Car Free No More!

I have been quite remiss in not keeping this blog up to date. Over a year ago I became more of a carlite person instead of car free, and my circumstances have made bus-hopping more of a struggle than an adventure. Last April I returned home from Texas in extreme pain due to a ruptured disc. I seriously considered NOT coming home as planned due to my lack of transportation. How was I supposed to get to the Spine Institute, local pharmacy etc. when I was unable to walk half a mile to the nearest bus stop? Suddenly the idea of being stranded at home with no transportation was rather terrifying. However, I needed to see my own doctors and after several deep breaths, common sense prevailed. Last time I had a back issue it took one epidural injection and some physical therapy, and I was fine for two years. I have friends I can rely on for transportation in an emergency, and CARTA has Tel-A-Ride services I could look into. If I could get the pain and back spasms under control, I could still do this, right?

So I made it home, after a kind young man at Continental Airlines arranged for wheelchair service at both the Houston and Charleston airports. I was very impressed by the kindness and efficiency of the people who assisted me. A plea for help on facebook got me a ride home from the airport along with a stop for dinner with one of my many awesome friends. Arrangements were made for a ride to a nearby walk-in clinic for the next day. And then the fun began! I contacted CARTA to find out whether their Tel-A-Ride service was available for people with a temporary disability. Yes it is, and they could mail me the application, which also needed to be filled out by my doctor. However, it takes approximately three weeks for CARTA to approve or deny my request. I didn't even question how long the appeal process would take if it was denied. The cost round trip would be $6.00 and no guarantees of getting anywhere on time (this I deduced myself based on experience with the night and special route buses that no longer exist).

I waited to fill out the application, believing I would be up and running, or at least bus-hopping within three weeks or less. Unfortunately, I was way off base, and ended up out of work on short term disability for six months. Unable to walk, sit, or stand for long periods, getting to the bus stop and riding the bus was more than a little challenging. I could manage it on my better days. But for the most part I had to rely on friends, family, and acquaintances to shuttle me to my doctors appointments, the pharmacy, physical therapy, and little things like grocery shopping. I am blessed to have a great support network, and there is no way I could have survived those six months without their help. When I did return to work, my schedule was such that I would have to wait two hours to get a bus home at night. Again, awesome coworkers stepped up to help me out for the past year. My company hires some amazing people!

Fast forward to the past few months, and my need for independence has grown along with frustration over late buses and inefficient scheduling. While I am still, and will always be a proponent of public transportation, currently there is a huge gap between the need for and the availability of a good system here in Charleston. And the daily struggle to get from point A to point B via CARTA is so time consuming and exhausting that I don't have anything left to fight for  reforming the system. And to tell the truth, when I did have the energy and ambition to try, all attempts seemed to fall on deaf ears. CARTA and local governments like The City of North Charleston show no interest in working to improve our local public transportation. They respond to home owners and car drivers who complain about the inconvenience of having to wait a few minutes at a bus stop, but ignore the renters and people without transportation who need that bus stop. (And yes, we pay taxes too!)

 I will continue to keep track of what's happening with CARTA and which of my elected officials are pro public transportation. Because even as a bus rider, I always found a way to the voting booth, as do many passengers who rely on the service. Going to public meetings, writing blogs and letters, and signing petitions may not get results. But voting out those elected officials (who are also the board members and decision makers for CARTA) will make a statement that can't be ignored. 

As of a week ago I rejoined the world of car drivers, commuting to work and running my errands in a fraction of the time it took by bus. Like many others who have utilized public transportation out of necessity or as an experiment, I have found car free living in to be an unsustainable lifestyle - here in Charleston. That is, unless you live and work in the downtown Charleston area. There bus stops are plentiful, service is frequent,  shuttles are free, and the almighty tourist dollars take precedence over the needs of local taxpayers. 

I will be keeping the blog active, as I now have more free time on my hands. For those of you who are interested in what good public transportation looks like, check out blogs and websites related to cities like Seattle and Portland. They have the right idea!

Finally!

It finally sounds like CARTA is taking their website issues, and the needs of it's customer's seriously according to  the Post & Courier's recent article on CARTA teaming up with Google Transit. After 2 years of dealing with what is currently a pitiful, bare bones website that is often unavailable or inaccurate, I'm cautiously optimistic. Never again will I have to deal with a bus driver going ballistic when I ask for info on a bus schedule, as I did a week or so ago! Kudos to CARTA for finally taking advantage of modern technology.  

