Just google it.----- Original Message ----- From: "Mister Blackjack" <misterblackjack2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 1:50 PM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan
Hi, I think why federal law as you say requires that they not go more than 3/4 miles off route is this is fine in a big city like New York or evenJacksonville or Miami or LA and so on. Most of the people don't live out of3/4 miles off the route if that. Plus in them size cities they have othertype of mass transit. This Federal law did not take in account rural areas. I have not read the law or seen it. So I am just going on what is being saidhere. Is I stated before you all are still forgetting about the ADA lawwhich is Federal law as well. Which one would take president here would morethan likely have to be sorted out in court. Just my thoughts and now would like to read this law if you all have a link to where it is at? Thanks, Blackjack misterblackjack2@xxxxxxxxx -----Original Message-----From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On BehalfOf Easy Talk Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 1:03 PM To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan Hi Lorie,Thanks for the info but I am a little skeptical in the fact that Dial A ridedoes more than federal law requires. The only thing they can do is extent the 3 fourths of a mile rule and I know for a fact that is not the case.Nancy folsom had to walk a block or 2 to catch Dial A ride when she lived on Montrose and people need to remember talk is cheep and government will tellyou anything to get you off there back. Before I would believe this, Iwould want it in writing from the city as policy that will never be changed. We are currently under budget cuts and most likely it will get worse. If itdoes that extra that dial a ride is supposedly giving will be the first to go simply because federal law doesn't require it. I think there are also other people on this list that will tell you that dial a ride won't pick them up because they are out side the 3 fourth mile requirement so I would ask what they do that goes beyond federal requirements. Robert----- Original Message ----- From: Laurie Davis <mailto:davisllb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:31 PM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan Hi all, As some of you may know, my husband, Kevin, is on the Transportation Advisory Committee for the Mayor. This committee advises the City Commission on transportation issues with Star Metro. Mr. Sheib is on the Committee, as well as some other people in the community. I forwarded the questions that Sila posted yesterday. He posted some of the questions to the Committee. One had to do with making the street crossings at thetransfer points safer. The other had to do with making textual maps of theroutes, similar to those books that Taltran had. He thought they should have carefully-worded descriptions of the routes and the stops, including landmarks, such as office buildings and shopping centers. From what he can find out so far, Dial-A-Ride will not be changed at all, since they already do a lot more than the federal requirements for paratransit service. I hope this helps. Laurie----- Original Message ----- From: Sila Miller <mailto:silam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 8:35 PM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan Lynn, This is absolutely excellent and I truly appreciate your time, effort and spokesmenship! The below info came from a sighted but non-driving friendwho takes the bus DAILY to the R.A. Gray building, and for virtually all her errands. She saw these weaknesses with the map as published on the website. Have a look and use what you need. I too liked Robert's suggestion of feederroutes (smaller buses.) Thank you again! Sila 1. No bus access on Ocala Road between Tharpe and Tennessee 2. No bus access to schools on Miccosukee Road (Leon High, Trinity Catholic, Cobb Middle and Kate Sullivan) 3. No bus going into either Tallahassee Mall or Governor's Square Mall 4. No bus to Griffin Middle School or Ruediger Elementary 5. No bus on South Bronough Street between Pensacola Street and Gaines - access to R.A. Gray Building 6. No bus on West College Avenue 7. No bus on Governor's Square Boulevard 8. No bus access to Lincoln High, Apalachee Elementary or Adult Education 9. No bus to Trousdell Gymnastics Center and pool----- Original Message ----- From: Lynn Evans <mailto:evans-lynn@xxxxxxxxxxx>To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 3:54 PM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan Ok how does this sound. I will definitely begoing to one of the meetings at the senior center and maybe more on the 21st and 28. I have made a folder and I will funnel your concernsabout the Nova 2010 Plan into this folder and print the items out to take to the meeting. I am starting with Robert's message. I will remove the names toprotect the innocent. Now if someone thinks this is a bad idea or just wants to sound off and not have it printed out then I want do it.