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COLA Gets On The No Bus Ban Bandwagon
posted (September 16, 2013)
On Friday you saw expert protestor Phillip Fawda Henry come out against the City Council's plan to ban public buses from Albert Street. Well today, he was joined by advocacy organization COLA - which issued a release asking, quote, "Where is the consultation…that this Council promised City residents when they came into office last March?" To that, they add, dramatically, "Man does not live by concrete alone, but by the sweat of his brow eats bread."

We'll have to figure that one out, but for context we spoke to COLA President Geovanni Brackett today:..

Geovanni Brackett - President, COLA
"We believe that this new decision of the Council maybe in fact unilateral and a decision that is inconvenient and unsafe for the commuters."

"I just came back from Minneapolis and Miami and I have visited the Caribbean. I can't say that I have ever traveled anywhere and have seen that buses aren't allowed to go downtown. I can understand there is an issue of bus sizes that the Council seems to be addressing, a policy that I think has been written from 2008 to emphasize that they want smaller buses. But to ban buses of all sizes, to me is inconsiderate and it's not in the best interest of the commuters."

"We are going to send a formal letter to the Mayor. When the news broke out on Wednesday night last week to now - the discontent over Facebook and the media houses would have been enough reason to have the Council to re-vamp its position. If this doesn't change then COLA will have to re-strategize and take some form of direct action."

"There is no need to disallow buses from running down Albert Street. What needs is regulation. You have a few bus stop. Buses won't be allowed to stay for more than five minutes. It's just to unload or to drop off commuters and pick up commuters and then move. If they want to talk about getting more sophisticated in terms of regulation then maybe one bus stop can be for King's Park buses and a next for Lake I. That is regulation that is not to do with sizes of buses."

Jules Vasquez
"In This case for whose behalf are you all advocating?"

Geovanni Brackett - President, COLA
"We are advocating on behalf of the commuters. We have heard the commuters speaking on your station and we are responding. We are not a large organization in terms of funding etc. but the fact that we are an organization that listens to the people. Maybe it's something that the Council needs to do at this point of time."

"I travel the buses and I walk but trust me, a senior citizen should not be forced to walk with 5-6 boxes and loads of groceries to Mike's Club in an unsafe zone."

The Mayor went to Taiwan on an official ten day visit and is expected back this week.

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