A Tale of Two Bus Stops...

For almost two years I've been riding CARTA all over the  Charleson area. Frequently the stops I wait at are unmarked, or marked incorrectly. After a reminder posted on Facebook by CARTA stating that all stops are supposedly marked, I decided to do some research. I've found the best way to get down to the nitty-gritty details means talking to other passengers and some of my favorite drivers.  I rode several buses over a four-hour period and discovered that there are in fact, two different types of bus stops here in Charleston. There are  CARTA's "official" stops and their "courtesy" stops.

The "official" stops are all the stops that have a CARTA or a No Parking Bus Stop sign. These are usually pretty easy to spot and the buses will stop exactly where the sign has been posted. Which means if you're at one of the benches, expect  to actually get on the bus wherever someone stuck the sign in the ground. The same with shelters and their walkways. Unless the bus sign is right in front of the shelter or next to the walkway, don't expect the bus to come to you. It will stop in front of the nearest sign, either somewhat before or just past where you're standing. I'll explain why after discussing the courtesy stops.

"Courtesy" stops are a somewhat confusing phenomenon. First there are the old SCE&G stops, marked by a yellow painted stripe found on wooden poles all over Charleston. Some actually say "bus" others sport just the stripe. According to passengers who have utilized public transportation in Charleston long enough to remember when SCE&G ran the buses, those were the good old days when buses were always on time and the service was both convenient and efficient.

Then there are the unmarked courtesy stops. These are old stops that are no longer supposed to exist, but have been around so long people still expect to use them. Also, if there's a marked stop on one side of the street and you stand directly across from it to catch a return ride, the drivers are supposed to honor that as a stop. In places where the stops are incoveniently placed, or there is an exceptionally long distance between official stops, there are often well-known courtesy stops. Which means the unmarked stops I'm familiar with at the Hess station and the Waffle House that  fall between the Wannamaker Park stop and the one all the way down at CSU are actually courtesy stops.

For passengers who are not mind-readers and those who are new to CARTA, this can be quite confusing. It makes catching the bus and knowing where to get off something of a crap-shoot. Some drivers will honor courtesy stops, and others don't. I used to think this was due to certain drivers just being sticklers for going by the book or being on a power trip, while the majority of drivers actually look out for their passengers. In fact, the reason some drivers will only stop directly in front of an official sign is due to a really stupid law. According to one of the drivers I spoke with, if a bus stops to pick up or discharge passengers anywhere other than at an official bus stop sign, and that bus is rear-ended or hit by another vehicle, the bus driver is at fault! So the drivers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either they can provide good customer service for their passengers, or risk a ticket. Pretty much a no-win situation in my book.

The bottom line is that CARTA needs to not only update the online index of stops which is filled with incorrect information, but needs to send someone out on the roads to get the signs corrected. And why not put official signs at the courtesy stops to make life easier for both the passengers and the drivers? Let's put some common sense in play, along with making sure CARTA is designed to provide convenient, efficient, user-friendly service that is passenger focused!

Meeting: NAACP on CARTA?

I have not been able to confirm this officially, but word on the bus is that the NAACP is holding a community meeting to rally passengers regarding CARTA's recent service cuts. I was told the meeting will be held at the Morris Brown AME Church at 13 Morris St in Charleston, October 28th at 7pm. I could not verify the information via either the church's or the NAACP website. Unfortunately I can't get time off from work to attend the meeting myself. I think it's a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped, but will be interested to see what comes of it. Part of the uproar has to do with the announcement that the downtown shuttle buses are going to be offered as a free service, as a selling point for tourists. The woman on the bus who was speaking about this meeting says Mayor Riley told her the City of Charleston was paying for it - hence the uproar. If the City is willing to provide free bus service for tourists, why were they not willing to increase funding for CARTA to provide needed services for locals?

