[tabi] Re: my object to Nova 2010

  • From: "blindwilly" <blindwilly@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2009 07:57:52 -0500

Chip,

Did you ever think that the city commissioners can never guarantee your safety. 
  Even sighted pedestrians and drivers have accidents.   There are only two 
audible crossings now, but they are going to try to address the rest and we 
will never get there if we don't start.   Your refusal to consider or 
compromise means we will never get any where.   

We are not helpless and we don't need the entire world to change just to 
guarantee our safety.   I know who walks the streets and who never sets foot on 
the sidewalk.   I am tired of this bashing that is going to build a wall 
between us and them.   We need to work with them or they will do what they want 
and we will be labeled as trouble makers and we will be left behind, because 
they are the powerful majority and we are not.

I have been trying to be reasonable and they are listening to us by coming to 
our TCB meeting and to the Light House, but if we go in there with guns 
blazing, then we are going to loose our position of reason.

William



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chip Orange 
  To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 11:54 AM
  Subject: [tabi] my object to Nova 2010


  hi all,

  I spoke with a StarMetro planner yesterday, and he said only 2 intersections 
of the possible 41 proposed for transfer points, currently have audible 
signals. (I think Lynn did tell us that).



  perhaps, just perhaps, they'll be able to add 10, even 20, in the next year, 
but by no means all of them will get audible signals.

  the point I made to him, and the one I intend to make to the city commission 
unless there is a dramatic change in the plan, is that no intersection, even 
with an audible signal, is safe for a blind person to cross. audible signals 
only make it somewhat safer, but many of our local blind residents can testify 
about being hit.   I don't think even our best, most skillful, independent 
travelers, can say that crossing an intersection such as many of those proposed 
by StarMetro is safe; and, a number of our blind residents do not fall into the 
class of our "most skillful" independent travelers.





  I intend to urge the city commission to deny the entire plan until the safety 
of disable riders can be assured by never requiring a transfer through an 
intersection; StarMetro has got to be forced to come up with another way to 
handle transfers.

  I know others of you have other objections to the plan, and I've heard and 
agree with a lot of them, but this is to me, the single really good one, which 
is good enough to warrant the city commission stopping implementation until it 
is worked out.



  I do support other objections which have been raised, including the one I 
just mentioned that with all the bus stops moving to new locations, they are 
going to be hard to find, and that the routes and the location of stops require 
a lot of walking at times, which itself is also unsafe.  but when I write the 
commission after the plan is submitted to them, I am only going to focus on the 
safety issue, as I think it's the most important, and I don't want to overwhelm 
them in my letter with les important objections.



  I hope all of you will consider writing to the city commission, but not until 
the plan has been submitted to them.  any letters before then are evidently 
just forwarded to StarMetro, without engaging the commissioners' attention.



  thanks.





  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.)


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