It's been the better part of a year since I last posted, and it's been busy. Lots of bad winter weather playing havoc with pedestrian and public transit travel. There have been policy changes, too, in our transit situation here in the Wilmington area. A big one for many people was the fare hike that went into effect February 9. Within the county, bus fares have gone up to $1.50 and daily passes to $3.15. (See Dart"s Rate Page for more comprehensive information, such as rates for travel between counties.) I've heard complaining. Still, being able to ride all day for $3.15 doesn't seem so bad to me.
There has been a lot of discussion about changes to the Paratransit program. Apparently DART had been spending really disproportionately on the relatively small percentage of riders who use this program, resulting in limitation of fixed route services. During the discussion, I learned that downstate, people could qualify for Paratransit just by reaching the age of 65! I've also known people here in New Castle County that somehow qualified for Paratransit, but who were fully capable of using regular fixed route service. It always irks me when I'm standing at a bus stop, waiting interminably for a Route 6 bus that will likely end up being standing-room-only, only to be passed by by Paratransit after Paratransit.
I don't begrudge Paratransit for those folks who really need it. When I worked at the NCCo courthouse, I used to see one of the Family Court clerks being dropped off and picked up by Paratransit, and thought it was great. I'm not sure what her exact disability was, but she used a wheelchair and had limited use of one of her hands. Paratransit allowed her to hold a job, and she was one of the best clerks there.
On the other hand, one of the students I tutored several years ago (I do literacy tutoring) used to get Paratransit rides to and from the library where we studied. Her disability? Nothing that would have made her unable to ride a fixed route bus. She was somewhat learning disabled, and was perhaps bipolar. But she was young and healthy and certainly could have used the regular buses, or walked for that matter! I know that there are multitudes of "handicapped" folks using Paratransit who, like my student, don't need it. DART needs to be a lot more stringent about qualification for the service, in my opinion.
Other changes of note have been the completion of the Rodney Square renovation. Nice to be back to normal, although Wilmington still needs a real transportation hub, and I still think the train station area would be the most logical choice.
Particularly affecting me is the mess on south Union Street and Kirkwood Highway between the Wilmington boundary and Elsmere. They have eliminated a couple of bus stops for an extended period of time, and I feel a lot of concern for the folks who live near those stops. They now have a long way to walk to catch a bus, and I know there are several elderly and disabled people who regularly used those stops. Since Union St. is down from three to one lane, traffic backs up a lot, as it does on Lincoln, too, so that Route 6 and 19 buses are sometimes behind schedule. But sometimes not, so you have to get to the stop on time, and then sometimes wait quite a while. Not nice in the weather we've been having. But I heard that roadway has not been repaved in something like 100 years, so it was probably time.
Finally, there are some interesting developments regarding potential Union Street transit... maybe even a realignment for Route 6. Very interesting and encouraging for Wilmingtonians, especially over on the west side. I'll post more about this in my next entry.
There has been a lot of discussion about changes to the Paratransit program. Apparently DART had been spending really disproportionately on the relatively small percentage of riders who use this program, resulting in limitation of fixed route services. During the discussion, I learned that downstate, people could qualify for Paratransit just by reaching the age of 65! I've also known people here in New Castle County that somehow qualified for Paratransit, but who were fully capable of using regular fixed route service. It always irks me when I'm standing at a bus stop, waiting interminably for a Route 6 bus that will likely end up being standing-room-only, only to be passed by by Paratransit after Paratransit.
I don't begrudge Paratransit for those folks who really need it. When I worked at the NCCo courthouse, I used to see one of the Family Court clerks being dropped off and picked up by Paratransit, and thought it was great. I'm not sure what her exact disability was, but she used a wheelchair and had limited use of one of her hands. Paratransit allowed her to hold a job, and she was one of the best clerks there.
On the other hand, one of the students I tutored several years ago (I do literacy tutoring) used to get Paratransit rides to and from the library where we studied. Her disability? Nothing that would have made her unable to ride a fixed route bus. She was somewhat learning disabled, and was perhaps bipolar. But she was young and healthy and certainly could have used the regular buses, or walked for that matter! I know that there are multitudes of "handicapped" folks using Paratransit who, like my student, don't need it. DART needs to be a lot more stringent about qualification for the service, in my opinion.
Other changes of note have been the completion of the Rodney Square renovation. Nice to be back to normal, although Wilmington still needs a real transportation hub, and I still think the train station area would be the most logical choice.
Particularly affecting me is the mess on south Union Street and Kirkwood Highway between the Wilmington boundary and Elsmere. They have eliminated a couple of bus stops for an extended period of time, and I feel a lot of concern for the folks who live near those stops. They now have a long way to walk to catch a bus, and I know there are several elderly and disabled people who regularly used those stops. Since Union St. is down from three to one lane, traffic backs up a lot, as it does on Lincoln, too, so that Route 6 and 19 buses are sometimes behind schedule. But sometimes not, so you have to get to the stop on time, and then sometimes wait quite a while. Not nice in the weather we've been having. But I heard that roadway has not been repaved in something like 100 years, so it was probably time.
Finally, there are some interesting developments regarding potential Union Street transit... maybe even a realignment for Route 6. Very interesting and encouraging for Wilmingtonians, especially over on the west side. I'll post more about this in my next entry.
