NashTransit

Lots to talk about today!

First of all, a followup to my post from the other day about MTA's communication to the public about the route cuts. Public notifications are in fact on the way. I spoke today with Patricia Harris-Morehead, MTA's Communications Director. Beginning Monday, look for notices to appear in the buses. Bus drivers will work to make sure riders are aware of the changes, and information will start showing up at bus stops along the affected routes. Sad as I am that these routes may have to go, I'm glad they're working to let people know.

Next: On Monday, the editorial page of the Tennessean will two have guest columns on public transit - one for, and one against. These double-column sections usually leave room for letters to the editor. So if you'd like to speak your mind, send your 250 words or less to letters@tennessean.com. Yes, it's short notice: the columns (and letters) run this coming Monday.

Next: Metro Council's public hearing on the Metro Operating budget is this coming Tuesday, June 3 at 6:30 pm. It's in the Council Chamber at City Hall. This is a good time to show up and support MTA. As far as I can tell, it's really the last chance for additional money to help address the budget shortfall. Don't expect Council to suddenly pony up an extra $2.9 million, but any significant amount will help. MTA will restore routes as funding becomes available.

Finally, according to MTA, there's some talk in the Tennessee General Assembly about giving public transit some help statewide. A dedicated funding source like a sales or gas tax would help counter some of the year-to-year budget uncertainties MTA often faces. Ms. Harris-Morehead points to the half-cent tax in Charlotte, NC, which provides $65.6 million annually to its public transit system.

Like most people, I'm not a huge fan of tax increases. I would hope that instead, some form of government waste could be eliminated to help pay for this more worthy cause. But just a tiny portion of the total that Charlotte brings in from their tax would easily take care of MTA's budget shortfall. Just makes you think of the possibilities.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 7:46 PM 0 Comments

OK, with that out of the way, I suppose I should point out some news from over the weekend:

Dean's administration filed a $4.1 million supplemental budget appropriation Friday for the Metro Council to vote on next month.

The extra money would allow MTA to finish this fiscal year on June 30 with a balanced budget.

Read more here.

edited to add: I probably should mention that MTA doesn't get the whole $4.1 million. Just $336,000. It was a little unclear the way I posted that excerpt.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 8:47 PM 0 Comments

Friday morning I took a slightly later bus into work than usual. The bus driver for that trip was announcing out loud the routes that are about to be cut. Actually making sure that people on the bus knew about what was about to happen. He told me he'd been doing this for a couple weeks now. Thank you, sir, for doing this. None of my other drivers have said a word about it.

I'll have to check in the morning to see if there is anything posted about the scheduled changes anywhere on the bus. If anything, it will be the typical half-sized sheet copy of the press release, about as bland and as unnoticeable as can be.

On Saturday afternoon, I passed by the information kiosk at the transfer station downtown. I took a good look around. Not a word about the cuts to be seen anywhere.

Hey, MTA! If you want people to make noise about the budget cuts you've been handed, and if you don't want people furious at you come July 1 when the bus suddenly fails to show up without warning, you've got to let people know what's about to happen. Not everyone is on your email list. Not everyone reads the Tennessean every day. And certainly very few people I've seen ever pick up those little press releases.

My advice? Invest in a few cases of Astrobright paper. Fire up Word and make a new sign to replace the press releases. Cut down on the words. Use a large font size. Get it noticed. It's the very least you could do.

And for Pete's sake, keep a fresh supply of them in the buses at all times.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:31 PM 0 Comments

So, if you haven't already heard, the MTA board voted in the cutbacks and changes. You can read the press release here.

They still leave open the option of restoring routes as soon as funding can be found. I haven't done the calculation yet, but now that fares are up, it wouldn't even take the full $2.9 million to restore all the cut routes. Of course I'm sure we'd all rather have the old fares again, considering this is the second fare increase in recent memory.

So this would be a great time to contact your local Metro Council rep (or indeed all of them) and let them know what you think. Be nice! They meet to discuss the overall budget on June 3.

update: Ack!

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:21 AM 0 Comments

Tomorrow at 1:30pm begins the next meeting of the MTA board, where they will vote on the proposed cuts. The agenda can be found here. It starts with the minutes from the previous meeting, and also has a breakdown of the performance of all routes, not just the bottom eleven.

The time for public comment to MTA is officially over, but it wouldn't hurt to drop them a quick email. Just remember that without an extra $2.9 million to kick around, something has to give, painful as that will be.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 7:40 AM 0 Comments

A few details have changed since yesterday's Tennessean article. The MTA planning and finance committee has put forth their recommendations. What's different? The fare increase is more: up 25 cents rather than 15. Meanwhile, AccessRide stays unaffected. According to the article, public comments to MTA encouraged the change.

It's not mentioned in the article, but the word straight from MTA is that the reduction in service to the #8 8th Avenue South bus would be in frequency.

Overall, is this scheme better or worse? Hard to say, but I'm sure there are a lot of AccessRide passengers sleeping easier tonight.

The full MTA board still has to vote on the plan.

The other day, my mention of Tennessee's gasoline tax got a little attention over at the Nashville Post's politics blog. One commenter there said:

Let Nashville and the MTA riders pay. Not the state.

