[Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the question

Mon May 2 17:55:22 UTC 2011

Hi Dave,

Our service wants 3 days notice, and they can keep you on the bus for up to 2 hours, no matter where you are going or where you are coming from.

When I read a description from you a while back about the service in your area only being able to keep a rider on the bus for the same length of time it would take them to get there on a fixed route bus, I thought, "oh, if only that were true here." I HATE using paratransit. In order to guarantee that I would get to the office by 7:30, I would need to plan to be on the bus by 6:00, and the fixed route bus would take 20 minutes.

So, you ask, why don't I used fixed route. Well, it's a long story, but my husband has issues about the crime rate, and the wild dogs we have in the neighborhood. Before we bought a car a year ago, I took fixed route every day. But, since my daughter was injured and hasn't been able to drive, he has insisted that I use paratransit, and so the battle continues. LOL In our area, you don't have to be off the fixed route to be able to ride.

Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"It is service that measures success."
George Washington Carver

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-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Evans
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 12:59 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the question

Dear Nikki,

IF you can get the Para-transit service, great.
The things that can limit you in getting this is your location and distance 
from the closest fixed bus route.
You need to be within 3/4 TH. of a mile from the bus route as a crow flys. 
Not the bus stop, but the path the route runs along.
You can still get the service if you live outside the 3/4 TH. mile zone, if 
you can get yourself to within that zone and still not access the bus 
because of limits in your disability or barriers in the environmnet that 
prevent you from accessing the fixed route bus.
The 4 day ahead requirement should be challenged as most any system today 
can do next day service.  Para-tranis is supose to be equal to the fixed 
route, where ever possible, but not superior to it.

The fixed route buse driver does not pull up to a stop and open the door and 
tell the riders, "Sorry, but you need to let me know 4 days ahead that you 
want to ride today." The Para-transit service should not require more than 
24 hours notice either.  My service here only needs 12 hours notice or next 
day service.
It sounds like your area's service is behind the times with compliance with 
the ADA and general service rules and practices.
If there is a place that you can walk to, that is within the 3/4 TH. mile 
limit, but a barrier such as a busy highway stands between you and the bus 
stop.  You would have a good arguement for getting the service.  They would 
just have to pick you up and drop you off at that spot and you would need to 
walk from there.
In my state of Florida, we have a program called the Transportation 
Disadvantaged Trust Fund that collects a $1.50 from each auto tag fee and 
then gives the money to each county to provide some kind of transportation 
service to seniors, the Disabled, children at Risk and even the abled bodied 
poor who can not drive .
Here in Palm Beach County, our NFB chapter has been a prime mover in getting 
better transportation for our citizens.
It is not perfect, but it is good and we work to keep it that way.
I work for one of the local Para-transit provider companies and serve on 
boards that oversee the service.
It has been the advocacy of the NFB that has made our service as good as it 
is.
If you have any questions about transportation that I can answer, please 
write me back.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
MV Transit Consumer Advocate
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "nikki Wunderlich" <nikki0222 at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the question