----- Original Message ----- From: Easy Talk<mailto:easytalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 9:15 AM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan This new system will pretty much make most of us home bound since federal law says Pari Transit only has to go 3 quarters of a mile out of the fixed route system and from what I can tell and is clearly stated in the plan busses will no longer go in to neighbor hoods. You can run buses up and down major roads in Tallahassee all you want but it looks like they will be empty since people can't get to them. If it rains, the city might as well shutdown the buses. Not many people are going to walk a mile or 2 to catch thebus and dial a ride will no longer be required to pick you up. Robert----- Original Message -----From: Chip Orange <mailto:Corange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 5:53 PM Subject: [tabi] Re: Nova 2010 Plan Hi William and all, thank you for the posting. I'd like you to know I've beenspeaking with another blind individual, who is neither associated with TABIor TCB, so most of us are unlikely to know what he knows and vice versa. He in turn has been speaking with Sam, and has mentioned to him that the new routes as planned, do not go directly up to the malls (such as Governor's Square), but only approach a near-by street corner (I believe he said the Parkway and Park Avenue for instance). This would mean quite a walk for someone going to Gov Square, and even worse, part of it would have to be across the parking lot without any landmarks. He has also mentioned that several routes would require transferring by walking across a difficult to cross street such as ThomasVille Road or Capitol Circle, in order to achieve certain routings. In general, he believes Star Metro has made these decisions without considering the difficulty a blind pedestrian would face in following the plan. I don't know if his understanding is correct, and even if the current plan is still this way, but I thought I'dpoint it out for those who are interested as an item I would judge to be ofimportance. hth, Chip ------------------------------ Chip Orange Database Administrator Florida Public Service Commission Chip.Orange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (850) 413-6314 (Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Florida Public Service Commission.) ________________________________ From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of blindwilly Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 5:40 PM To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [tabi] Nova 2010 Plan Greetings, The following is an on goingdiscussion I have been having with Sam Scheiv of Star Metro. In fact hereis his first message, back to me. Dear Mr. Benjamin: It was nice speaking to you yesterday. Please find attached the document describing the Nova 2010 project. Below I have written descriptions of each route as they are now. I have not included every turn or small street, but enough to understand the general direction. These routes are still in flux. In fact I just made a change this morning. So this is not final. We are taking suggestions from the public and incorporating them into the plan. That means we need to know what peopleDO like as much as what people don't like. I hope you find this interestingand I appreciate you calling. Sincerely, Samuel L. Scheib Senior Planner Nova 2010 Overview For many years transitconcentrated in downtown Tallahassee where shoppers, moviegoers, employees,and diners invariably traveled. Over the ensuing decades, the downtown share of the city's employment decreased as shopping centers, restaurants, movie theaters, and even government jobs relocated to the periphery (Tax World, Koger Center, CCOC, etc.). The practice of transit is changing, and a growing number of agencies have found serving multiple destinations has been tremendously successful, starting with West Coast transit properties in Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, California and then spreading to places like Colorado Springs and Madison, Wisconsin, a statecapital with a large university presence like our own. In Florida, Pinellasand Broward Counties have similarly restructured their systems. Concurrent with the 2005StarMetro Renaissance Plan, the 2005 Transit Development Plan, the November2008 City Commission Target Issue Meeting and the City Manager's 2009Resolutions, StarMetro has taken preliminary steps to create a decentralizedroute structure plan for the City of Tallahassee. Once implemented, the plan, known as Nova 2010, would distribute transit services mostly along major roadways in Tallahassee; several routes will not serve downtown at all. By not sending every route to C.K. Steele Plaza, passengers would experience greater frequency of service and a system that more closely resembles contemporary vehicular travel patterns. In developing the draft plan, there were several assumptions about conditions in Tallahassee.First, the system would, like the present one, serve the city of Tallahasseewith the few exceptions currently in place, such as Bradfordville on the 80x. Second, we would work to use, to the best extent possible, existing facilities. We have Steele Plaza and approximately 105 bus shelters, and have adapted a draft plan to use these resources as a starting point onimplementation day. Expanding with additional facilities would be added asthe plan gains popularity, as needed and as fiscally feasible. Lastly, we assumed two lanes on Tennessee Street between Monroe and Ocala would be converted to transit-only use, as is currently recommended in a study by Genesis Group. Beyond that, our goal was to use similar existing resources-the number of buses and drivers, the funding level-all would remain as close as possible to current levels. The above is based on our cursory draft plan. This draft plan is subject to changes based minimally on a full system analysis, review of alternatives, considerable public involvement, a thorough origin and destination study and Commission approval. We focused our analysis on employment density, as the planning literature consistently points toemployment density being better at generating transit trips than populationdensity; although having high densities of both is best. Since employment densities are highest on major roadways, we assigned routes to these roads while trying to approximate a grid network as seen on the attached map. Nova 2010 is intended to accomplish several things: q Reduce DowntownTrips: The most common customer complaint is that all the buses go downtown. At a recent listening session, a customer