What Are You Willing To Do About Transportation?

2007-01-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

Transportation is always identified as one of the four major problems that everyone in disability community can agree on as a major problem. Not since "We Will Ride", the ADAPT campaign, has there been a consistent effort to systemically change transportation to accommodate people with disabilities.

I pose two questions:

What changes would you like to see made to transportation in Georgia? And, What are you willing to do to change it?

Kate Gainer
Advocacy Director
Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
nkgainer@dhr.state.ga.us

Transit Options Vary Across Georgia, Making a Difference Magazine, October 2006

2006-10-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

Lack of transportation is one of the biggest obstacles to employment for people with disabilities. Even in cities with mass transit, people find themselves unable to get to work, the grocery store or social engagements. Rural areas without transit can be even worse.

In Georgia, local governments are in charge of finding transportation for their citizens. The state Department of Transportation only plays a limited role, according to spokesperson David Spear.

Georgia’s gas tax, which pays for transportation projects, is structured so that it can only be spent on road and bridge construction and maintenance. With this limitation, the DOT is installing audible walk/don’t walk signals so people with visual impairments can more safely cross the street. In addition, some walk/don’t walk signals are equipped with a timing device. “This helps people in wheelchairs know how much time they have to safely cross the street.”

These pedestrian improvements are installed at the request of local governments and sometimes individuals, as funding allows. However, the DOT does receive some federal funds that can help. “We provide funds for local governments to buy rolling stock that is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant,” Spear said. Under this program, the DOT has purchased buses for MARTA as well as rural transit systems, but “the operating cost and maintenance falls to the local government. We can’t give sustained operational support,” he said.

While the state doesn’t have an overall plan for transportation, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is in the beginning stages of a comprehensive plan for the 18-county metro Atlanta area, according to Senior Planner David Schilling of the ARC Transportation Planning Division. A Human Services Transportation Plan Steering Committee had its first meeting September 26 to discuss the issue, which encompasses transportation for people with disabilities, the elderly and people with lower incomes. The committee was formed as a result of the federal Safe, Affordable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) passed in August 2005.

“We need to find out what’s out there now, do an inventory of services and where they’re funded,” Schilling said. ARC hopes to coordinate the services they find to save money for the affected counties and time for people with disabilities. “No one has looked at this as regional or thought about how to have counties coordinate travel from Douglas to Fayette,” he said.

While many rural counties in Georgia struggle with providing transportation to residents with disabilities, Talbot county in central Georgia has overcome the challenge. While the county only has about 6,500 residents, it also has four accessible vans to help those who are transportation challenged get where they need to go. The system has been in place for nearly 20 years and has worked well for the residents who use it. “We have four drivers and two substitutes,” explained Sandra Higginbotham, the program manager for the project.

Paid for with county funds and a matching grant from the Federal Transit Administration, the small, but effective transit system covers a county that is over 393 square miles big. Last year, 40,585 one-way trips were made on the system. Rates for the trips vary based on how many miles are traveled.

“Talbot has one of the best systems in the state,” Spear said.

As part of its five-year plan, the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities wants to research and propose solutions to the transportation problems in the state. Readers are invited to submit their problems and/or solutions to GCDD on its blog for transportation advocates, www.gatransportationadvocates.blogspot.com .

Welcome transportation advocates!

2006-10-10T07:44:00.000-05:00

The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities wants to know what advocates are doing in your community to promote affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation. We are looking for local success stories, opportunities for involvement, and the latest information on transportation services in Georgia. Please use this blog to share your experiences with advocates throughout Georgia.

We hope your experiences will inspire others.

Georgia Transportation Advocates

What Are You Willing To Do About Transportation?

Transit Options Vary Across Georgia, Making a Difference Magazine, October 2006

Welcome transportation advocates!