[nfbmi-talk] one reason blind are not gainfully employed

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Blind woman asks city for help with transportation

 

Apr 3, 2011  |

 

Written by

 

Ken Abramczyk

 

OBSERVER STAFF WRITER

List of 3 items

Filed Under

News

Livonia

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A Livonia resident appeared March 23 before Livonia City Council seeking help obtaining bus transportation so she can get to her new job in Lincoln Park.

 

The mayor's office was continuing efforts last week to try to assist the woman, who is legally blind.

 

Anne Zimmerman told council she can't take the community transit system in Livonia since it only transports residents to locations within the city.

 

Regional line-haul buses disappeared from Livonia's roads in November 2006 when the city began operating its own transit system with smaller buses.

 

City voters approved a tax measure in 2005 to opt out of Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation. That ended the 0.6-mill SMART tax levy

and replaced it with a 0.5-mill levy for a city-run system and capital improvements.

 

“I have no way to get to work,” she said, adding that there was no way for people with disabilities to get transportation.

 

Zimmerman said with the amount of taxes paid in Livonia, it didn't seem fair. She added that one of the reasons she moved to Livonia is that she felt safer

here and can walk to the store.

 

Mayor Jack Kirksey suggested that she make an appointment or call his office. “There are a lot of ways to put the pieces together here,” Kirksey said. “We

are certainly sympathetic to the hardship here.”

 

Kirksey said Livonia's local community transit allows for a one-mile trip outside the city limits, citing a trip to a doctor's appointment as one of the

exceptions.

 

Kirksey obtained the woman's phone number and told her he would check into it.

 

Earlier this week, the mayor's office had found that the woman could take the local city SMART bus from her home to Millennium Park, where she would board

a bus there at the DDOT bus stop, but she would need to transfer from a DDOT to a SMART bus and also would need to find a ride home because the local community

transit buses were not available after 6 p.m., according to the mayor's office.

 

The woman told the mayor's office she would contact SMART as well to obtain more information.

 

 

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110403/NEWS10/104030431