[tabi] StarMetro to serve Miccosukee Hills Apts. w/ "feeder service"
- From: Erica <ericamccaul@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:42:13 -0400 (EDT)
Note: comments are paste below the article.
StarMetro Addresses Concerns of Elderly Community
Posted: 11:45 AM Aug 15, 2011
Reporter: Lanetra Bennett
Email Address: lanetra.bennett@xxxxxxx
Beginning this Thursday, August 18, StarMetro will begin providing fixed-route
feeder service to the residents of Miccosukee Hills, a housing complex for
seniors and disabled persons located at 3201 Miccosukee Road, according to a
statement by StarMetro.
"Currently, we serve the entrance of this complex with the San Luis route,
which runs along Miccosukee Road," said Ron Garrison, executive director of
StarMetro. "However, we have received numerous requests from residents to
include service in the housing complex."
To provide fixed-route service to Miccosukee Hills residents, StarMetro will
use Dial-A-Ride vehicles to transport customers to adjacent fixed-route
transfer locations. These StarStop transfer locations are located at:
Capital Regional Medical Center, where customers may transfer to the San Luis
route, and
The intersection of Miccosukee Road and Capital Circle NE, where customers may
transfer to the Red Hills route.
This new feeder service will operate Monday through Friday and adhere to
StarMetro's holiday schedule. Pickup times in the Miccosukee Hills complex will
be at 6:55 a.m., 9:11 a.m. and 1:06 p.m. Drop-off times will be at 9:35 a.m.,
1:30 p.m. and 4:16 p.m.
The cost for this service is $0.60 for senior and disabled customers and $1.25
for the general public. Feeder service customers will receive a transfer
ticket, which may be used to transfer to a fixed route.
StarMetro staff will evaluate the performance of the feeder service six months
after implementation. Additional service adjustments may be made based on
ridership and specific service needs.
"It is important for us to listen to our customers, especially those customers
with special needs," said Garrison. "To accommodate the request for service
from residents of Miccosukee Hills, we really had to get creative; now, I think
we have a solution that works for everyone."
COMMENTS:
by justice for the elderly Location: tally on Aug 15, 2011 at 02:37 PM
I was totally disappointed in this “new” system…there should have been
consideration for the elderly at the front end oif this project, there are
elderly in the 4 low income housing projects that don’t even know how they can
go anywhere because of the distance of the nearest bus stop. How about some
help from the community on this, everyone who planned this has cars & have no
need to take the bus. Park your cars for a couple of weeks & take the bus!
There is an undo on every home computer, laptop etc….undo this mess you’ve
made, your time our dollar.
by Matt Location: Tallahassee on Aug 15, 2011 at 01:21 PM
The past 60-odd years has seen urban development in the USA shift almost
exclusively to the driving-only method, thanks to (formerly) cheap oil,
auto/oil industry lobbying, land-use codes that codify exurban sprawl, and
Americans themselves, who are known for "driving to the mailbox". Mass transit
has been relegated to something for "people who can't afford to drive", largely
ignored and funding-starved. Now that oil's getting expensive and we have a
rapidly growing senior population, mass transit seems to be drumming up
support. Yes--part of it involves the City Commission ponying up the funding to
run transit more often and for more hours. But it also involves massive changes
in land use. Current land-use patterns are not designed to support mass
transit. We have got to get rid of regressive land-use codes that force low
building density and off-street parking, and we have to start designing 100% of
streets with pedestrian orientation. A quick look at Miccosukee Hills, and it's
pretty obvious the designer never meant for residents to do anything other than
drive everywhere--including the mailbox.
by Owen on Jul 29, 2011 at 06:40 AM
The residents of Miccosukee Hills met with StarMetro bureaucrats several times
at the so called "listening sessions" before the new system was launched. Their
pleas for assistance were ignored. The pedestrian safety issue was also brought
to their attention (see the 2009 "Dangerous by Design" study which says that
Tallahassee's streets are more than twice as dangerous as the national average,
but that issue was ignored, too.
by Vicki Location: Tallahassee on Jul 28, 2011 at 10:30 PM
I can understand some of the changes that have been made but seriously??? By
cutting the route through Miccosukee Hills and making the seniors and disabled
have to go to one of the most dangerous roads, and if that's not bad enough,
have them have to wait just inches from the roadway, just proves that those in
charge of Star Metro have set the city up for one huge potential lawsuit. Now
multiply that by the number of other areas that have not yet been highlighted
in a news story and we have not moved from huge to class-action. Someone's
going to get rich and it won't be the City.
by i agree on Aug 15, 2011 at 12:59 PM in reply to Vicki
seniors and disabled live all over tallahassee and they want to keep their
independance. it would probaly cost more if all of them used dial r ride. the
problem is not the routes it's the infrequecy of some routes and lack of routes
where they need to be routes. they extend the city limit out but none of the
ammenities such as comcast, garbarge service(paid seperately not on your
utility bill) and frequent bus service with "real time" if I have to be to work
at 7:30 am a bus that runs hourly and starts at 7:00 won't cut it.
by Kat Woman Location: Tallahassee on Jul 28, 2011 at 12:38 PM
I think the bus system should still go in to the neighborhoods that has
elderly, disabled and handicapped residents. These people relied upon the bus
as their only means of transportation to do shopping, doctors appointments,
etc. Tallahassee is not a major big city compared to Orlando, Tampa &
Jacksonville. I would like to see the buses continue on the old routes in
certain neighborhoods where they are needed the most especially where the
elderly, disabled or handicapped have to walk two to three blocks just to catch
the bus thats not fair to them. It is too hot, gotta think bout when its
raining and too cold etc. Star etro please reconsider these bus routes and also
you gotta think about the students when they come back in August for fall
classes its gone interesting to see what happens. Have a nice day.
by Frank on Jul 28, 2011 at 12:08 PM I'm afraid I have to go back almost 40
years to indicate what the problem is with the city bus transportation system,
whether it be called Taltran, Star Metro, or by any other name. The city of
Tallahassee took over a profitable private bus system from the Carter family
and turned it into a money losing proposition almost overnight; well, within
the first year or so at least. Any questions?
by A former rider on Jul 28, 2011 at 05:20 PM in reply to Frank
Larry Carter & his father before him knew how to run a bus system. They cared
about their riders. I hope Ron Garrison will start thinking about the riders,
and not the profits. Because with out the riders, there is NO profits.
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