ALL NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC BUSING WILL BE PULLED FROM STREETS SUNDAY AFTERNOON

[gatorboy]

http://www.norta.com/showhighlight.php?id=66

HURRICANE KATRINA THREATENS NEW ORLEANS

Due to a curfew that will go into effect at 6:00 p.m., the Regional Transit Authority will suspend all bus and paratransit services. Streetcars were previously pulled from the streets early this morning.

RTA is encouraging all passengers to complete their errands and preparations for Hurricane Katrina as soon as possible. All buses will be off the streets by 6:00 p.m., so riders should not expect to board most buses after 4:30 p.m.

RTA will inform the public when service can be reinstated
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They aren't even trying to use the public busing system to help the lower income of N.O. to evacuate even though it would still do alot of good.

According to the American Public Transportation Assoc.

http://www.apta.com/links/transit_by_mode/bus.cfm

New Orleans has at least 200-500 buses that could seat 50 passengers comfortably. That's 25,000 people that could be evacuated, not including the use of school busing. And were not talking about going door to door here. Considering the amount of people already at the Superdome, there's no excuse here that they couldn't bus these people out of harms way temporarily.

[Liberty Belle]

1. Shameful; the president should order this.

[Stephanie]

2. president? what president? I don't see any president.

[NVMojo]

11. the president? He's doing haaard werk down in Crawford for the haves

and have mores ...

[Liberty Belle]

12. He'll be here in San Diego tomorrow night.

We're planning a peace vigil outside his hotel (the Hotel Del Coronado) with candles, anti-war speeches, and music. Two of my friends will be leading us in peace songs, complete with guitar and harmonica. Someone else is playing TAPs. Sleep well, Mr. Bush, thinking about all the deaths for which you are responsible.

There's also a rally planned outside North Island naval air station in the morning, where Bush is speaking to veterans.

We also want to write messages in the sand on Coronado beach for him to read as his chopper flies overhead.

[deadparrot]

3. He'll get back to you after the brush clearing.

:crazy:

[DRoseDARs]

5. The Mayor or Governor should take the initiative.

** is too busy clearing brush in Idaho, don't cha know?

[NYC]

4. I think evacuating even a few people

is better than than just dismissing the idea as impossible. People should have been transported out in buses and trucks.

[gatorboy]

7. It could be done.

They are reporting 80% of New Orleans evacuated but more than likely that number accounts for the citizens that evacuated themselves out of harm's way. The Gov't hasn't lent hand to transport anyone out.

There's no effort being made to evacuate the poor, elderly and handicap that cannot fend for themselves. They're simply boxed up in the Superdome and given a "Good Luck!".

[NYC]

10. Are those Superdome people

considered to be evacuated?

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. You would think this would have been part

of a standard evacuation plan for the city? It's not like they haven't been living in a hurricane zone since the city was founded.

[gatorboy]

9. And it's not like the busing will be used for anything else.

If what they report is correct, the buses will be under 20 ft. of water tomorrow anyway. Why waste transportation that could be used for some good?

[jsamuel]

8. that should have been the plan, public trans. for the poor

I sense some amount of neglect by the planners for the poor.

[gatorboy]

13. When it comes to the poor.

I'd suspect there is no plan. Being a tourist town, that's where a bulk of the money for the city goes.