There have been some comments made via the media by CARTA about "sparse attendance" at the public hearings and board meetings.** As has been pointed out repeatedly there was pretty short notice as to these hearings,  they took place when people have to work, and not all were convenient to the bus. I've been able to attend one board meeting and one FRAC meeting myself. Both entailed taking half a day off and 2 hours of travel time by bus to get there and back. At the board meeting (which takes place on Wednesdays at 2pm) I had to sit through almost three hours of CARTA business discussion before it was open for public input, at which point half the board members had already left. The public hearing I attended conveniently took place right next door to my job, so I only had to take two hours of vacation time for that one.

I think the bottom line is that if the passengers want to effect change, we need to spend the next year holding these community meetings, bombarding CARTA with emails and phone calls, and be prepared to attend board meetings etc as the next fiscal year and budget review approaches for 2012. Meanwhile CARTA needs to make these meeting more convenient and accessible to the passengers they serve.

**interestingly no numbers have been given as to how many surveys were collected. I was told I couldn't find any on my buses because they had all been given out (something the drivers disputed) but got no answer when I asked how many were printed and/or submitted.

Missing Bench or New Shelter?

I posted this picture on facebook with the caption, "Who stole my bench?!" one day last week when I arrived at the bus stop in front of northwoods mall to find the bench had vanished. There were a bunch of little multi-colored flags and as line markers stuck in the grass surrounding the area, leading me to believe there was going to be some kind of roadwork about to take place. But couldn't they have just moved the bench to another spot?!



A few days later I arrived to find concrete had been poured where the bench had been, along with a walkway from the sidewalk to the street. Hmmm....does this mean the stop at Northwoods Mall is getting one of the coveted bus shelters that I've heard about? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Meet Michelle...

I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Emerson, CARTA's marketing coordinator at Charleston's Greenfair. It was obvious as we spoke that for Michelle public transportation isn't just a job, it's a passion.  Michelle takes advantage of the bus herself whenever possible and has taught her kids to ride as well. Michelle pointed out everyone needs to be prepared for any eventuality, they may find themselves carless or going to college or work someplace like Chicago or NYC, where utilizing public transportation is the norm. Knowing how to take advantage of public transportation if necessary is actually a life skill that encourages  independence and confidence to allow one to live and travel anywhere. I know I myself never considered the bigger picture when it came to teaching my kids about public transportation. Food for thought if you have children at home!

I enjoyed talking with Michelle and hearing her ideas about public transportation as well as some of her marketing concepts to make people more aware of CARTA's services. Michelle is a true ambassador for CARTA and public transportation in general!

More Changes...

The driver on bus 12 was kind enough to let me know she had the new schedules available, which was handy since the schedules are changing as of Sunday, 10/17. Bus 10 will be running every 20 minutes on weekdays from 7am-7pm, not every 15 minutes as was originally stated by CARTA. Weekends bus 10 runs every hour or so. Bus 12 will still run every 45 minutes though some of the pickup times have changed. Not sure that matters much as bus 12 has consistently been running 10-20 minutes late in the mornings since school started. On Sunday 12 will still run every 2 hours, not every 4 hours as another passenger told me recently. Bus 106 which ran through Otranta and Hanahan, up to Stall Road and Trident One Stop is being cancelled, leaving Otranto and Hanahan passengers without any bus service at all. Sunday service is being eliminated for route 104 which serves Park Circle, leaving passengers in that area with no transportation on Sundays. Bus 13 which is the Remount Road bus is also eliminating Sunday Service. These are just some changes of note on my side of North Charleston. Many routes are starting later and/or ending earlier and all CARTA's night buses have been cancelled. For a summary of all the changes go to CARTA's website. I'm very lucky that the changes won't have a major effect on my usual routine. Sadly, the only positive change being made was to increase the buses for Route 10 on Rivers Avenue.

Changes....

Carta's new fare schedule kicked in today, though it seemed that the majority of riders were clueless. About half the buses I've been riding the last few weeks had flyers and/or signs posted. Kudos to CARTA for making the flyers bigger and more eye-catching than the surveys and notices about the public hearings. It is quite disappointing however that CARTA decided to both make service cuts and raise the rates. While I'm lucky enough that my routine isn't going to suffer much, I feel for those people who will now literally be stranded by the loss of bus 106, CARTA @ Night and some of the Sunday services. Rumor has it that the Teleride services are next on the chopping block. So far the only positive in the whole situation is the addition of runs to route 10, which will now be running every 15 minutes on Rivers Avenue from 7am-7pm.


