While the last month has been fraught with aggravation and frustration, there ARE positive aspects to riding CARTA and taking advantage of public transportation. I don't have to worry about dealing with traffic or parking, especially when I make trips downtown. When I ride during rush hour, I may have to deal with being on a crowded bus, but the traffic is somebody else's problem! While I live in the "city" of North Charleston, walking to the bus stops both in Park Circle and now the Northwoods area gives me the opportunity to enjoy the local flora and fauna. Walking is the best free exercise available. And there are no excuses, any place I have to go involves walking at least half a mile. Costwise I'm paying $37.50 a month for an unlimited pass, and an occasional cab fare. Weigh that against a car payment, insurance, gas, repairs and maintenance!
Over the past year I have seen acts of kindness and generosity I don't believe you'll see in many larger cities: a bus driver who actually parked the bus to walk an elderly passenger across a busy intersection, a young man who picked up a woman's full shopping cart and carried it off the bus for her, passengers all pitching in to make up somebody's fare, an older woman helping a young mother get her kids and groceries off the bus. I see these random acts of kindness on a daily basis, and it makes me more aware of the people around me as well as the opportunities to pass on a small kindness whenerver I have a a chance. So yes, public transportation can be inconvenient and extremely frustrating at times. But it does have it's perks!
Showing posts with label kathi dubuque. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kathi dubuque. Show all posts
Friday, June 18, 2010
Board Meeting Results....
I made it to the CARTA board meeting, which was quite long and mind-numbing. In fact, by the time we got to the end of the meeting where the public is invited to speak, half the board members had already left. I was the only visitor and got up to say my piece. I received an apology from the executive director Howard Chapman, and the chairman of the board Patterson Smith told me if I stayed after the meeting there were a number of people willing to talk to me, and listen to what I had to say. Ginger Stevens who is the general manager for Veolia sat down to speak with me at some length. Ms Stevens apologized for the customer service issue in particular. Mr Chapman also recommended I go to the North Charleston City Council meeting, and contact Councilman Bobby Jameson as he represents my district and had a part in getting the bus stop into Greenridge cancelled. Apparently CARTA has to have approval for their stops from the City Council.
So Councilman Jameson along with the president of a local Neighborhood Committe aka HOA engineered the elimination of the one stop. I still want to know, where were the public hearings, and who exactly is looking out for the safety and best interests of the passengers? That question hasn't been answered as yet. There also appears to be no clear-cut policy for notification of passengers when changes are made. In additon there seems to be a disconnect, or lack of communication between CARTA who oversees the bus service, and Veolia who is contracted to provide the services. In addition, all the local municipalities and various neighborhoods get to put in their two-cent's worth. I'm thinking maybe it's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen! The bottom line however, seems to be that the cancellation of the stop coming out of Greenridge was temporary and due to a problem with Roadwise (the construction crew) blocking the lanes to the point the buses couldn't get through. Supposedly Roadwise has agreed to insure at least one lane is open at all times to prevent this issue from happening again. For the last two days I have been able to catch bus 12 at Dial America as normal.
I did point out to the people I spoke with that with the roadwork, which I'm sure will take months to complete, there should be the option of an alternative stop on Rivers at Greenridge if the road closure were to occur again. The answer was it depends on what the city will allow them to do. Why, oh why, can't anything be simple?!
My plan of action at this point is to contact Bobby Jameson, and figure out how to get off early enough to hit the next city council meeting. As a bonus, I work right next to city hall, so transportation won't be an issue! I think finding and contacting that neighborhood committee, and paying them a visit is going to make the list. I'm also going to contact people at Dial America and Miller Motte Technical school, and all the property managers at the local apartment complexes to let them know what I've learned, and try to get them involved in resolving the issue as well. I think I may have fallen into becoming a community activist in addition to joining the carfree movement by accident!
So Councilman Jameson along with the president of a local Neighborhood Committe aka HOA engineered the elimination of the one stop. I still want to know, where were the public hearings, and who exactly is looking out for the safety and best interests of the passengers? That question hasn't been answered as yet. There also appears to be no clear-cut policy for notification of passengers when changes are made. In additon there seems to be a disconnect, or lack of communication between CARTA who oversees the bus service, and Veolia who is contracted to provide the services. In addition, all the local municipalities and various neighborhoods get to put in their two-cent's worth. I'm thinking maybe it's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen! The bottom line however, seems to be that the cancellation of the stop coming out of Greenridge was temporary and due to a problem with Roadwise (the construction crew) blocking the lanes to the point the buses couldn't get through. Supposedly Roadwise has agreed to insure at least one lane is open at all times to prevent this issue from happening again. For the last two days I have been able to catch bus 12 at Dial America as normal.
I did point out to the people I spoke with that with the roadwork, which I'm sure will take months to complete, there should be the option of an alternative stop on Rivers at Greenridge if the road closure were to occur again. The answer was it depends on what the city will allow them to do. Why, oh why, can't anything be simple?!
My plan of action at this point is to contact Bobby Jameson, and figure out how to get off early enough to hit the next city council meeting. As a bonus, I work right next to city hall, so transportation won't be an issue! I think finding and contacting that neighborhood committee, and paying them a visit is going to make the list. I'm also going to contact people at Dial America and Miller Motte Technical school, and all the property managers at the local apartment complexes to let them know what I've learned, and try to get them involved in resolving the issue as well. I think I may have fallen into becoming a community activist in addition to joining the carfree movement by accident!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
my response to the Mayor....
