When Will I Be Able to Ride the Bus to Work Again?

I have been neglecting this blog because of shame!!!!! The bus doesn't go where I need it to go so I have been driving to work (off Long Shoals Rd.) I've been hitting road along with all those other drivers one to a car.


Okay. So enough for excuses. I do need to do some updating. I did attend the Transit Master plan meeting back in January. It seemed to be well-attended. More people than I expected. Of course, those attending were, in my opinion, those who ride the bus out of choice, not necessity. It was set up so that you could drop in, talk to members of the consulting group, write your suggestions down, etc.

Before this meeting, there had been two surveys done. A paper survey that was given to riders on buses. I missed that one. Not sure how long the papers were given out, etc. And there was an online survey, which I took. An Asheville Transit Employee at the meeting told me that the priorities in the surveys were distinctly different. The #1 change people who took the paper survey wanted to see was bus service on Sunday. The #1 change people who took the online survey wanted to see was more frequency. This makes sense, considering that riders of the bus who took the paper survey were probably people who ride the bus mostly out of necessity and they need Sunday service as well as service all the other days of the week. Those of us who took the online survey can hop in our cars on Sunday...but would like for the bus to be more convenient during the week...running more often.

As I recall from the meeting, one of the things we had the option to do was vote for our top 3 priorities for Asheville Bus Service. Things to choose from were: Sunday service, more frequency, more routes...and I can't remember the others. (A clue to which 3 I voted for!)

At other tables, we wrote suggestions on post-it notes. I saw A LOT of suggestions that Long Shoals Road get a bus route. Of course, I would notice that, since that's what I want!

Another question I have is if Asheville Transit will get any federal stimulus money?

I guess I came away feeling that there is not enough money for all of us to get what we want. We need more riders to have more money to operate buses more and to get more riders, especially middle class riders, the bus needs to be more convenient, but it won't be convenient till there are more riders who buy more tickets...

The notice about the findings of the consultants is on the Asheville Transit site. I will copy and paste it into a separate post. What I saw on the site didn't help me at all, but I am still staying hopeful.

Next Transit Master Plan meeting - at the Asheville Civic Center on Thursday - April 2nd from 4pm - 7pm.

If you’ve ever wanted greater bus frequency, Sunday service, longer hours of operation, or new routes – now is the time to make your voice heard.

Please come to this meeting!

(ASHEVILLE, NC) – There will be a Transit Master Plan public forum on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 from 4pm-7pm, in the Asheville Civic Center’s banquet hall. The meeting will be held in an “open house” format with no formal presentation. Instead, attendees will be able to offer in-person feedback to consultants, ask questions of staff, and see preliminary data first-hand.

Interim Transit Manager Mariate Echeverry believes the forum will help determine what kind of public transit system the community wants. “The public’s input will help craft a transit plan that will be responsive to the city’s needs, and suggest sustainable transportation options.”

In 2008 the City of Asheville hired Nebraska-based consulting firm HDR to perform a thorough scientific analysis of the Asheville Transit System and create a comprehensive Transit Master Plan.

A Transit Master Plan is a document that analyzes existing transit services and develops data to support planning and decision making. In the case of Asheville, this will mean studying Asheville’s 24 bus routes and comparing them to long-term trends. The study should be completed by July 2009, and will offer short and long term recommendations on how the city could improve public transit.

To supplement the information for the Transit Master Plan, ATS staff created an online survey to get feedback and suggestions.

Dodging Fumes and Doggy Bombs

It's my day off and I'm going to strive not to drive. I've already ridden the bus to West End Bakery. I walked back down Brevard Road to come home. It's a beautiful sunny day, although still cold, but not frigid like it has been. There were two notable negative things, however, that afflicted my walk: a lot of noxious fumes from vehicles...I mean dark smoke that you could actually see. At one point I stopped and just stood for awhile, waiting for the air to clear so I could walk through it. Also, there were lots of doggy bombs all over the sidewalk. People, please, can't you carry little baggies with you and clean up after your little darlings? Give a thought to other people!!

Oh, by the way: one more positive thing. A driver actually stopped for me to cross at the crosswalk on Haywood Road. This is the crosswalk near the bakery where there is no traffic light. Many, many many thanks to you drivers who pay attention to random crosswalks!

Will go to the Asheville Transit Public Hearing for Transit Master Plan meeting today! Please come! It's 4-7 at the Civic Center and is drop in so you don't have to sit through 3 hours of meeting! Come make your wants and needs known!