lamented the only way to get fromone section of Orange Avenue to another was to first go to Steele Plaza at the corner of Tennessee and Adams Streets. In order to mimic contemporary travel patters (i.e. to go to jobs on the periphery) passengers often must make the V-shaped trip of going downtown first and then back out again to the customers final destination. q Reduce Redundancy:The current hub and spoke system requires all buses to meet at the same timeat the central hub. Since C.K. Steele Plaza is located along a major arterial (W. Tennessee Street, near the intersection with Monroe Street), every bus must travel along this corridor at the same time in order for passengers to make their transfers. This results in two or more buses arriving and leaving from the plaza in tandem to travel along the same corridor for a significant distance, passing the same stops. With theconcept Nova 2010 plan, the importance of C.K. Steele Plaza is downplayed as buses operate independent of each other. This allows for one bus to cover an entire corridor, instead of five buses covering the same corridor, as is thecase of W. Tennessee Street. q Increase On-TimePerformance: Another complaint staff receives is buses run behind schedule.This is primarily due to two reasons - buses traveling at lower speeds inneighborhoods, and routes being dependent on each other for transfers (i.e.if one arrives late, the other buses are held for transferring patrons). Under Nova 2010, buses will remain on the major roads allowing for highertravel speeds as applicable. In addition, the routes operate independent of each other. This means if one arrives late, it does not affect the operation of the other routes. Patrons are would be accommodated better with Nova 2010with higher service frequency leading to shorter wait times (10 to 30 minutes during peak hours verses up to an hour with the current system). q Increased Ridership/Decreased Carbon Footprint: StarMetro expects Nova 2010 to make transit significantly more attractive to a much broader part of the community, and each single-occupancy-vehicle driver that shifts to transit represents reduced carbon emissions, cleaner air, reduced congestion, less road maintenance, etc. q Reduce travel timefor patrons using transit: Instead of going in and out of neighborhoods, theNova 2010 plan would have more direct service to major employment and shopping/recreation centers. q Increase frequency: Buses will arrive more often giving our customers more options for using transit service with greater convenience. q Increased Opportunities for Regional Travel: With few exceptions (80X, Route 17, and Route 21), there are no opportunities for regional travel in the current system. By decentralizing the system, independent cross-town routes along major corridors create the opportunities for regional expansion. While there are manydistinct advantages in addition to the aforementioned ones of the Nova 2010 concept plan, there are a few perceived disadvantages, which have proven tobe advantages across the country: q Routes would no longer circulate within neighborhoods. This will, however, allow StarMetro to serve a larger population by providing higher frequency and better service to the most popular destinations. q Related to the above, walking distances to StarStops are anticipated to increase. On the other hand, this will lead to fewer stops, increased mobility, a more pleasurable riding experience and a healthier community. The benefits, however, would far outweigh the few discrete disadvantages, which are better communicated in a longer visual presentation. StarMetro would have a more dependable system going where our patrons want to go doing so in a timely, efficient fashion. After I got this message, as per Sila requested, I asked for a discription of the routes for the eleven bus routes, and they are as follows.. US 90 (1), 20 minutes: Fallschase, W US 90, S Appleyard, W Pensacola, N Blountstown, E US 90 US 90 (2), 20 minutes:Fallschase, W US 90, N Capital Circle, loop through Commonwealth, S CapitalCircle, E US 90 Orange, 15 minutes: Loop through Paul Dirac, W Roberts, S Eisenhower, E Lake Jackson/Orange Ave, S Capital Circle, loop through Capital Circle Office Center East, 15 minutes. Village Square, Capital Circle, Southwood/Capital Circle Office Center Southside, 15 minutes: Ross Road, N Shelfer, N Crawfordville, Gaile Ave, N Monroe Street, Steele Plaza Frenchtown/Bond, 15 minutes: Orange, Saxon, Wahnish/Macomb/Old Bainbridge, Volusia, Alabama to Preston Loop, and back. Pensalachee, 20 minutes: Pensacola, Gaines, Lafayette, Apalachee Parkway Hospitals, 30 minutes:Woodland, Tuscan, Sunnyside, N. Ridge, E Springsax, E Bragg, E Paul Dirac, NJim Lee, N Magnolia, E Miccosukee, Capital Medical, Bufford, NE Centerville, SE Fleischmann, W Misscosukee West Loop, 30 minutes (both directions): N Monroe, SW Fred George, S Mission, S Appleyard, E Jackson Bluff, N Woodward, E St. Augustine, through downtown to Monroe NE to Innovation: N Pottsdamer, E Iamonia, N Lake Jackson, E Gaines, Gadsden, Thomasville North Mover, 30 minutes: Commonwealth, Hartsfield, Pullen, Allen, Henderson, Meridian, Bradford/Betton CommonWalmart, 30 minutes: Commonwealth, Tharpe, MLK/Duval/Bronough, Park, Gov. Square Blvd, Park Conner Blvd, Walmart. It has been that discriptions brings up more questions than answere, so here it is to work with.\ William benjamin William Benjamin, Piano Tuner Extraordinaire. The tuner alone preserves the tone. ________________________________ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.105/2380 - Release Date: 09/18/09 07:49:00Check out the TABI resource web page at http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABIand please make suggestions for new material.if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
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