Transit forum provides outlet for local worries

Citizens with concerns about public transportation had the chance to air their feelings Thursday — and local officials were there to hear them.

A lack of money for proposals, the effectiveness of a program for the impaired and a proposed transit transfer center all came up as points of concern at a forum put on by the Carrboro Transportation Advisory Board and the Chapel Hill Transportation Board at Carrboro Town Hall.

The most common complaint: Board members and citizens alike were frustrated that a lack of funds has halted many proposals. “There’s always been a desire but not the funding,” said Carrboro board Chairman Chris van Hasselt. “Our board desires to move beyond that.”

Many citizens also questioned the effectiveness of the EZ Rider program, which provides free transportation for the physically impaired.

Estelle Mabry, a frequent user of EZ Rider, was frustrated with the program’s new software, which gives riders a 20-minute window for their pickup instead of an exact time.

“The 20-minute window makes me feel like my time is not valuable to them,” Mabry said.

She was also worried that the new software puts van drivers on a stricter time schedule, which causes them to drive more recklessly.

Resident James Carnahan spoke about a proposed transit transfer facility underneath parking lot 2 — part of the planned redevelopment of downtown parking lots 2 and 5 — where most of Chapel Hill’s buses would stop to allow transfers.

He expressed concern that the additional stop could add five to eight minutes to a bus ride.

“The riders, who are stakeholders in this ordeal, have not been brought into this process,” he added.

Other voiced concerns included adding speed bumps to Hillsborough Street, designating one lane of South Columbia Street as bus-only and adding bike lanes to Estes Drive.

Van Hasselt said the goal of the forum was to allow direct communication between citizens and board members. Comment was allowed by those who attended the meeting, as well as those who phoned in or sent e-mails ahead of time.

Also at the forum, Chapel Hill Transportation Director Mary Lou Kuschatka updated the public on Chapel Hill Transit.

“Before we introduced free fares we had about 3 million riders per year, but since free fares we’ve had over 5 million, and that will keep going,” she said.

Kuschatka said that EZ Rider saw growth in ridership, which led to some of its constraints, and that the software is a work in progress.

Patrick McDonough, transit service planner for Triangle Transit Authority, mentioned TTA’s efforts to appeal to the UNC community by providing staff, faculty and non-resident students riding passes for $10 a month or $50 a semester.

McDonough said there is a necessary overlap between his agency and Chapel Hill Transit.

“Our goal is to provide urban-to-urban trips,” he said. “There is a large area of land that we cover, but we also require other transportation services to fill in the gaps.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.