Along the Yellow Trail
Albuquerque starts a zero-fare bus system for 2022 – Marketplace
It’s following the lead of cities like Missoula, Montana, Olympia, Washington and Richmond, Virginia. Boston is next in line, with a plan to make some bus routes free in the coming year. But with more than half a million residents, Albuquerque is the largest U.S. city to experiment with zero-fare transit at this scale.
In recent years, Albuquerque’s bus system provided about 9 million rides and derived only 7% of its revenue from rider fares. During the pandemic, both numbers took a nosedive. Sena said the hope is that switching to zero-fare will get riders back on the bus and give them a financial break.
I think it could speed boarding and not cost that much for transit authorities. Like it or not, transit authorities only get very little of their revenue from fares - there is a lot of time when buses operate below peak capacity outside of rush hours.
Transportation is almost always a money looser - even toll roadways - the New York Thruway south of Newburgh has always subsidized the rest of the system, that is when taxpayers aren't putting money into the system through ways often well hidden.
Upcoming Sunsets – January 6, 2022
Upcoming Sunsets:
4:45 pm sunset – Thursday, January 13
5:00 pm sunset – Tuesday, January 25
5:15 pm sunset – Saturday, February 5
5:30 pm sunset – Thursday, February 17
5:45 pm sunset – Tuesday, March 1
7:00 pm sunset – Sunday, March 13
Daylight Savings Time Begins – Sunset on Sunday, March 13 is at 6:59 pm
7:15 pm sunset – Saturday, March 26
7:30 pm sunset – Friday, April 8
7:45 pm sunset – Thursday, April 21
8:00 pm sunset – Thursday, May 5
8:15 pm sunset – Thursday, May 19
Weather Update – January 6, 2022
I’ll take February weather in January. ☺
Especially if that includes sunshine. Winter isn’t as cold as it was a few years ago and it be even colder next week. But it was so warm yesterday evening that even the evening walk 🌃 wasn’t particularly cold and I didn’t use the electric blanket or turn up the heat when I got home. 🛏 Next week though I will probably be glad I bought that heated blanket especially if the gas heat downstairs falls behind and I don’t want to turn on the electric baseboard heat upstairs.
| Today. Feels like … February 13th. |
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Scattered flurries before 9am. Mostly cloudy.
West wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
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35 degrees | 4:37 sunset |
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| Tonight. Feels like … March 7th. |
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Snow likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy.
Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
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23 degrees | 7:25 sunrise |
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| Friday. Feels like … January 25th. |
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Snow likely, mainly before 9am, then isolated snow showers after noon. Mostly cloudy.
Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
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32 degrees | 13 max wind chill | 4:38 sunset |
| Friday Night. Cold ! |
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Partly cloudy.
Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
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13 degrees | 3 max wind chill | 7:24 sunrise |
| Saturday. Cold ! |
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Sunny.
Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
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28 degrees | 3 max wind chill | 4:39 sunset |
| Saturday Night. Feels like … February 18th. |
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A slight chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 20%.
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18 degrees | 12 max wind chill | 7:24 sunrise |
| Sunday. Feels like … February 27th. |
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Snow and sleet before 10am, then rain, snow, and sleet between 10am and 1pm, then rain likely after 1pm. High near 39. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
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39 degrees | 4:40 sunset |
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| Sunday Night. Feels like … February 28th. |
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A chance of rain and snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 40%.
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21 degrees | 7:24 sunrise |
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| Monday. Cold ! |
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Mostly cloudy.
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28 degrees | 14 max wind chill | 4:41 sunset |
| Monday Night. Cold ! |
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Mostly cloudy.
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5 degrees | -5 max wind chill | 7:24 sunrise |
| Tuesday. Cold ! |
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Mostly sunny.
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17 degrees | -8 max wind chill | 4:42 sunset |
| Tuesday Night. Cold ! |
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Partly cloudy.
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6 degrees | 0 max wind chill | 7:23 sunrise |
| Wednesday. Cold ! |
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Partly sunny.
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27 degrees | 2 max wind chill | 4:43 sunset |
Besicorp Power Plant and Hills of Southern Rensselaer
Such stark and clear colors taken on a winters day without snow when I was at the Empire State Plaza's Corning Tower before the panademic.
Taken on Friday January 13, 2017 at Corning Tower Observation Deck.Good Morning – January 6, 2022
Good morning! Happy Snowy Thursday. 😊
We got a fresh dusting of snow this morning although the roads are clear and the sidewalks weren’t too icy. Maybe more snow tomorrow although it doesn’t look like a major snow event. Then cold for the weekend.
Mostly cloudy and 31 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. 🌥 There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃 Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
Looking at my phone 📱 it seems like both the earlier and later express 🚍 were on time this morning. I’m taking the 8:25 in this morning which will mean less time for doing laps on the Plaza 🚶 but that’s fine. I wanted to sleep into 6:30-7 as I woke up during the night and had trouble getting back to sleep. 🛏
Out walking on the Plaza today 🚶 and it’s a bit icy but not bad especially on the side walks with the textured concrete. I got off at the Plaza underground bus station had to flash my ID badge 🆔 to the 10 or so state troopers while walking through the Capitol. 👮 Heck of it is all the protestors have gone home as have the legislators so it’s super quiet 🤫 downtown. Yesterday, I did not go any where near the Capitol, with the anti vaccinated protestors and I was quite happy to take the local which drops me off five feet from my office door 🚪 and watch things through my window.
What can I say, 👾 COVID is a real thing and even if you don’t like the mandates or regulations, it’s out there. If you are fully vaccinated than it’s survivable and hopefully less miserable, although I heard one of the people on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe 🌌 got it and if even the most careful and vaccinated individuals can get it, you know it’s really floating around you. But being sick 🤒 for a few days beats going to the hospital and dealing with all those bills and that crap. 🏥
I was kind of bummed out last night when I found out I couldn’t do a regular IRA this year 👴 to save money on my taxes, although I could do a Roth IRA, so withdrawls will be tax free. I was kind of hoping to save on taxes up front, because who knows if I eventually move out west to a place like Missouri or Idaho or somewhere else, there might not be a sales tax. 💸 Plus I like having more money now, and just paying the taxes later. But it turns out starting at $70k, you can’t do a regular IRA or it’s deducatablity starts to fade out. And now I’m making much more then that, especially with my investments. It sucks, because I want to save for my future, and the government is so ducking greedy, taking all the money out of my pocket. 😡 It’s just so damn hard to get ahead in this world, I get why people become fiscal conservatives as they get older and wealthier.
Camping Up at Burnt Rossman State Forest Columbus Day 2021
Just a short vlog from camp up at the Betty Brook Campsite.