HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 6/7/2016 - Email From Myles Crane Re: Comments And Concerns - May 26 Transfort Public Meeting1
Sarah Kane
From: Myles Crane <mylescrane@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 7:24 PM
To: Kurt Ravenschlag
Cc: Timothy Wilder; Gerry Horak; Sarah Kane
Subject: Comments and Concerns - May 26 Transfort Public Meeting
Hi Kurt,
1. May 26 public meeting
Comments:
• T. Wilder and all Transfort staff at yesterday’s STC meeting
were welcoming, knowledgeable, professionally prepared and responsive
to public input.
• Transfort's schematics were clear, well designed, and helpful.
2. Four reasons for Planned Transfort Improvement (?) for Drake/Shields
and related comments and concerns
(1) Reason: Convenient new bus stop nearby
"A convenient stop to serve the Senior Center is planned on Shields a short distance away.”
(Transfort public poster)
Concerns:
• Proposed new location is at least 500 feet or 167 yards, or about 1 and 2/3 football fields
distance from the Senior Center.
• It's not convenient or a short distance away for travelers who are the frail elderly,
or senior vets or other older residents requiriing walkers, canes, crutches, prosthetics, or
those between chemo, dialysis or other serious medical treatments, or on opioids, antidepressants
or other strong meds with potentially debilitating side effects.
• It’s not convenient for a legally-blind 73 year old friend residing downtown who travels on Transfort
5 days a week,
volunteers at the Senior Center and then visits assisted living facilities to sing, play his guitar, and
otherwise entertain
June 2, 2016
TO: Mayor & City Council
FROM: Miles Crane
/sek
2
immobile residents who wish they could visit the Senior Center but do not have the resources to do
so.
(2) Reason: Safety.
Comments:
Elimination of bus stop at Senior Center is planned because Transfort buses within the parking lot are
allegedly not safe.
Please keep in mind that there have been no accidents reported publicly to date because Transfort properly
trains its drivers.
Concerns:
• Please also consider the people cited in “2” above who now have safety through the shelter, adequate
lighting, and seating
at the Senior Center while waiting for their buses. How safe will these seniors be during inclement
weather to negotiate
the likely slippery walk across the street to catch Rte 7 Northbound or their 167 yard slog to the
proposed new bus
stop for Rte. 7 Southbound?
• Neither the current Nbound or proposed Sbound have shelter, lighting, or seating. Please think about
potential unfavorable
publicity or worse if one of the abovementioned has a serious fall or incurs some other major
accident because the
bus stop was moved away from the Senior Center.
• Please also Note: per Transfort bus stop design standards and guidelines July 2015,
could Drake/Shield bus stop shelters be possible per images 24-27 on page 31?
http://www.ridetransfort.com/img/site_specific/uploads/Final_Design_Standards.pdf Page 31
(images 24-27)
(3) Reason: Transfort drivers state that most riders using this stop are students coming from the CSU campus.
Comments:
This is consistent with a prior Transfort study for all city’s routes seven years ago which cites
"CSU accounts for over one-third of Transfort’s total riders. Total system ridership increases by 73% when
CSU is in-session.”
http://www.ridetransfort.com/img/site_specific/uploads/TSOP_Reduced_Size.pdf
Concerns:
• Various city constituencies need to do a better job of improving public awareness and training
offerings to get more seniors on the
buses to the Senior Center.
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• The ability of older residents to conveniently and safely access the Senior Center was a key
consideration in the recent
national NISC accreditation of Fort Collins Senior Center as well as Fort Collins, as part of Larimer
County, recently being
designated the national designation as an AARP Age-Friendly Community.
(4) Reason: Fewer riders use this route because the Senior Center stop decreases route reliability to MAX.
Comment:
Transfort’s decision to eliminate the bus stop at the Senior Center is clearly based on business productivity to
provide service
where there is economic demand for frequency and speed.
Concerns:
• While above is a reasonable consideration, the City also has a social responsibility to provide
convenient access for seniors who have mobility needs.
• The State demographer’s statistics remind us about the projected growing senior population
in our city all of whom have expectations and often are dedicated voters, tax payers, and with their
friends and relatives spend considerable sums in Fort Collins.
3. Other:
Comment:
Transfort should consider improving public communications (suggestions: needs assessment surveys,
and/or focus groups and/or resident mailings) regarding Transfort Services relating to
Dial-a-Ride, Dial-a-Taxi for paratransit purposes which Fort Collins provides consistent with the American with
Disabilities Act.
