After a study and public input on providing CARTA bus service to East Ridge, officials said Thursday that demand responsive service is the option suggested to East Ridge. It best matches the needs that were provided in the answers that CARTA was given, and would be starting with something small, said Lisa Maragnano, CARTA executive director.
She said this would use small buses and operate as a "call-on-demand," door to door service, operating only within East Ridge. There would be a 15-minute response time and an estimated 15 minutes to get to the destination. Those citizens would be able to connect to downtown or Eastgate routes that are main lines. The plan is modeled on using three buses, all small, neighborhood-type vehicles. The size of buses used could get larger as demand increases.
CARTA’s operating cost to provide this service would be $300,000 per year. The typical participation rate for a municipality is 50 percent. East Ridge could get help to fund this service from federal and state matching grants. A key element would be participation, said Ms. Maragnano.
This presentation was considered a starting point in the creation of a plan tailor made for East Ridge and it is flexible and can be modified to meet the demands of participants.
One recommendation was made at the Thursday meeting, to substitute one of the neighborhood buses for a Care-A-Van, specifically for the disabled and elderly. The cost to adjust the plan in this way was requested. Ms. Maragnano said that the cost to adjust the plan would be determined later. She also said that on-demand service is the most difficult for CARTA to handle.
The East Ridge City Council will now decide how to proceed on the proposed service from CARTA, said Mayor Brent Lambert. He said he expected a decision would be made within about six weeks.
Ms. Maragnano and Phillip Pugliese, systems transportation planner, gave a presentation by compiling the input from citizens of East Ridge gathered through an online survey and a public meeting. The proposal of an appropriate plan to service the city had been created and was suggested in response to the information that had been given by 167 people who took the survey.
The first question was would the route be supported? with 79 percent answering yes. The primary purposes of bus service of those who would use it, would include 47 percent for employment, 50 percent for shopping, 43 percent for medical and 37 percent for recreational purposes. Of respondents, 29 percent said that they would use the service to visit friends and relatives, and 18 percent would use it to get to and from schools.
There were also 24 percent of survey takers who said they were not likely to ride the bus at all. Daily use was expected by 22 percent that took the survey, and 30 percent said they would use buses weekly. The majority of people, 68 percent, would be able to access a bus stop on Ringgold Road and would walk to get there. The city is already planning to build more sidewalks along Ringgold Road that would help.
Of the proposed routes, most answered that both the downtown connector and a neighborhood connector to Eastgate Town Center were equally important. Although 88 percent of those answering the questionnaire said they had no disability affecting their ability to ride the bus, it was noted that all CARTA buses are wheelchair accessible. Access to a mobile phone was available to 77 percent to call for service.
Additional comments that are being considered include that some citizens in East Ridge need connectivity, and some have a destination need. Bus service is also needed for seniors and those with disabilities. The people who said there was no particular need, also expressed concern that their taxes would go up.
Mr. Pugliese said there are many options that have been considered that would affect the performance and cost to East Ridge, such as potential routes, using different size vehicles, frequency of service and the span of service each day.