[nfbmi-talk] FW: Join us for Getting There: Capital Region Transportation Forum 10/22/15

Thu Oct 8 17:25:59 UTC 2015

Hello,

Here is an important meeting announcement.   Mary and I will be in Virginia
visiting our granddaughter, so will be unable to attend.  I hope some of you
can come and support good transportation.

Let me begin by saying that Lansing has a comparatively good transit system.
There are annoyances for riders, but when compared to other places it could
be worse.  I do say, however, that we can do better.  The tri-county
fragmentation with Clinton and Eaton counties is not acceptable. Our St.
Johns friends cannot get a ride to a job at the state secondary complex.
This is wrong.  

The fragmented nature of Michigan transportation is unacceptable.  The SMART
system is so broken that blind people cannot get public transportation to
Leaderdog.  Livonia, the largest community, area wise,  in Metro Detroit has
opted out of SMART.  Here in Lansing, it is possible to get transportation
to a business on 1 side of the street and not to another directly across the
road.  Riders are provided rides to a Meijer store 5 miles from their house,
when there is a store within a mile.

In Detroit, Metro Lift is broken.  There are hundreds or thousands of
stories of blind people repeatedly arriving late for work.  No employer will
tolerate such bad performance.  Our sighted co-worker peers will not
tolerate exceptions for us because we cannot get reliable transportation
when they are expected to be on time for work.

Blind people need to show up and tell our stories.  We need to loudly
proclaim that the state of transportation in our state is unacceptable.  We
need to eliminate these artificial boundaries.  Nearly half of transit money
is federal.  How can these places take federal money and then not serve U.S.
citizens?  

I am not sure if you are aware, but the per ride cost for para-transit is
often higher than a single cab ride.  That is, though passengers are charged
a low amount per ride, the taxpayers are paying as much as $25 per
para-transit ride.  In Lansing, most cab rides are around $10 or less for a
1 person ride, not a shared ride.  In theory a shared ride should be lower
than a private personal ride. This is not a sustainable model.  Sooner or
later, politicians will catch on and say that public transit is too
expensive, especially para-transit.  When you couple the experiences of many
riders to the cost, it will eventually become a target for budget cutters.

Please, Let's show up in numbers and make our voices heard.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

From: Kafantaris, Karen [mailto:KKafantaris at aarp.org] 
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2015 11:31 AM
Subject: Join us for Getting There: Capital Region Transportation Forum
10/22/15

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Image removed by sender. AARP Advocacy Alert

Dear Friend,

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Improve Transportation Options in the Greater Lansing Area!
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=D66zqZ1U1CMeAZPUjy0aXQ> 

Please Register by October 19
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=shUVqRvXLd2NdF5vaIPCIw> 

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Did you know that most people outlive their ability to drive by 7 to 10
years?

How do you get from place to place in the Lansing area now?  How do your
parents get around?  If you could no longer drive, wouldn't you still want
to be able to get out for lunch with friends, shopping, appointments and
recreational opportunities?

Please join AARP Michigan
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=QZa3-1vLyAb-gVxL8-0S4A>  on Thursday,
October 22 for Getting There: Capital Region Transportation Forum.  The
forum will explore safe, affordable, age-friendly transportation options in
our region, including how to connect with what is currently available and
what needs are not being met.

There will be small group discussions about transportation access to
community businesses, jobs, entertainment, health care and other locations.
We want to hear about your wants and needs.  Your input is valuable and can
help shape the future transportation options and quality of life in the
tri-county area.  <http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=jO9RSYvtSjNHsp2RDE5NeA>
Please see agenda here.

We encourage residents, neighborhood groups, appointed and elected
officials, and transportation officials to come together to participate
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=qNKLXT7UdhK2cnGfbiWpVg>  in this important
community discussion. The event is free of charge, but seating is limited.
Please register by calling 1-877-926-8300 or register online
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=YmYNmNvmdaMWSs2RAGaeKw>  by Monday, October
19.

For more information, visit our AARP Michigan website at www.AARP.org/MI
<http://action.aarp.org/site/R?i=Np5FkG9mxKHFmIpDATilZQ>  or email us at
miaarp at aarp.org.  You can also follow us on Twitter at @AARPMichigan for
real time updates.

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