I was quite surprised when a passenger said he was told by a driver that the route cuts were due to the fact  nobody showed up at the public hearings. Really?! I'm not a nobody, and neither are the twenty plus people who showed up at the meeting I attended. Yes, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the number of riders CARTA has. My recommendation if CARTA really wants to hear what their ridership has to say, is to have public hearings where and when more of the passengers can attend. Like the Superstops on Cosgrove, Meeting and Mary, Super K-Mart and the Citadel Mall during prime hours.

CARTA Board Meeting on Wednesday

This Wednesday is the CARTA Board Meeting, remember this is the one where they will be reviewing service cuts!


Per the CARTA website :

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) will hold their September 2010 Board meeting at 2:00PM on Wednesday, 09/15/10, in the Main Auditorium (2nd Floor) of the Charleston County Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, Sc 20403. The public is invited.

It's Not Just CARTA...

Contrary to some of the nonsensical opinions posted on the Post and Courier's website in response to articles on CARTA's budget woes, CARTA is not just another local form of welfare, or a conspiracy to bilk the taxpayers out of millions of dollars by tinting their bus windows to hide the low ridership on some routes. Pierce Transit in Washington State is currently holding their own public hearings regarding fare increases and posible cuts in service. This link shows the options they're considering for fare increases, which are comparable to what CARTA has decided. In fact, according to an article written by Tom Downs of Veolia on citiwire , ninety-percent of all transit systems in the US report flat or declining local financial support. Eighty-four percent report they have reduced services or increased fares within the last year. And yet within the last ten years public transportation has shown it's first consistent increase in ridership in over fifty years. So as the need is increasing, funding is on the decline. This is a nationwide trend, not just a local issue.

I don't claim to understand all the ins and outs of how funding works on local, state, and federal levels to support public transportation. It's both a numbers game and a matter of political football, neither of which I'm good at. There's the Highway Trust Fund which gets it's revenue from taxes on gasoline, and the half-cent sales tax locally as well as myriad other funds. Both sources mentioned are seeing a decline due to the current economy, as consumers cut back on spending. Meanwhile the need for public transportation, including both bus and light rail options is increasing. In some areas the need is due to the number of people cutting back on expenses voluntarily or due to unemployment, and turning to alternate means of transportation. In others it's a movement to cut down on traffic congestion and pollution, while making the commute faster and more efficient.

Another article on citiscope by Christopher Tan touts the success of Singapore's public transportation system. This city has a high-density population, five million people in an area just a bit larger than New York City. Yet the city of Singapore very rarely experiences gridlock. Maybe some lessons can be learned from the planning this city has put into making public transportation work efficiently, as well as the measures they take to discourage overuse of cars in congested areas. Here in Charleston,  the local powers that be need to look at investing our transportation dollars differently. Stop putting money into never-ending widening of roads like I-26 to accommodate more traffic, and put it into improving our local transit system to make commuting via CARTA a more efficient, convenient way to commute to work. The carfree movement and the push for improved public transportation, which includes bus and light rail systems,  is growing across the US. Wouldn't it be nice if South Carolina didn't end up in last place in yet another category when it comes to livability? Let's not allow ignorance and an outdated political system keep us out of the loop!

Design Your Own Bike....

There's a great new bike shop down on King Street.  At Affordabike  you can chose a basic beach cruiser in one of several standard colors, or you can chose custom colors and accessories to make it one-of-a-kind. Griff Ducworth and Daniel Russell-Einhorn order the parts direct from the manufacturers and assemble their bikes on site. No mass-produced, cookie cutter bikes here! They offer well-made, sturdy beach cruisers with a variety of seats, handle bars, chain guards and baskets. Guaranteed when you roll your new bicycle out the door it will be like no other bike in the Charleston area! Check out Affordabike if you're looking for a new bicycle, and shop local.

