Transition: Where Do We Go From Here? (Xcredit assignment)

http://www.keshot.com/en/postcard/cocoevent1.asp?s=TN26112213132241&i=6096570

               Friday after my morning class, I went over to Canal Street to Duarte Square in Soho, to see what this Transition Tent was all about. On my way down there, I had no idea what I was in store for, but to my surprise, the tent has a real festive feel to it, as the staff there had a cheerful manner, which made me comfortable to ask any questions I needed to. There were also suggestion tables, where you write your suggestions onto stickers and post them to the table. There was also a large meeting hall, setup sort of like a town hall, where meetings are held where for people to voice their views on issues New York City faces.

            I learned that the tents main goal is to be sort of a platform for the transition between the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mayor elect, Bill de Blasio. Furthermore, the citizens of the city get to drop by and voice their opinion on issues going on in the city.

            Some of the issues de Blasio will have to deal with according to his website are better jobs for New Yorkers, better and sager affordable housing, and  affordable healthcare, just to name a few. I agree Mr. de Blasio that these are all issues that would make New York a better place, but the problem that stood out to me was some of the concerns he towards creating a better Transit System for New York City. I agree with all of the positive things he wants to implement into the transit system, from fighting for outer Borough Transit, to saving services hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, including his idea for a world class rapid transit for our bus, which is the most neglected in the city to me. Bill de Blasio has countless issues he wants to employ into the city.

            One of the issues I have directly at NYC Transit, and I’ve been talking about this for over a year with different friends and family members. When you go to a machine in the train station, 90% of them do not except cash. I also spoke about this at the Soapox booth at the Transition Tent. Transit seems to think that every New Yorker has a bank account or a credit card. This isn’t the case, a large percentage of New Yorkers work and live pay check, to paycheck, and can’t afford to have an account. I’m not even speaking about myself, but I’m speaking for those I see every morning being forced to stand in line at a token booth, to deal with a teller, its time consuming and annoying. If they made a better effort to service the machines, this would make the whole rush hour experience much faster for everyone.

            Personally, I feel that this is something that's particularly done  in minority communities, and it’s not just the transit machines, but it’s like this with fresh produce to the markets in these communities and just quality of life in these areas in general. Theres just out right neglect, and those who live in Manhattan that are probably part of the middle class hierarchy, rarely  have to deal with issues like this.