TARC Week Day 2: Public Input!
Today kicked off the public meetings on the TARC cuts. There were two meetings.
The first meeting at Union Station was packed. I expected 30 people. There were over 100!! People were polite but grumpy their routes were getting cut. People were casting blame everywhere - elected officials, TARC 'bloat', you name it. Nevertheless, I think the meeting was educational for most people there. The presentation was "folks: we're broke, that's why we're cutting your service". At least two council members and two mayoral candidates were there. The "Best Organized" Oscar certainly goes to the riders of the #66 Mt Washington / Sheperdsville express, who had signs, name tags, and maybe even a logo asking for their favourite route to be preserved!
more below the fold...
The second meeting at Americana Community Center was more personal, and had a spirited Q&A from the 30 participants with TARC Executive Director Barry Barker. The most surprising and interesting concern was that with the elimination of express buses, commuters were going to have to mix with "neighborhood" ridership. To put it unbluntly, riders are acutely aware of class differences among these two types of riders!
Editorialization: I've been aware of this difference myself, but I think the commuters discount their own collective ability to create higher-quality social norms on local access buses with their mere presence en masse. It is part of what makes transit magic.
Also present was a new meme that problem reports weren't being acted upon. I don't know what to make of this. Three runs of the #37 vanishing? Sounds incredible to me, but TARC appeared to take it seriously.
Barry was uncharacteristically blunt that public transit was in a downward spiral, and that no elected leaders were taking necessary action to save it. Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch made a point that a new tax in Jefferson County was a non-starter, since a majority do not ride transit. That's a point so interesting, its going to be the subject of tomorrow's post:
"Raise My Taxes, Please!"
Winning the vote of the rationally self-interested motorist.
Comments
Route New Ideas
Ok Guys here are some thoughts on how to save routes.
Express Route Manslick Road 54 and Dixie Express: Combine routes:
Route as follows 5th and Broadway to Market Street , then to Fourth Street to Main to Sixth Street the Southbound on Sixth to Magnolia, west on Magnolia to 7th south on seventh receiving passengers for destinations south of Crums Lane Route would operate via 7th road Manslick and St Andrews Church road On current Manslick Road Route to Arnoldtown Road. Route would then proceed to Dixie Highway turning south on Present Dixie Highway route 50x to Tennis and Watson.
During Morning and evening rush hours extend 6th Taylor route to Fairdale from Walmart Outer Loop Plaza via New Cut Road to Fairdale Road to replace Fairdale express
Consolidate Routes 45 Okolona and 66 Shepardsville- Operate Via Stand ford Field and southbound Non Stop to the Outer Loop at Outer Loop bus would Travel Eastward to Preston Hwy where it would resume Okolona Express Route to Mud Lane where current route terminates route would be extended to Shepardsville via Preston Highway this is logical to increase ridership from Maryville, Zoneton, Pioneer Village and Hebron Estates A New Park and ride could be established at the super Walmart in Maryville at Shepardsville route would terminate at Park and Ride.
Route 17 extend rush hour service from current Turn Around to Downtown Mt Washington as the distance is not that great to facilitate the current cross running of route 66 on KY 44 between Shepardsville and Mount Washington
Consolidation Route 2 and Route 35 This extension would increase ridership on route 2 and provide a logical end point from route 35 decide where the end point should be either at Newburg or Bashford Manor.
Consolidate route 22 from Indiana in Portland at 34 th and Bank with route 12 operate via Bank street to 29th street operating on present 12th street route to 13th Street then at 13th street route bus down Market to 9th Street the southward on 9th and following route 52 Medical Center through Downtown
More forth coming
John Owen