Fwd: [504Dems] TODAY! 4/30 TLC Are you coming, testifying or packing the room?

[Marvin Wasserman]

Marvin Wasserman
marvin...@aol.com

-----Original Message-----
From: emprentiss <empre...@juno.com>
To: DNNYC <DN...@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Apr 30, 2014 1:07 am
Subject: [504Dems] TODAY! 4/30 TLC Are you coming, testifying or packing the room?

 

 

04/30 9:30 AM, TLC Public Hearing & Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Rules so that "at least 50%" of NYC's yellow taxis will be wheelchair accessible in 2020! (33 Beaver St., 19th Floor)  Speak for up to 3 mins 

 

	Talking Points on TLC Access Rule

1)  This is a huge step forward for all New Yorkers.

     A) The transition to an "at least 50% accessible" fleet is something every New Yorker can be proud of. 

     B) It will make traveling in NYC much easier for tens of thousands of residents and visitors alike who have mobility disabilities, including elderly persons, veterans, and children.

     C) But it also will benefit their friends and families – and anyone who in the future has a mobility disability.

     D) For too long, wheelchair users have lacked adequate access to this crucial part of NYC's transportation network. A world-class city should have a world-class taxi system, and now it will.

     E) NYC prides itself on its tradition of equality, and this is an important civil rights victory that brings us closer to that goal.

 

2)  This will make a big difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people. 

      A) This gives people the ability to do something so many New Yorkers take for granted when they’re in a hurry, when they’re late, when they have to go to an out-of-the-way place: hail a cab. It allows for spontaneous travel, which in New York City is priceless.

     B) Wheelchair/scooter users talk about why spontaneous travel is so important.

     C) Tell brief stories of how they could have used an accessible taxi at an important time in their lives – and how accessible taxis will make a big difference for them.  The following statements were written in 2006, but are still relevent especially since most of us live in the "outer boros"!

 

“When the hospital called me at 2 AM to say that my mom was dying, I had to wait until the buses started running at 7 AM to go see her because there were no cabs available.”— Maureen G

 “Finding an accessible taxi in New York City is like an Elvis sighting. I saw one once but it was in use. I want to take a cab with my family and friends.” — Jean R

 “When my wheelchair died, I had no way to get back home. I was stranded. I needed an accessible taxi.”— Edith MP

 “My husband died and I needed accessible cabs to get to his wake and funeral, but there were none.” — Ellen N

 “I need a cab to get to and from my friend's wedding.” — Doug P

 “I want accessible taxis because it's too cold to always take the bus.” — Carr M

 “Sometimes we just need the convenience of a taxi to get to work on time because the bus and Access-A-Ride are perpetually late.” — Joseph S

  “I need a cab for the times when Access-A-Ride is very late or doesn't show up.”— Queeen Naomi F 

“You have to walk, honey, because my wheelchair can't fit in a taxi sedan. Just ten blocks more. Hey! My daughter and I want to go on ALL forms of transportation, taxis included!” — Craig W & Piper

 “It was very difficult arriving at the airport. There were no wheelchair accessible taxis available. I had to be carried into a van by four people and my wheelchair had to be manhandled into a van as well, only to get into Manhattan to get to my hotel.” — Sam S, former Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

 

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