disabled riders using BC Lift, a special service offering small buses with a wheelchair lift will pay $2.50, up from $2. BC Transit offered about 3.2 million rides in 2008 on its 54-bus fleet. Ridership was up last year nearly 8 percent on fixed routes, 15 percent on rural routes and 9 percent on routes for the disabled, according to Public Transportation Commissioner George Bagnetto. Broome's public transit junction is moving -- again  (Junction at Court Street) Broome's public transit junction is moving -- again. This will be the third spot this year BC Transit riders will use to get on and off public buses. Broome officials moved the junction Aug. 25 from Government Plaza at Hawley Street to the Broome County Public Library at Court Street. On Dec. 22, the junction will move once more -- to a county-owned parking lot at Hawley and Carroll streets, one block from its current Court Street location. A concern for passenger safety prompted the latest move, Broome officials said. "The reason for the move is to address safety concerns," said George Bagnetto, Broome's commissioner of transportation. "This newly acquired parking lot will better serve our transit operations and improve safety. At the new junction, riders of our system will not have to cross traffic lanes to access our buses." Passengers and motorists have complained about the Court Street location because riders had to cross a busy section of the downtown two-lane street to change buses. The complaints diminished after the county added more signs at Court Street and posted Broome Security officers at the junction to direct riders and motorists on Court, said Leigh Ann Scheider, spokeswoman for Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala. The transit junction was on Hawley Street from 1999 until August, when construction began on the George Harvey Justice Building on Hawley Street. Complaints about traffic, after the August move to Court Street, prompted Broome to move the junction in September from one location on Court Street to another nearby. The new parking lot location provides a paved area where there will be less chance of slips, trips and falls due to uneven sidewalks, snow or ice, Scheider said. The new location is easier for workers to maintain when there is snow. Snow removal at the junction will be provided by the county. For more information, call Broome County Transit, (607) 778-1692. Fuel costs put eastern Broome bus service in question Lawmaker hopeful for trial runs Broome County Legislator Stephen Herz said he met with county officials Thursday, and is hopeful a 2009 trial run for bus service to eastern Broome will go forward. However, he's cautioning constituents that budget constraints may put it off until 2010. Broome's public transit system, BC Transit, is expected to exceed this year's budget by $1 million because of high fuel and parts costs, Broome officials have said. The Windsor Democrat has pushed for bus service primarily for people who work in the urban core but live in Kirkwood, Windsor, Colesville and Sanford. A trial run would follow a survey asking residents if they would use public transit and what they'd use the bus for. "Nobody in their right mind is suggesting running a bus out here for two or three people," Herz said. "That's just not cost-effective." Herz said in recent months he's been approached by more and more people in his district who say they'd use public transit to get back and forth to work to save gas. Earlier this year, Herz and fellow legislator Arthur Shafer, a Kirkwood Republican, began talking to Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala and Transportation Commissioner George Bagnetto about a possible trial-run bus service to and from eastern Broome. Currently, BC Transit provides fixed-route bus service in Binghamton, the villages of Port Dickinson, Endicott and Johnson City, and the towns of Union, Dickinson, Chenango and Vestal. Herz said putting money in the 2009 budget for a trial run of BC Transit bus routes to eastern Broome has been very difficult because of recent county revenue losses and the county's growing fuel expenses. In addition, Herz said before embarking on a trial run, it would be prudent for the county to conduct a survey in order to make an informed decision about the locations to serve and the days and times service would be most in demand. BC Junction to stay  (Junction at Court Street) The county's main bus junction isn't expected to be moved from Court Street in front of the Broome County Public Library despite concerns about traffic congestion and safety there, said Broome County spokeswoman Leigh Ann Scheider. Officials are studying other options, although none so far has proved feasible. The junction, where dozens of county buses pick up and drop off passengers and where hundreds of people make bus transfers each day, was moved from Hawley Street this summer because of the county's ongoing renovation project at the George Harvey Justice Building. That project is expected to last another 15 months. But the new Court Street location wasn't to everyone's liking, and last month the junction seemed destined to be moved again. Officials worried the street was too narrow for through-traffic with buses parked on each side. One person was struck by a passing vehicle while crossing Court Street after walking between two parked buses. And some passengers complained about the safety of the neighborhood, as opposed to the junction's usual location in front of Government Plaza and the city police station. City Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said last month the site "just isn't working out." To combat safety concerns at the site, two Broome Security officers are posted there during the day to direct traffic and pedestrians. And the speed limit on Court Street, from Chapman Street through downtown to the Court Street Bridge, has been reduced by 5 mph, to 25 mph. A few alternate sites were considered, but have proved problematic. * Hawley Street, a few blocks west of Government Plaza: Deemed unusable because it didn't have enough uninterrupted stretches for buses to park. Buses would be forced to stretch far down the street, making transfers difficult on some riders, Scheider said. * Chenango Street, between Court and Henry: The city had hoped to move the terminal to Chenango Street, and even juggled its paving schedule to have the street resurfaced in time, said Councilman Robert Weslar. But the county wasn't able to get leases for required properties, said Weslar, a member of the city's Traffic Board. * Henry Street, near the old Lackawanna Train Station: In order to accommodate this site, sidewalks would have to be built. Much of the land where sidewalks were required would have been on private property, making the sidewalk construction unlikely, Scheider said. Broome targets $16M for upgrades  Broome County leaders plan to invest about $16 million next year in capital improvements in the county's airport, landfill and roads and bridges. Of that amount, about $4 million would be bonded and Broome taxpayers would pay $1 million in debt service, said Nathaalie Maxwell, Broome budget director. That's a self-imposed budget restriction by Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala, Maxwell said. The other $12 million would come from state and federal coffers, as well as from local fees and other revenue sources, the budget director said. * $2.2 million for four new hybrid buses for the BC Transit fleet. The federal government will contribute $1.1 million, the state $823,000. The cost to the county is $220,000. BC Transit is expected to go over budget by about $1 million this year because of the cost of fuel and parts. Broome County Transit Junction to Relocate  BINGHAMTON, NY - Broome County Transit will be relocating the downtown Binghamton Junction beginning August 25th, 2008 due to construction work on the George Harvey Justice Building and the Government Parking Complex. The Junction will be relocated to Court Street between Carroll and Fayette Streets. The Junction office will be located at 166 Court Street adjacent from the Broome County Public Library. The relocation is expected to last for approximately 15-18 months.
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