CARTA Freezes Admin Pay

Apparently CARTA took note of the outrage over pay raises for the administrative staff  remaining in their budget, while passengers are going to pay higher fares and are still waiting to hear about route cuts.  Today this Post and Courier article is stating that the admin salaries will be frozen for 2011. There are a number of committee meetings coming up to address different budget items, as well as the possibility of cutting bus routes. I highly recommend that anyone who is either dependent on or interested in public transportation here in the Charleston area try to attend any of the meetings that fit in your schedule. Even if they don't allow public comment, these committees and the CARTA board need to know people are paying attention. I find it interesting that all of a sudden there's a rush to review and push through these changes. Or maybe it's normal for this type of organization to wait until the last minute to figure out how to make up for a $1.4 million dollar shortfall? It almost seems as though CARTA was hoping that somehow magically the issue would correct itself without any action on their part. Below is the list of upcoming meetings. I'll post results as they become available.

Upcoming CARTA meetings as stated by the Post and Courier:

 CARTA Human Resource Committee  meets 1:30 p.m. Monday 8/30 at the North Charleston City Hall, Third Floor, Durant Conference Room, 2500 City Hall Lane.

 CARTA Finance Committee meets 4 p.m. Monday 8/30/10 at the North Charleston City Hall, Third Floor, Buist Conference Room, 2500 City Hall Lane.

**CARTA Route Performance Committee**  meeting  4 p.m. Wednesday 9/1/10 at Charleston County Main Library, Conference Room B, 68 Calhoun St. This is the big one, to review recommendations to cut services.

What's Wrong with this Picture?!

According to an article in the Post and Courier,   budget decisions made by the CARTA finance committee left administrative raises off of the chopping block. What a slap in the face to those of us who attended the public hearings and voiced our willingness to pay higher fares! Maybe CARTA should be required to hold public hearings on the budget as a whole, and give their riders a say in where the money is being spent? While I understand certain funding and grants are earmarked for particular expenditures such as the new buses, other costs and expenses need to be scrutinized more closely. Kudos to board member Steve Bedard for speaking up on behalf of the riders, who apparently are going to be the only ones to pay the price for CARTA's budget shortfall. While I would vote for a raise and benefits for drivers - the backbone of the system, adminstrators either need to find new funding sources or take a hit as well! Whether it's a lower raise or none at all, or maybe paying more out of their own pocket for benefits, the administrative staff needs to tighten their belts. Perhaps some of the higher-ups need to be weeded out in order to cut costs? It makes me wonder exactly what else CARTA feels is more important than their riders?  After voting to keep the administrative raises intact, the next board meeting will again consider options to cut services as a means to control costs. What's wrong with this picture?!

And the Verdict is....

CARTA decided to go with the fare increases beginning October 1st, but tabled any decisions on service cuts until September's board meeting. Channel 5 News, WCSC

Changing Habits and Shopping Local....

Before the car accident that initiated the carfree phase of my life, I was committed to certain things like buying organic or all natural foods and shopping local whenever possible. I frequented the farmer's market in Park Circle, and the Coastal Produce Market in Summerville, looking for locally grown produce. I refused to buy fish not from the U.S. or shrimp that wasn't caught right here in S.C. I made monthly trips to Whole Foods and Earth Fare looking for specific items I loved or wanted to try. And whenever I could I shopped locally owned stores instead of the chains.

Now that I'm living carfree I've had to change some of my habits, or work harder to frequent locally owned businesses. It's not easy going downtown to the farmer's market, and toting all those goodies home in this heat. Likewise going to Publix is a struggle. My "neighborhood" has narrowed to those places I can get to easily by bus, walking, or affordable cab fare. And yet that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it's reminiscent of the olden days when people didn't  jump in their car and drive thirty-minutes to an hour away to go to a specialty store. When you frequent more local stores you're more likely to get to know your actual neighbors, whether they are the customers or the owners and employees.

So as I headed to the nearby Arby's today for a change of scene to work on my blog, I had a running argument with myself.  I don't like fountain drinks, and wanted to grab a bottle of coke to go with the sandwich I planned to buy from the dollar menu, and the little strip mall at the end of Greenridge Road includes the Krishna Stop 'n Go. Yes, you did read that correctly! It is in fact a quite well-stocked Indian grocery as opposed to your typical stop 'n go that just offers soft drinks, beer, milk and cigarettes. I enjoy wandering around looking at all the different food items they offer, however the owner/clerk is not the exactly the friendliest of fellows....