Mayor Summey,
I appreciate your response. My issue is to do with the apparent lack of policy or processes in place at CARTA, and what seems to be a total disregard for the passengers, I've just moved into this area and have no clue as to who the Northwood Estate Neighborhood Council is and who exactly they represent. Something tells me it comes back to a case of the "haves" vs. the "have nots". What process did CARTA follow to verify the issue, and what alternatives were discussed? Was there a study done? What about public hearings to address the needs and concerns of the passengers utilizing these stops, which should be CARTA's first priority? Where do I find a record of this? Why wasn't a stop put in place on Rivers and Greenridge heading towards Charleston? The first change was over a month ago and there are still no signs at the stops or on the buses to advise customers of these changes, nor is there a notice on the website. Because some of the drivers still don't know about the changes and still follow the original route, this leads to confusion for occasional passengers.
It's funny that every driver and passenger I've spoken with says the traffic issue is bogus, as do the property managers of my apartment complex. If you're driving behind a bus, you know it's going to stop. Which takes about two minutes. As to the road construction, I rode the buses every day last week (because even the drivers weren't notified of the changes) and there was no problem with the buses getting through. Peter Tecklenburg informed me when I called in about the first unannounced change that CARTA was expecting the road construction to start back in April so it shouldn't have been a surprise, and an alternative plan should have been in place.
The bottom line is the tenants of all the apartment complexes in my area, the students of the technical school, and employees of Dial America who utilize these stops are basically out of luck because we don't have a "neighborhood council" to represent us! Coming from Charleston we can get off at the convenience store and cross eight lanes of traffic at an extremely busy intersection. Going to Charleston or coming from the direction of Trident Medical Center we have the option of the stops about a mile away at either Kmart or Northwoods Mall, neither of which is easy or especially safe to walk to. In my book, a good public transportation system should be efficient, convenient, safe, dependable, affordable, and focused on it's passengers. At this point, after riding CARTA for ten months, I have to say it hits the mark when it comes to being affordable. I would be more than willing to pay double for my monthly pass if CARTA stepped up to the plate regarding the rest of those requirements!
I've already had to cut my ridership in half due to these issues, and will be cutting it even further. I feel sorry for those passengers who are stuck with substandard public transportation because they have absolutely no other choice. I would love to challenge you and the other board members to put on your walking shoes, and make the trip back and forth to work with me a few times. Maybe that would put things in perspective before any more changes are made without taking the needs of CARTA's passengers into account.
Thank you again for your response.
Kathi Dubuque
I appreciate your response. My issue is to do with the apparent lack of policy or processes in place at CARTA, and what seems to be a total disregard for the passengers, I've just moved into this area and have no clue as to who the Northwood Estate Neighborhood Council is and who exactly they represent. Something tells me it comes back to a case of the "haves" vs. the "have nots". What process did CARTA follow to verify the issue, and what alternatives were discussed? Was there a study done? What about public hearings to address the needs and concerns of the passengers utilizing these stops, which should be CARTA's first priority? Where do I find a record of this? Why wasn't a stop put in place on Rivers and Greenridge heading towards Charleston? The first change was over a month ago and there are still no signs at the stops or on the buses to advise customers of these changes, nor is there a notice on the website. Because some of the drivers still don't know about the changes and still follow the original route, this leads to confusion for occasional passengers.
It's funny that every driver and passenger I've spoken with says the traffic issue is bogus, as do the property managers of my apartment complex. If you're driving behind a bus, you know it's going to stop. Which takes about two minutes. As to the road construction, I rode the buses every day last week (because even the drivers weren't notified of the changes) and there was no problem with the buses getting through. Peter Tecklenburg informed me when I called in about the first unannounced change that CARTA was expecting the road construction to start back in April so it shouldn't have been a surprise, and an alternative plan should have been in place.
The bottom line is the tenants of all the apartment complexes in my area, the students of the technical school, and employees of Dial America who utilize these stops are basically out of luck because we don't have a "neighborhood council" to represent us! Coming from Charleston we can get off at the convenience store and cross eight lanes of traffic at an extremely busy intersection. Going to Charleston or coming from the direction of Trident Medical Center we have the option of the stops about a mile away at either Kmart or Northwoods Mall, neither of which is easy or especially safe to walk to. In my book, a good public transportation system should be efficient, convenient, safe, dependable, affordable, and focused on it's passengers. At this point, after riding CARTA for ten months, I have to say it hits the mark when it comes to being affordable. I would be more than willing to pay double for my monthly pass if CARTA stepped up to the plate regarding the rest of those requirements!
I've already had to cut my ridership in half due to these issues, and will be cutting it even further. I feel sorry for those passengers who are stuck with substandard public transportation because they have absolutely no other choice. I would love to challenge you and the other board members to put on your walking shoes, and make the trip back and forth to work with me a few times. Maybe that would put things in perspective before any more changes are made without taking the needs of CARTA's passengers into account.
Thank you again for your response.
Kathi Dubuque
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