And that's a fairly common sentiment. But if you check out MTA's public hearing powerpoint you'll see that that's really already the case. Nearly three quarters of MTA's operating funds come from Metro or "self-generated" sources, that is, fares, advertising, etc. Only 12% ($4.7 million) comes from the state.

Meanwhile, if we had good public transportation here, maybe - just maybe - another expensive road project wouldn't have to happen on the public dime.

And, as Jim Grinstead ably demonstrates at progressivenashville.com, in the grand scheme of things $2.9 million isn't really a lot of money. But it would mean a lot to MTA, its riders, and all those who are thinking about becoming riders.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 8:42 PM 0 Comments

One mile of streetcar track costs $12 million.

Somehow I don't see that happening anytime soon.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 12:01 AM 0 Comments

That's the early scoop from the Tennessean this evening. Also gone is late-night service, plus cutbacks to AccessRide, and a reduction in the #8 route. The MTA board still has to vote on the plan.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:45 PM 0 Comments

I can tell... I can see it in your eyes. You're the type of person who loves to pore over pages and pages of Metro budget documents. You want to go to here and download the entire 2008-09 budget document, all 733 pages and 19 megabytes of it, paying special attention to pages 618 through 630 (H-67 through H-79).

Have fun and indulge yourself. Just do us a favor: save a small deciduous forest by not printing it out.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:48 PM 0 Comments

So I finally managed to get to one of the public hearings this evening, over at the Easley Community Center on Edgehill. It wasn't a huge turnout (maybe only 12 or 13 people in addition to MTA officials,) but everyone had something good to say. Thanks to MTA for adding this final meeting, and to MTA Director of Planning Jim McAteer for leading the discussion and taking everyone's questions.

One interesting tidbit that came out during the discussion is that MTA does not get a dime of Tennessee's gasoline tax. I can't speak to how efficiently TDOT uses that tax revenue to maintain and build infrastructure, as is necessary. Still, the state could do more to encourage public transportation, perhaps by listening to the road-builders lobby just a little bit less.

As I've mentioned before, MTA needs your comments and suggestions by May 14. It's not just so that they can determine the best course of action given this inadequate budget. They may also rely on your comments as they work to build support with local and state officials.

Speaking of those local and state officials - talk to them, too. They need to know what effect these cuts will have. Even if you don't ride the bus yourself. Do you have employees who ride the bus? Customers? Volunteers? What is it worth to you that they can get to your door?

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:17 PM 0 Comments

Tennessean: Nashville commuters use carpools, buses to save on fuel costs

New York Times: Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit

# posted by dotsandlines @ 10:26 PM 0 Comments

One of the more interesting parts of the public hearing presentation MTA has posted is the list of the eleven lowest performing bus routes and how much they all cost to operate.

I added up the numbers and checked twice. The operating cost of all these eleven routes comes out to $2.85 million. Given the budget shortfall is $2.9 million, it's no coincidence they only picked the bottom eleven routes and no more.

That said, in addition to these eleven routes they're also considering the removal of weekend and holiday routes, Night Owl, as well as fare increases and changes to Access Ride. These things are all on the table, but it's not necessarily true that everything proposed is going to be cut. There are many options. That's why your comments to MTA are important. You can help determine MTA's course of action.

There's one more public hearing Monday night at the Easley Community Center on Edgehill Ave. If you can't make it, be sure to email or call MTA no later than Wednesday the 14th.

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:18 PM 0 Comments

Excellent! MTA has posted the Powerpoint presentation they're using during the public hearings. Plenty of information to take in:

http://www.nashvillemta.org/PDF/May2008-PublicHearings.PDF

p.s. this just in:

A Special Workshop Presentation
at the Nashville Civic Design Center
in Cooperation with
The Regional Transit Authority
Franklin Conaway:
Making the Case for a Return of Streetcars in Nashville

Franklin Conaway is a national consultant specializing in urban redevelopment and passenger rail planning. He is currently working on streetcar assessments in several cities, and has evolved a twenty-point checklist on conditions that must be in place for a streetcar system to be successful. Lo and behold, he finds that Nashville is a very strong candidate for streetcar viability. Mr. Conaway will make his case at this special workshop presentation, and then respond to questions and comments from the audience. Could the return of streetcars, on at least a limited basis, be in Nashville's future?

The general public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, May 7th at 5:15 p.m.
138 Second Avenue North Suite 106

# posted by dotsandlines @ 10:01 PM 0 Comments

So, tonight was the first of the MTA public hearings about the potential cutbacks. If anyone reading this went, add a comment here and tell us about it!

Next one is tomorrow night. Do remember that MTA is not the 'enemy' here - they've been dealt a lousy hand and are trying to make do. The best thing you can do is show up, be counted, and be supportive.

A few things we've found out from MTA:

• Metro Council is holding a public hearing on the Metro Operating budget on June 3, at 6:30 pm.
• If no other funding is found through the Metro Council, MTA cuts will begin on July 1.
• MTA wants bus riders to send letters and emails to council members. So get to it!

# posted by dotsandlines @ 9:31 PM 2 Comments