So, do I grab my coke there, or go across the highway to the Little Cricket? My argument with myself included the fact I could grab a can of coke which would be less expensive then a bottle....but I knew I was just making excuses. So I skipped the Little Cricket and familiarized myself with what's offered at the Krishna Stop 'n Go. I had forgotten that they do in fact carry milk, and the butter I had once walked all the way to the Piggly Wiggly for! (1.5 miles in each direction!) An interesting variety of flours, spices,  and whole milk yogurt in small and large containers, something else I buy often. I waited in line behind a young couple who  purchased quite a few groceries and a woman buying her beer and lottery tickets. Mr Grumpy was behind the counter but I greeted him with my best smile, then thanked him and wished him a good day as I left.  

Since I was already at the strip center I walked past the local bar and the empty health food store that moved away in 2008, then noticed that the florist was open. I couldn't help stopping in for a visit. A Bella Bouquet is a pretty little shop that currently specializes in custom orders from a simple floral arrangement to weddings and proms. They do plan on putting in coolers with loose flowers for purchase in the near future. The owners were friendly and showed me around while telling me about the business, with one working on flower arrangements and the other snapping photos as we talked. I'll happily shop there the next time I get the urge to buy myself some flowers!

So while my "neighborhood"  has become more limited in some ways, it has in fact expanded to include local businesses I would have never noticed, or would have driven past going to my usual haunts.  I'm networking in a new way, one that reminds me more of how things were in the neighborhood I grew up in. Other than what I want from the farmer's market,  I can find pretty much every thing I need within a two to three mile radius. Now if I can just get the Piggly Wiggly to carry my favorite greek yogurt I'd be all set!

Commentary on "A CARTA Adventure"

TheDigitelCharleston recently posted a video on "the pains of riding (and learning) the carta system" in which two young college students decide on the spur of the moment to ride the bus from the Citadel Mall back downtown. Now, it would be nice to think that getting from the Citadel Mall to downtown on the bus is fairly simple, or at least that a couple of college students should be able to figure it out. As Jessie and Beau's adventure unfolds however, they run into a few issues.

I do want to point out that while the video does make some good points, CARTA is not totally to blame in this case. For some reason the duo chose to first go to the super stop on Cosgrove and Rivers, which is in the opposite direction of downtown and more than doubled their travel time. I can't fault the CARTA drivers they spoke to for help, as in the video I clearly hear them asking how to get to the super stop - if they had asked for info on getting downtown they could have taken just one bus and made it to their destination in an hour or less.  When the couple finally makes it downtown they try to figure out how to finish the trip via the DASH system, but can't seem to read the schedule. At this point they give up and walk the rest of the way, when they could have just stepped inside the visitor's center to ask for help from one of the nice ladies - whose job it is to help people find their way around Charleston. Oh, and if they actually got on the bus with nothing smaller than a ten dollar bill, that would be why a $3.50 ride for two ended up costing them $10!

One valid point made in the video  is how difficult the schedules and routes can be to read. A coworker recently stated that you need an engineering degree to interpret them on the CARTA website. And I agree, which is why I called CARTA several times to question whether I was reading the schedule correctly when I first started relying on the bus. After almost a year, if I have to go someplace new, I still call to verify what buses I should be taking and get an idea of the time involved. Then I plan extra time  for error. And I always ask my drivers to verify when I get on the bus.  If I'm not familiar with the route I ask them to let me know when my stop is coming up so I don't miss it. Now I'm not unusually organized or OCD, but to me this is just common sense! 

Another valid point is the time and inconvenience involved - depending on where you're going.  I had to give up physical therapy at the Spine Institute after finding that it took four buses and three hours to get to my appointment in Mt Pleasant, and even longer to get home. I did this twice and gave up. You shouldn't have to leave home at 9:30am for a 1:00 pm appointment,  and arrive back home at 7:00 pm.

As for the fact that there is no sidewalk to the bus stop area at the Citadel Mall, we can't exactly blame CARTA for Charleston's lack of planning. Charleston's roads were not designed  for people to walk or ride bikes safely - shame on them!  And I've recently learned that the various municipalities that are served by CARTA have the final say on where CARTA locates it's stops.