Concern:
The public at large is typically not well-informed about these services and/or
alternative services such as SAINT etc..
http://www.ridetransfort.com/img/site_specific/uploads/DialATaxi_Info_022515.pdf
Thank you for requesting Comment Cards at the public meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Myles Crane, community member
cc. Other members of City Council and City Manager’s Leadership Team through Sara Kane
separate copies to Joe and Rachel Cassidy and others in our community
—————————
On May 24, 2016, at 12:07 PM, Gerry Horak <ghorak@fcgov.com> wrote:
Rachel and Joe
Thanks for the email and feedback. Your concerns are why I have asked for more information and analysis prior to a
change.
4
Sincerely
Gerry
Gerry Horak
Mayor Pro Tem
Councilmember
District 6
ghorak@fcgov.com
217-2993
123 North Mack Street
Fort Collins, CO 80521
With limited exceptions, emails and any files transmitted with them are subject to public disclosure under the
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From: RAKKCASS@comcast.net [RAKKCASS@comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2016 2:40 PM
To: Gerry Horak
Cc: Katie Stieber; Darin Atteberry; Kay Marshall; Alan Beatty; Judy Coker-Blaa; Myles Crane; Susanne Dalton; Janet Enell;
Jeanne Hoag; Gordon Gartner; Ann Leffler; Richard Newtown; Jackie Newtown; Alan Van Nice; Carole Suchy; Nancy
Walther; Betsy Emond; Ashley Ruffer; Jason Chadock; Laura Shaver; Bob Adams; Diane Smith; Gosha Croitor; Gregory
Wells; Patricia Housley; Sarah Schilz; King, Suzanne
Subject: Re: May Transfort News including bus stop updates
To whom this may concern:
Instead of limiting access to various services and venues for senior citizens, think of how you would
feel if you had to depend on friends and/or relatives or taxis or such transportation. Using a bus is
reasonable and safe and extremely important to keep older folks from becoming "hermitized" in their
homes.
Mr. Atteberry, in particular: You should visit the Senior Center to see how important it is that the
oldsters among us be able to use that excellent facility. Please use whatever influence or power you
have to make sure that our bus services are available to take folks to and from the Senior
Center. Also, please remember, respectfully, that we pay taxes and vote!
Thank you.
Rachel (78) and Joe Cassidy (91)
From: "Gerry Horak" <ghorak@fcgov.com>
To: "Katie Stieber" <KSTIEBER@fcgov.com>, "Darin Atteberry" <DATTEBERRY@fcgov.com>
Cc: "Kay Marshall" <katiesue484@yahoo.com>, "Alan Beatty" <jabeatty1@yahoo.com>, "Judy
Coker-Blaa" <judithcokerblaa@yahoo.com>, "Myles Crane" <mylescrane@gmail.com>, "Joe
Cassidy" <rakkcass@comcast.net>, "Susanne Dalton" <susannluvstennis@yahoo.com>, "Janet
Enell" <jeemenagerie@yahoo.com>, "Jeanne Hoag" <jeanneh222@gmail.com>, "Gordon Gartner"
5
<gggartner1933@aol.com>, "Ann Leffler" <ann.leffler1@gmail.com>, "Richard Newtown"
<rnewtown@comast.net>, "Jackie Newtown" <jay8245@yahoo.com>, "Alan Van Nice"
<alvannice@earthlink.net>, "Carole Suchy" <suchycarole4572@comcast.net>, "Nancy Walther"
<babyboomerteach@yahoo.com>, "Betsy Emond" <bemond@fcgov.com>, "Ashley Ruffer"
<aruffer@fcgov.com>, "Jason Chadock" <jchadock@fcgov.com>, "Laura Shaver"
<lshaver@fcgov.com>, "Bob Adams" <badams@fcgov.com>, "Diane Smith"
<dsmith2007@mindspring.com>, "Gosha Croitor" <goshacroitor14@hotmail.com>, "Gregory Wells"
<wellsgs@comcast.net>, "Patricia Housley" <ljhousley@wwdb.org>, "Sarah Schilz"
<sarah.schilz@windermere.com>, "Suzanne King" <ruby-suz@msn.com>
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 8:31:23 PM
Subject: Re: May Transfort News including bus stop updates
Katie
Thanks
Darin
Please provide an analysis for the proposed change.
Thanks
Gerry
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