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.

CARTA Surveys and Public Hearings

CARTA is seeking public feedback on proposed recommendations that were presented at their July Board meeting to make up for a 1.4 million decrease in 1/2 cent sales tax funds from Charleston County. The link for the online survey is available on the website CARTA . (Because I've already done the online survey I get a thank you message whenever I click on the link so I can't post it here.)
CARTA will be holding three public hearings to for input on potential changes in service and fare increases at the following time/date/locations:
 
*5:30pm-7:30pm-Thursday 8/05/10 - Charleston County Main Public Library, Auditorium 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC
 
*5:30pm-7:30pm-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
 
The proposed changes are as follows:
 
*Fare increase to $1.75 and a 16% fare increase on passes ONLY.
*Fare increase along with eliminating Route 106 and all CARTA @ Night services
*Elimination of CARTA @ Night services only
*Elimination of all Sunday services only
*Elimination of all Sunday service AND fare increase
*Elimination of part of Sunday service AND fare increase.