To the editor:

Lawrence’s bus system – the T – will survive and thrive if voters say “yes” to Questions 2 and 3 on Nov. 4. Otherwise, the bus system will shut down completely. That’s because the city has allocated zero dollars for buses in 2009 and the city’s bus contract expires in December. Buses and vans will be sold and drivers will lose their jobs. Millions of dollars in annual federal and state support will be forfeited, and people who depend on the T will be stranded.

That includes people who depend on paratransit T-Lift vans for the disabled. Currently, the disabled take 200 rides daily. But the city has budgeted literally nothing in 2009 for the T, including the T-Lift system. So voters who want to keep the system running should pass Questions 2 and 3.

The good news is that Questions 2 and 3 will cost shoppers just 25 cents for every $100 they spend. That’s quite a bargain for a system that takes kids to parks, gives seniors mobility, and gets people to work (40 percent of all riders) and health care (8 percent). The T is vital for the disabled. It’s job-friendly, wallet-friendly, and environmentally positive – a basic service for a growing, inclusive community. Seamless integration with the Kansas University bus system is projected for mid-2009. And the T won federal awards for growth in 2007, 2005 and 2004.

Only the public can keep transit alive in Lawrence.

Vote “yes” on Nov. 4!

David Smith,
Lawrence