> Hello list,
>
> I agree, that where you live may be a big factor on weather you decide to
> drive or not. Here in Minnesota, in the twin cities, and the suburbs of 
> the
> twin cities, we have something called Metro Mobility, you have to make 
> your
> reservations 4 days in advance and you have to qualify to use it, but it's
> kind of like a cab in that it picks you up at point A's door, and drops 
> you
> off at point B's door, but it is much cheaper than a cab. Also You can ask
> them to walk you inside if you do not know the area well, and feel more
> confortable doing so. There's also cabs here where I live, all be it more
> expencibe to use, still another option for people also depending on where
> you live, busses may be an option, for me though, they are not an option,
> because the nearest bus stop is over a mile a way, and acrost a very busy
> high way. So right now I rely on walking if the place is close enough, and
> the weather is decent. If it is not close enough, or is too dangerous to
> walk to, or the weather is crappy I rely on family or friends to get me 
> from
> place to place, mostly family though. My step mom is wonderful about 
> taking
> me places, so is my dad and sister. I'm also in the process of trying to 
> get
> metro mobility so I don't have to rely on family so much to get from place
> to place. If I get it I will have more freedom, and will be able to go 
> visit
> my friends mor easily, as well as do other things on my own that at this
> point I can't do. So for me driving is not a big deal, but like I said
> before, to some one who lives in the country driving might be a big deal.
>
> Nikki
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Darian Smith
> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 9:30 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the question
>
> one thing that I think is a bit of a  devideing point in how strongly
> one might feel about the matter, is where you live.  If you live in an
> area where public transportationis  a major   resource for you, then
> maybe drivingis not so much a  big deal.  If you live inchicago, or
> D.C. or New York or  the Bay Area, it might even be an advantage to
> take public transport.   Assuming  that  everything is equil regarding
> cost for  the car for sighted and blind folks, it still may be cheaper
> to  travel by public transport and easier not  to  have to worry about
> parking, than it would be otherwise. But if you live in rural texas,
> mississippi, Montana and the like, the car is probablyway more
> advantagious.  So it's interesting the point of views people have. and
> how people maydefine independence, full life, and  those sort of
> strong statements.
>
>  Darian
>
> On 4/30/11, nikki Wunderlich <nikki0222 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I agree with a lot of the points you mentioned in your email, but I'm 
>> just
>> looking at it from a financial prospective, and I do not think the cost
> will
>> go down enough for me to be able to afford a car in my life time, so I
> will
>> probably always rely on public transportation, family, and friends as 
>> well
>> as cane travel to get me from point A to point B.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of humberto
>> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 10:42 PM
>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the question
>>
>> This question, indeed, sparkled a lot of thoughts on me, I would
>> like to share a few.
>> First, driving a car, and driving for generations, and driving as
>> is taken for granted, is part of our lifestyle in America, and is
>> part of our American society to have a car and drive. Yes it is
>> taken for granted, but people have driven cars for many years,
>> and they still do it. Driving a car has become a part of an
>> essential part of everything we do about transportation. People
>> drive to go to their jobs, to go grocery shopping, to do a trip,
>> and pretty much everybody transports by car. Although the gas
>> prices are flying now, society is still making arrangements so
>> that they can go to work and play, by driving. People are now
>> sacrificing their budgets just because they want to be able to
>> use their cars and get wherever they want to and keep enjoying
>> the freedom of driving.
>> Blindness, although is a minority, is, shall be, and one day will
>> be, part of the majority. Blind people, must be included into
>> society. This means, we must do, as blind people and part of this
>> sighted structured world, do what our society, the majority, the
>> sighted, can do and, yes do it slightly different with nonvisual
>> techniques, but do so just like our society. To this end, blind
>> people, as the rest of society, must be able to take the same
>> things for granted, and the same opportunities that the sighted
>> communities take for granted. This means that if the rest of
>> society can drive cars and enjoy the freedom of driving cars, and
>> have enjoyed such freedom for many years, we must start thinking
>> of possibilities of driving a car that the blind can drive. Look
>> how far we've gone in the federation with the Blind Driver
>> Challenge, and how the blind driver drove the car in front of
>> thousands of people, and in the middle of an * INTERNATIONALLY
>> well KNOWN * car race speedway! So, if we've gone this far, we
>> can push for more, even more! We can finally be part of society
>> and be able to drive, by making this DREAM reality and pushing
>> for the legalization of this car, and making it readily available
>> to the blind and demonstrating to our sighted, majority society
>> that we can do the same things they can do! Blindness shall not
>> be left behind, and by making this car available, and by
>> equipping a car, with the right technology and interface hardware
>> and software, and with the right engineering technology, we can
>> drive and enjoy the same freedom they have enjoyed for years and
>> will continue to enjoy for years to come.
>> So, I hope this sparks some interesting discussions, and hope to
>> see you at any NFB convention, and hope my opinions help you, and
>> I hope to see you driving around!!!!!!! * smile *
>> Cheers,  Humberto
>>
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>From: Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com
>>>To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>Date sent: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:30:00 -0700
>>>Subject: [Blindtlk] To Drive or not to Drive: that is the
>> question
>>
>>>I have heard from many, blind and sighted alike that the blind
>> being
>>>able to drive will be  looked  upon as  something  absolutely
>> iconic
>>>and life-changing.  Assuming  that this opinion is in fact widely
>>>believed,  what do you think this means for us as blind people
>> now?
>>>Also what does it mean, if we never do  drive? Is this to say
>> that our
>>>lives  are not full?  Not complete?  And will never be?
>>> I'm curious as to your thoughts  on this.
>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>blindtlk mailing list
>>>blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>> for blindtlk:
>>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/humbert
>> oa5369%40netzero.net
>>
>>
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>
>
> -- 
> Darian Smith
> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
> Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace
>
> "The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
>
> - Robert Byrne
>
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