[NFBF-Tampa] An Open Letter to the HART Board of Directors

Wed Aug 2 23:50:57 UTC 2017

Succintly stated.  Because these officials don't use the bus system, they are totally unaware of how the ridership is affected.
Louise Peyton

From: NFBF-Tampa [mailto:nfbf-tampa-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marion Gwizdala via NFBF-Tampa
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2017 6:36 PM
To: NFB of Florida Tampa Chapter List <nfbf-tampa at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Marion Gwizdala <marion.gwizdala at verizon.net>
Subject: [NFBF-Tampa] An Open Letter to the HART Board of Directors

An Open Letter to Hillsborough Area Regional Transit's Board of Directors

Marion Gwizdala
Merry Schoch
1003 Papaya Drive
Tampa, Florida 33619

August 2, 2017

                Our names are Marion Gwizdala and Merry Schoch. We reside at 1003 Papaya Drive, approximately four blocks west of 78th Street and Palm River Road in Commissioner Miller's district. Merry owns a business, Ray of Sunshine Empowerment Services LLC, a private psychotherapy practice located at 710 Oakfield Drive, just west of King's Avenue in the Credit Union Building within Commissioner White's district. Merry and I are both blind and use Hillsborough Area Regional Transit as our primary transportation. We are also advocates with the National Federation of the Blind at the local, state, and national levels.

                We are writing these comments jointly to express our dismay with the manner in which HART is making decisions they characterize in so many positive ways but have a profound negative impact on the most transit-dependent citizens. For instance, HART IS REDUCING SERVICE TO Tampa  General Hospital's main campus which offer specialized clinics for the poor, the Social Security office, the immigration office, and the Hillsborough County Housing Authority. In addition, HART is eliminating service in Brandon that serves Tampa General Hospital's outpatient clinic, two locations of Suncoast Community Health Clinic, the United States Post Office, several medical office buildings, a major dialysis center, and the Brandon Public Library. One common denominator I see in all these cuts is the effect they have on the disabled, the poor, and the otherwise disenfranchised. When asked how those who currently rely upon public transportation will get to some of these places, HART officials proudly tell us how the hyperlink service can be used to fill in these gaps. I realize it is a very challenging concept for someone like HART's leadership who earn upwards to $25,000 monthly to grasp, but a single mother who is eligible for Medicaid cannot afford the $20.00 round-trip fare for her and her child to get to the doctor's office. In HART's latest proposal, they claim those wishing to go to Tampa General Hospital from the northbound trip will "hop on the southbound route 19 trip". Since HART makes it sound so easy to "hop on", it will be interesting to find out what sort of connectivity the two trips will make.

                On July 22, Marco Sandusky made a presentation to the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. During this presentation Mr. Sandusky asserted that the consultants proposing these modifications had ridden the buses and these changes would provide more efficient and effective service with greater connectivity. He then proceeded to share how the route 19 would be moved from the Marion Transitway, a street  exclusively for HART buses, and moved two blocks west to travel on Tampa Street, a busy corridor of vehiclular traffic, requiring those of us who wish to connect with that route to either walk the two blocks to connect or travel to the Marion Transit Center and wait for a departing bus. He told us how the typically filled-to-capacity route 2 that currently serves Nebraska Avenue would be eliminated and served by the Metro Rapid Transit route with only limited stops along the way. He assured us they would add more stops. When pressed as to how many more, we were told "between 4 - 10". Not only is there a very large difference between the two figures, the proposed addition of seven stops still results in drastic reduction and inaccessibility along that route.

Mr. Sandusky also advised us of the elimination of the route 10. We asked how disabled individuals and the poor will be able to travel to the Social Security office, the Hillsborough County Housing Authority, and the Immigration office  currently served by the route 10 slated for elimination and were assured the flex route with a maximum capacity of twelve passengers will be an option. Though this may be true, imagine if you are the thirteenth passenger and need to wait another hour for the next vehicle in 95 degree heat. Perhaps you might be the thirteenth passenger during the next trip, too! and This is something characterized as "more efficient" and providing "greater connectivity".

During the public hearing on July 26, I asserted that "riding" a bus is very different than "using" public transportation. HART's consultants rode the bus but they did not rely upon its use to get to work, school, doctor's appointments, social services, or recreation.

                Mr. Sandusky also asserted that the changes were made based upon a very large database; however, when we asked Mr. Sandusky how many disabled individuals would lose their paratransit service due to the elimination of routes within the ¾ mile radius HART is required to service, we were told that number was "very small". When we pressed for a number, we were told they did not know. I
am unsure how both assertions can be true; the number is either very small or they do not know - both cannot be true. Perhaps the alternative facts are either they know but do not want to tell us because of the outrage it would create or they do not care so did not consider the impact on its disabled patrons. In fact, we heard from a number of paratransit patrons during the July 26 public hearing how these cuts will trap them in their homes.

                Those of us who are transit-dependent make our choices of where we live and work based partly upon the transportation options available to us. This is true of the choice my wife and I made for her office. In July 2016 when we signed a three year lease for the space where her business is located, we had three options to get to the office. We could go into work by taking the route 37 and getting off across the street or we could schedule a deviation on the Brandon Flex. If the weather were good, we could even take the route 46 and get some exercise by walking from Brandon Blvd. and Buckingham. Coming home was even easier, since there is a route 37 stop in front of the office building. In addition, Merry is a vendor for the state of Florida providing mental health counseling services to the Florida Divisions of Vocational Rehabilitation and, within the next month, Blind Services. Now, based upon the elimination of the route 37 and Brandon Flex, she and her clients will either need to take the route 46 to Buckingham and Brandon Blvd. or Oakfield and Vonderbyrg Drive. Niether option affords a safe pedestrian route to the office, since there are no contiguous , direct  sidewalks on either route. Returning home will require we either walk to Oakfield and Nolan or cross busy Brandon Blvd. and Kings Avenue, since we have been told it is not feasible to have a bus stop on King's. Both intersections are dangerous pedestrian crossings due to the vehicullar right turn lanes and drivers with little concern or awareness of pedestrians.

                We propose HART restructure the Brandon Flex to serve the corridor between Lakewood and Parsons Avenue rather than eliminate it, servicing to BrandonREgional Medical Center, the Brandon Library, and U.S Renal Care on W Lumsden Road. This would allow the route 46 to continue its route down Brandon Blvd. Parenthetically, HART was asked how a 40-foot bus was going to make the proposed turn from southbound Parsons Avenue onto westbound Oakfield Drive and were told they had not yet taken a bus on that route to test its feasibility. All the data in the world is no substitute for practical considerations.
                In summary, though HART calls their plan "Modernizing and Aligning for Excellence", none of the words in this are true! It is not modernizing, it is not aligned with community needs, and it is definitely not excellent. Similarly, HART's new motto "Wherever you're going, HART gets you there" IS EQUALLY UNTRUE. Hart tells us their plan is based on sound data, those of us who use the system and rely upon it are not convinced the data is reliable. How can it be so if the second busiest flex route - the Brandon Flex - is eliminated? How can it be so when the leg of route 46 between downtown and the Brandon Mall which is nearly always full is eliminated? How can it be true when the route 2 serving Nebraska Avenue, another consistently high volume corridor is eliminated?

                We urge you to vote against the plan HART is proposing and demand they find another way to modernize and align the system for excellence - one that is truly modern, aligned with the transportation needs of its patrons and creates an excellent system rather than an antiquated, disconnected, pitiable transportation service.

Respectfully submitted,
Marion Gwizdala
Merry Schoch

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