Rider or no, the MTA is a must have
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 6:11PM Manchester’s bus system is a joke. The routes are erratic, the stops are poorly signed, transfers can be difficult and there are too few bus shelters like this one:
And unless you work a straight 9-5 job, you can’t count on taking the bus to and from work as service stops at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 5 p.m. on Saturday and doesn’t exist at all on Sunday.
I didn’t think things could get much worse, but they’re about to.
Due to what management says is inadequate funding from the city, the Manchester Transit Authority is set to drastically cut service this fall. Among the measures discussed are the elimination of Saturday bus service, the elimination or consolidation of up to half of the MTA’s 13 bus routes and the instituting of an inefficient “call-a-bus” service for much of the city. And in conjunction with this reduction in service, a possible fare increase of 20 to 60 percent.
For a city the size of Manchester, this is unacceptable. But very few, it seems, seem to care.
And if you own a car, why should you? You’ve probably never had need to set foot on a bus. I know I never have.
But regardless of whether or not we actually ride the bus, a well-functioning public transit system is a must. For those who don’t have cars — mainly the poor and elderly — the bus is a lifeline that connects them with work, school, shopping, medical appointments and the like.
Bus riders are employees and consumers, students and patients. The bus is an economic development tool. Why aren’t employers, retailers, universities and hospitals up in arms with regard to the city’s inadequate MTA funding and the proposed service cuts? If riders can’t get where they need to go, they can’t earn and spend money there. The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce should be out in front of this issue. So, too, should city leaders who claim to want to attract employers and increase the tax base.
Simply put, adequate funding for the MTA shouldn’t be seen as a mere handout to the city’s poor and elderly populations, but rather an investment that will pay dividends of higher employment as people can take the bus to and from work (and to look for work).
It will also pay off in higher business sales and vitality as riders take the bus to do their shopping. I have a friend who currently does a good deal of her shopping online because she cannot take the bus to local shops at hours that are convenient for her.
A third benefit of a good bus system is less traffic. If the MTA was more user-friendly and stopped anywhere near my house, I would be happy to use it to run errands around town, and I bet I’m not the only car owner who would do so. This would take cars off the road and improve parking availability for everyone else.
And finally, there’s the environmental impact of fewer cars on the road. Cleaner air, cleaner water, less carbon dioxide emissions — public transit a no brainer.
For those wishing to sound off about the proposed cuts to the MTA, a public hearing will be held on Monday, June 15, at City Hall. But good luck getting there if you work for a living – the meeting will be held at 3 p.m.
Am I the only one who sees a problem here?
Reader Comments (7)
The only I problem I see is the look on little Patrick McCallister's face (page 5). Such disbelief.
Well pal, if it's any concilation, Mcminnville has no mass transit. Murfreesboro has a fleet of private cab companies with cars that look as if they're one full tank from a salvage depot and a new bus system (called Rover with a dog as a mascot!) that has too few buses and very little to no advertisement for information regarding it.
Nashville? It's a mess too... No one cares. They have guns to buy!
Buses deliver shoppers and employees to Wal Mart , the Mall and grocery stores.
They deliver passengers and employees to the airport and adjacent industrial park.
Buses deliver students to SNHU and St. Anselm College (theoretically at least).
Buses deliver patients and employees to hospitals and clinics.
The revenue solution is simple: auction off bus routes. The more the Mall of NH pays, the more frequent and regular routes it gets.
A market solution to end a government problem.
That's an interesting idea, Mark. Businesses benefiting from bus service should help pay for it.
Not to be too cynical, but don't you think they will already claim they are through the taxes they have been paying?
Will - you answered many of your own questions in your post. There is no uproar about MTA losing funding because the current MTA service is poorly designed and only services a very small transportation dependent audience. As you pointed out in your post, because of the current structure of MTA routes and service our, the MTA is more ore less completely useless to the majority of the citizens and the business community. How many lawyers, bankers, accountants, and other workers who travel downtown each day ride the bus? I think we all know the answer - none!
You write that "The bus is an economic development tool." You are right, public transit can be an economic development tool but only if is deployed properly so that it is available and appealing to the majority of commuters each day. Currently, its only a realistic option for a very very small fraction of the workforce.
Much of the blame for this situation lies with the inability of the City and MTA to be flexible and creative in developing a solution. This situation screams out for a regional solution that involves the surrounding communities investing with Manchester in a public transit service that provides an attractive regional service that is not tailored to the transit dependent, but rather to the masses of workers who fill the office building of Downtown Manchester each day.
Good points all, Mike.
Interesting to read the opinions here. I like the idea of having businesses who benefit from the bus service take a more active role in funding the system. However, in the past the MTA has addressed this idea by saying that the businesses already feel like they are paying for the service through their taxes. With that said, that wasn't supported by any documentation and if businesses were given the choice of reduced/eliminated service vs. paying, it's hard to say what their choice would be.
I ride the bus daily. I made the choice when I moved to Manchester 2 years ago to use public transportation and to give up my car. I'm proud to say that I am a Manchester Young Professional and I certainly could pay for a car, gas, maintenance, etc. Part of the choice was to save money, another part was to help the environment, and the final part was to experience what mass transit could be like in a mid-sized American city.
Now with my experience of riding the bus, I've seen the variety of people who ride. I think everyone should try it, if for no other reason than that one. The bus currently runs out to the mall on Saturday -- try it. The bus takes you to the airport and it's much cheaper than paying for parking -- try it.
Try it. You might like it.
Or you might learn something about others and about yourself.
There are people trying to support the system. There are big changes coming in the MTA as a result of Tuesday's meeting. The city is going to be taking tighter control of things and scrutinizing decisions/balance sheets.
If anyone would like to get involved in supporting the bus system, join us at http://www.UnitedManchester.org