The Hammonton Gazette 06/25/14 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, June 25, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. Donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief Dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan Hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv, Michael Hozik, Donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, lauren Bucci, lauren crescenzo, Zack Brown, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, Hammonton, nJ 08037. eDitorials The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 congrats, grads Two key events in a June packed full of celebrations, festivals and commemorations were held in the last two weeks: the graduation ceremonies at Hammonton High School and St. Joseph High School. High School graduation remains, throughout the nation, one of the true benchmarks in a person’s life. In Hammonton, graduation ceremonies are presented with a strong sense of tradition, and are packed with attendees looking to savor one of the last communal moments in the waning childhood of their daughter or son. It is a proud moment, a moment of achievement and celebration. There are all the attendant emotions that come with transitioning from one era to the next: excitement and joy, sadness and reflection. Both high schools enjoyed fine weather for their graduations this year, and the ceremonies went well: speeches were given, diplomas were handed out and at the end, caps were thrown aloft by graduates, boys in blue gowns, girls in white gowns at Hammonton, boys in red gowns, girls in white gowns at St. Joe. All are to be congratulated for achieving the distinction of being a high school graduate. Special congratulations are due to the Hammonton High School Valedictorian Madalyn DiBona, who will be attending Rowan University and Salutatorian Emily Mahler, who will be attending The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; and St. Joseph High School Valedictorian Samantha Wetzel, who will be attending Haverford College and Salutatorian Anthony Breitzman, who will be attending the University of Maryland. Achieving the status of being the top two students in each class has always been a high honor, one born out of hard work and dedication. Such a distinction brings honor on the student, their family, their class and the community. The Gazette recognizes these top graduates as the “Top of the Class” in 2014. With graduation behind them, all of the members of Class of 2014 at the two local high schools will move forward in life. They will always carry a piece of Hammonton with them, wherever they go. Be prepared This newspaper is being published on June 25, four days prior to June 29. Subscribers will receive the paper on June 26, three days prior to June 29. We have two words regarding June 29 in Hammonton: Be prepared. On June 29, the Red, White and Blueberry Festival will draw 8,000 to 10,000 tourists to Hammonton. On June 29, the blueberry harvest will be operating in full swing, with tractor-trailers and workers who do not know the area navigating the streets. On June 29, the Challenge AC Triathlon will bring at least 1,200 cyclists to the streets of our town. This is a timed, competitive race, not a bike-a-thon. On June 29, the streets of our town will be turned into the race course, necessitating the closure of major thoroughfares to traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. On June 29, the closed streets will include, but are not limited to: Route 54 (Bellevue Avenue/12th Street), Second Road, Weymouth Road, Pleasant Mills Road, Columbia Road, Route 206, a portion of the White Horse Pike (Route 30) and one lane of the Atlantic City Expressway. [For a complete list of road closures, please see page 53.] Residents and businesses need to be prepared for traffic and delays throughout the town. Tourists need to be prepared for traffic and delays getting into Hammonton. Hammonton will become a shore town for a day on June 29. Most people have been in a shore town at least once in their lives. Take the same time and precautions you would take to navigate a shore town in the summer. Consider the delays for the bike race as if they are going to be like shore traffic. The best advice we can give everyone coming into the Red, White and Blueberry Festival on the grounds of Hammonton High School on Old Forks Road: come into Hammonton from the west and you will not be impacted by the bike race at all. Use the Black Horse Pike (Route 322), White Horse Pike (Route 30), Route 73, and Route 561 to reach the festival, even if you have to take the long way around Hammonton, and you will encounter far less traffic. Be prepared, everyone – and June 29 will become a great day. PersPective/Millennials Throughout the 20th century, the automobile was an American icon, a symbol of freedom and mobility. It gave people choices they never had before — new places to travel, new people to visit, and the like. The digital age has only expanded the number of choices Americans have. No generation has embraced the freedom to choose more than the “millennials” — those born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. Millennials aren’t just insisting on the right to choose where to go — but how to get there, too. They’re opting for the mode of transport that allows them to accomplish what they want along the way — whether it’s socializing with friends, being environmentally responsible, or having the freedom to work or play en route. We should welcome this trend. It improves the environment, saves money, and enhances commuters’ quality of life. Communities will have to accommodate this demand for choice — or risk losing millennials to places that do. Americans have been driving less. The average American logged 7.6 percent fewer miles behind the wheel in 2012 than in 2004, when per-capita driving reached an all-time high. Meanwhile, millennials are increasingly deciding that they can do without a car. In 2000, about one of every five people between the ages of 14 and 34 went without a dr iver’s license. Ten years later, more than one in four in the same age group did not have a license. Three-quarters of American 17-year-olds were licensed to drive in 1978. By 2008, it was just 49 percent. Today, some 70 percent of millennials report regularly utilizing multiple alternatives to the car, including public transportation. What explains this shift? It starts with millennials’ worldview. More than other generations, they “appear to be more interested in living lives defined by meaning,” according to Stanford Professor Jennifer Aaker and Emily Esfahani Smith of the Hoover Institution. Millennials act on that desire for meaning — to “make a difference” — even when deciding how to get from place to place. To explain their preference for a multi-modal lifestyle undergirded by public transportation, they specifically cite ease of use, lower environmental impact, and the sense of community it fosters. Indeed, a recent University of Minnesota study found that living closer to light rail lines is associated with a higher degree of life satisfaction. The same impulse compels millennials to make cities their homes. Only 14 percent live in rural areas, compared with 36 percent of their grandparents at a similar age. One-third of millennials reside in central city areas, where public transit options tend to be robust. Cities that embrace this trend and develop the infrastructure to support it will flourish. In 2013, Americans took some 10.7 billion trips on public transportation — the highest figure in 57 years. This growth has been aided by technology. For tech-savvy millennials, smartphones are essential transportation tools. One-quarter cite transportation apps as a reason they’re less dependent on cars — whether they use Uber or Lyft to schedule a ride or monitor the bus or train they’re looking to take via GPS in order to minimize the time they spend waiting. The benefits of smartphones continue throughout the journey. Forty percent of millennials point to the ability to multitask on the bus or subway — sending email, playing games, or surfing the web — as a reason they favor public transit. It’s easier to be social — online or offline — while riding a bus or walking than in a car. Millennials also find public transit’s environmental benefits attractive. Shifting the daily commute from the car to a bus or train can reduce a household’s carbon emissions by 10 percent. Finally, in times of economic uncertainty, public transportation can save people money. American households spend about 16 percent of their income on transportation, the vast majority of which goes toward buying and maintaining cars. Frequent public transit users, on the other hand, save in excess of $9,000 a year. Millennials have been strapped with student loan debt and a poor economy. Affordable transportation options may matter to them more than their elders. Every generation sets a new trend, and millennials are no exception. They’ve embraced multiple ways of getting around, including public transit, far more than previous generations. Indeed, 45 percent of millennials say they’ve consciously tried to replace driving with transportation alternatives — compared to 32 percent of older folks. The question is whether the next generation of leaders will stand pat — or roll out truly multi-modal transportation options. Millennials have already articulated their preference for the latter. It’s up to elected officials to meet their expectations — by investing more in public transit. Peter varga Grand rapids, Mich. Peter Varga is Chief Executive Officer of The Rapid in Grand Rapids, Mich., and chair of the American Public Transportation Association. The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704-1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.