A transit rider protesting moves to slash service and raise fares was dragged out of a public meeting by police officers who feared he was about to imitate the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush.
Gene Russianoff, the staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, a transit rider advocacy group, said the maximum changes could result in uneven increases for different kinds of fares or services.
Gene Russianoff, a senior lawyer at the research group and the staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, a transit rider advocacy group, said, "It is wrong to overturn the will of the voters".
"As a lifelong transit rider who remembers when N.Y.'s turnstiles were waist-high — like L.A.'s are now — and easy to jump, I can't imagine why it's taken the agency all these years to implement a system that is sure to help raise revenue for operations," he said in an e-mail.
PAGE B7 Stock Prices Decline; Dollar Falls B11 NEW YORK TAKING CUE FROM IRAQI SHOE TOSS, UPSET STRAPHANGER LOOSENS LACES The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush inspired a transit rider protesting cuts in service and higher fares.
"We have the highest ridership since April 1950 and there's a reason for it, and the reason is unlimited-ride passes," said Gene Russianoff, the staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, a transit rider advocacy group that helped push for the unlimited cards.
