Senate Resolution No. 1749

BY: Senator COMRIE

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
February 4th, 2024, as Transit Equity Day in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, Transit Equity Day commemorates the birthday of civil
rights icon Rosa Parks, an iconic figure in the Civil Rights movement
that ended legal segregation in the United States; and

WHEREAS, In celebration of Rosa Parks' life and legacy, February 4th
serves as a national day of action to further the goal of providing
frequent, reliable, accessible, equitable and affordable public
transportation as a civil right; and

WHEREAS, Increasing access to such transportation has been and will
continue to be the vanguard in any effort to address the persistent race
and class disparities that remain omnipresent in the United States and
transition to a more just, equitable, sustainable society; and

WHEREAS, As the most transit-dependent state in the United States
with the busiest commuter rail system in the country and largest subway
system in the world, New York has and will continue to play a crucial
role in advancing these principles; and

WHEREAS, Racial inequity is realized in our built infrastructure, in
highways that bisect and segregate communities, traffic that poisons the
air, and disparate service qualities dependent on locale and mode; and

WHEREAS, Despite the advantages afforded by our legacy rail system,
this pattern remains pervasive in New York, in particular in subway
deserts in boroughs beyond Manhattan where riders unable to afford high
commuter rail fares are subjected to slower, less frequent and reliable
buses that rob them of time spent with friends, family, and loved ones;
and

WHEREAS, Much work remains to ensure that New Yorkers of all
abilities irrespective of race or income, are able to live near and
access high quality, affordable public transportation; now, therefore,
be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to February 4th, 2024, as Transit
Equity Day in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.