When it comes to getting help, I've had my issues with customer service, but ninety-five percent of the drivers I have dealt with are personable and informative. The regular passengers also are extremely friendly and helpful when you're obviously a newbie to the system. If Beau and Jessie found this not to be the case, I believe it may be for the same reason I didn't like the video - to them this was a lark and they made a joke out of it. As a passenger who relies on the bus to get to work, go to medical appointments,  and to do my shopping, it's no laughing matter. There are issues with how CARTA runs the system and lots of room for improvement. Being stranded by a bus that doesn't show up when/where it's supposed to can cost me my job. Having to cross a busy intersection with no pedestrian crosswalk to get to an inconveniently located stop is scary, and can be life-threatening. Having difficulty getting from point A to point B on a poorly planned trip just for fun is another matter altogether!

I've been in touch with the people in charge at CARTA and Veolia and I started writing this blog to address both the benefits and the challenges with our public transportation system here in Charleston, as well as attending the board meetings and public hearings. I'm hoping to have some small influence in making positive changes to the system that will go a bit further than posting a six minute video that mocks the whole process. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater!

Sunset Clouds...

One of the benefits of walking to and from the bus stop is the opportunity to take awesome pics of the lowcountry, and to enjoy scenes I might not notice while sitting in traffic!

Speak Up!

I was encouraged to see a good-sized group of passengers at last night's public hearing, There were also a few non-riders who stood up to speak about the proposed changes. The majority opionion seemed to be in favor of increasing the fares without cutting services. Several passengers who work the late shift took time off from work to speak out against cutting CARTA's night bus. There were also a number of people standing up for bus 106, which is the only bus providing service to the riders in the Otranto/Hanahan/Stall road area. While all of the networks have aired stories about the hearings, I was disappointed that channel 4 was the only news station to actually send a crew to report on them. (maybe since tonight is the last hearing they'll all be there?)

There's still time to voice your opinion if you didn't  make it to one of the public hearings, and couldn't get your hands on a paper survey. Take the online survey here survey, or go to CARTA's website to find the link. You can also email CARTA at askcarta@ridecarta.com or Peter Tecklenburg, transportation planner at ptecklenburg@ridecarta.com. Speak up, voice your opinion, let CARTA know how you feel about the proposed changes. Don't just assume it's a done deal, or that your voice doesn't count. If you don't participate in the process, you shouldn't complain about the outcome!

For myself, I would prefer to see a fare increase with no services cut. Yes, some of the routes need to be adjusted, maybe combined or changes made to the stops. But I would hate to see CARTA @ Night, Sunday services, or route 106 completely eliminated as so many people rely on them. I think increasing the cost of a transfer to fifty-cents would be a good option as well. What's your opinion? Speak up by commenting here, taking the survey online, or contacting CARTA at one of the above email addresses. If you're a CARTA passenger or just somebody interested in the future of public tranportation here in Charleston, then please speak up!

Another Sign and a Reminder...

I did finally spot an announcement on bus  #10 Saturday night, along with some surveys. It's about time, since this is the busiest route they have in terms of ridership! As a reminder, the last two public hearings on proposed changes to the fare structure and/or routes are this week:

Monday, 8/09/10 - N. Charleston City Hall, 2nd FLoor Montague Room 2500 City Hall Lane, N. Charleston, SC 5:30pm-7:30pm

Tuesday 8/10/10 - Lonnie Hamilton III Public Service Building Council Chambers, 4045 Bridge View Drive N. Charleston, SC  5:30-7:30 pm

Both meetings are accessible by bus, and I'll be attending tonight's meeting which is conveniently taking place near my job. It will be interesting to see who's there representing CARTA and Veolia, as well as how many people come to voice their opinion. A fellow passenger told me he doesn't see the point, because he feels CARTA has already made up their minds as to what they're going to do, the surveys and meetings are just a show. My feeling is that if you don't fill out a survey, email CARTA, go to the public hearings or board meetings, or do SOMETHING to participate in the process,  then you don't have room to complain about the changes! If I'm going to gripe about what's wrong with the system, then I need to take action to try to fix it. I also make a point to let CARTA know when something is going well, or when someone has provided good customer service.

Lack of Public Transportation a Factor in Obesity Rates?

Check out this great blog post on the  unexpected benefits of public transportation which cites the CDC's list including a LACK of public transportation as a contributing factor in higher obesity rates.