Tuesday, May 29, 2007 |
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New York Times Published: May 29, 2007 To the Editor: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's announcement that the city's yellow taxi fleet will become completely hybrid within five years (news article, May 23) callously ignores the immediate transportation needs of people with severe physical disabilities who cannot enter or exit currently approved hybrid taxi vehicles, as well as New York City's growing aging population, who are much more likely to acquire a physical impairment. Despite the availability today of half a dozen minivans that can be modified for easy access for all people, and the continuing development of a factory-built wheelchair accessible sedan that can carry four additional seated passengers, to be available for purchase next year, the mayor chooses to ignore those citizens most in need of disability-friendly taxi service. Terence J. Moakley Project Manager, Taxis for All-North America United Spinal Association Jackson Heights, Queens May 23, 2007 Labels: Bloomberg |
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007 |
 PDF printer-friendly version of this press release(Link opens in a new browser window; make sure you have the Adobe Reader in order to view, print and/or save the PDF document) Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York (CIDNY) Disabilities Network of New York City (DNNYC) Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York (DIA) 504 Democratic Club New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) New York City Chapter, National Multiple Sclerosis Society United Spinal Association (USA) May 22, 2007 To hear Mayor Bloomberg's announcement, you would never know that New York City lags far behind other cities in providing accessible taxis for wheelchair users. His failure to commit to a gradual transition to a wheelchair-accessible taxi fleet represents a shocking failure of vision. Wheelchair-accessible cabs are currently available, new models are under development, and a mandate for accessibility would spur further innovation. But the Bloomberg administration has refused to join the majority of City Council members who support Intro. 378 -- The Accessible and Green Taxi Transition Law. While Intro. 378 would mean a fully accessible, green fleet around 2015, under Mayor Bloomberg's proposal, the fleet would be fully green by 2012 but not accessible until some undetermined time in the long distant future. A fully accessible fleet would save money on paratransit costs and would make a vital part of the city's transportation system accessible to all. The Taxis For All Campaign has long supported a cleaner taxi fleet: we breathe the same air as everybody else. We are eager to work with Mayor Bloomberg not only to have cleaner taxis but also to have a full fleet of taxis we can actually use. For more information, contact Anne Davis at 917-331-8410
or Joe Rappaport at 212-662-4449. Visit www.taxisforall.org |
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