One other point, which I missed at first, they are cutting back the available rides to CCOC from the current 2 routes which run 3 times every 2 hours, to just 1 route running only once an hour! So, if you’re trying to get to CCOC, you’ve got almost no options; except to take some other route (forcing you to transfer) to try and get to one of these “once an hour” rides, which means getting to CCOC is likely going to take much longer. Chip From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chip Orange Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 9:09 AM To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [tabi] Re: Fwd: City of Tallahassee News Release - StarMetro Proposes New Express Service to SouthWood · Thanks Lynn for this, and thanks Sila for further info. It’s unbelievable to me that the city is promoting this as being done because they want to get the residents of Southwood to downtown. While they’re trying to do this, they are making it much harder on those who work at Southwood but generally live in North-East Tallahassee. Who do they think is riding the bus? Someone living in Southwood who wants to go downtown some afternoon? Or someone trying to get to work each and every day? This makes no sense from a transit point of view. Instead, it looks like more of the city’s plan to try and do something with the downtown (no matter how much money is spent, and no matter who is inconvenienced), and which includes the wonderfully successful “party bus”, and the 2 million dollar pub the city is about to own. Obviously you can see how I feel about the downtown issues, and while it’s one thing to spend tax dollars there, it’s another to begin disassembling our bearly function transit system to also try and promote this at the expense of those who need to get to work every day. Chip From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Lynn Evans Sent: Monday, October 14, 2013 2:10 PM To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [tabi] Fwd: City of Tallahassee News Release - StarMetro Proposes New Express Service to SouthWood Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: "City of Tallahassee" <City_of_Tallahassee@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: October 14, 2013 at 11:51:42 AM EDT To: <austin.evans60@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: City of Tallahassee News Release - StarMetro Proposes New Express Service to SouthWood City of Tallahassee News Release <http://www.talgov.com/communications/communicationshome.aspx> <http://www.facebook.com/COTNews> <http://twitter.com/COTNews> <http://www.youtube.com/user/WCOT> Communications / City Hall / Tallahassee FL 32301 / 850.891.8533 StarMetro Proposes New Express Service to SouthWood Red Hills Express Would Offer Greater Convenience to Commuters - Residents in SouthWood may soon have a quicker and more direct way to travel between home and downtown via StarMetro. Today, the transit agency announced plans to combine portions of two of its existing routes serving the SouthWood area into one direct route called the Red Hills Express. The proposed service change, which goes before the City Commission on Oct. 23, would allow customers to travel between the two major destinations in as little as 30 minutes with no transfer. In order to gain feedback from area residents and commuters on the proposed express service, StarMetro planners will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 12 to 3 p.m. at Shuster's Café, located at 4055 Esplanade Way. If approved by the City Commission, the new Red Hills Express, which includes a stop on Magnolia Dr. near Governor's Square Mall, would begin on Monday, Nov. 4. 'By combining the SouthWood portions of the Red Hills and Tall Timbers routes that overlap, we can distribute our resources more efficiently,' said Ivan Maldonado, director of StarMetro. 'As a result, we can provide a direct, express route from SouthWood to downtown -- giving residents and commuters a faster and more convenient service.' The Red Hills Express would offer a high level of service during the typical travel times of commuters. The service would provide eight trips during the day -- four trips during the morning and four trips during afternoon peak travel times. With the proposed express service serving the SouthWood area, the existing Red Hills and Tall Timbers routes would be combined into a single Tall Timbers route. Proposed changes are available for viewing on the proposed system map <http://www.talgov.com/uploads/public/documents/assets/news/sm_2014_system_proposal.pdf> (PDF). For more information about StarMetro services, please call 891-5200 or visit Talgov.com/starmetro <http://www.talgov.com/starmetro/> . Other ways to view information include liking StarMetro's official Facebook page at Facebook.com/starmetrotransit <http://www.Facebook.com/starmetrotransit> or following the organization on Twitter at Twitter.com/ridestarmetro <http://www.Twitter.com/ridestarmetro> . Contact: Brian Waterman, StarMetro Planning, 891-5564; Sandra Manning, Utility Marketing, 891-6175; or Heather Teter, Department of Communications, 891-8533 <http://www.talgov.com> <http://www.411notify.com/signonact.asp?e=12e75606d6b626762727464662e717170656a6b662e3b60767275686f2d6675626d7435313f686c62686d2d646e6e39> <http://www.imarcsgroup.com>