Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:48:29 -0500
From: Chris Garriss
Subject: “Ghost” Bus
I too do not believe in “wasting” money, and certainly over my 60+ years have seen more than a few examples.
And while I do not have children, cutting education is (in my opinion) idiotic unless there is something stupid being done – on the order of (and no, insofar as I know this does not exist, just an extreme exaggeration as an example) the secretary to the assistant to the deputy school superintendent. Hire / keep a teacher when possible – we, not just Chatham County, are raising illiterate, under-educated children that are focused on instant gratification, have trouble forming coherent sentences, cannot perform basic arithmetic and some of whom think Idaho and other states not bordering their own are foreign countries, can not locate the United States on a world map and other things I would not have believed possible. The concept of civics and civic responsibility escape them. And the educational achievement of kids in US are now below some “third world” countries, and well below just about every industrialized country in the world.
However, I do ride the bus, I have never seen it “empty” other the end of day run back to Chapel Hill to the depot (when I believe it should in fact be empty) – I will agree that there are some trips when it has a minimal number of riders – but I have never seen as few as two people nor four nor six.
I am not a fan of the Chapel Hill Transit System – but I use it pretty much daily. The Chatham County Transit Network is, shall we say, “inconvenient”. If one is to work in Chapel Hill, or anywhere in the Triangle, CTN is of absolutely no use. Unless you work a 20 – 25 hour / week job. Questions directed to CTN, several times, have never been answered in any way, shape or form – including an acknowledgment there was a question. Perhaps you have ridden all PX (Pittsboro Express) trips / followed all trips. If you “…commute to Chapel Hill twice a day…” and see the bus so often, why are you not riding it? And, if “… transit bus drivers because they do speed…” and “… I have to SPEED to catch up…” would seem to imply you are speeding excessively yourself.
The price of gasoline is over $3 per gallon, and rising. Depending on who you “listen” to, it is heading to the $5 per gallon range. Perhaps yours is not, but my income is somewhat limited.
Just as Triangle Transit and city transit systems gained ridership with gasoline price increases, I think it likely given the number of Chatham County residents that work in Chapel Hill, ridership will increase. The county may have provided some matching funds, but the ONLY place I have ever seen the Pittsboro bus “advertised” is in Chapel Hill. It may have been mentioned in Pittsboro / Chatham County, but I never saw or heard such. And via informal “survey” most of the Chathamites I’ve asked did not know it existed. Of course, I have heard almost nothing about the CTN either. Perhaps if there was / had been some active promotion there would have been more riders.
Although at this point, it appears moot. I emailed all of the commissioners with some questions relating to this and other matters. I know that three of the emails were opened (by someone), only one commissioner responded in any way. The balance appear to have ignored both me and my questions.
Just as I fully support the right of you to express your opinions – and wish more people would – these have been solely mine.
Chris
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2011 08:29:55 -0500
From: Meg Miller
Subject: Adios, ghost bus
I didn’t vote for these new commissioners and I’m afraid of the Tea Party
zealots, however, if I ride by that empty da!@ bus from Chapel Hill to
Pittsboro one more time, I may change my affiliation. If they can
reasonable cut spending, then I say let’s give them a chance. Hands off the
schools because they are just starting to get where they need to be after
years of stagnation.
I think the bus is matching funds from somewhere but the need we feel to
take advantage of matching funds is like buying something on sale that you
don’t need. You’re still spending money pointlessly.
Goodbye empty bus. (I commute to Chapel Hill twice a day and see this bus
all this time and have NEVER seen more than 2 people on it and most of the
time is was empty of riders) And I have to SPEED to catch up with the thing
just to look on it to count the non existent riders.
I’m not of fan of Chapel Hill transit bus drivers because they do speed and
run lights (I have almost been hit twice at the same intersection in Chapel
Hill by buses running red lights). Every time I see this bus between Chapel
Hill and the north Chatham park n ride it is doing at least 10 miles over
the speed limit. Just another reason to say adios, autobus.
The other cuts I can’t comment on except to say that if ONE teaching
position is saved by cutting something like the Obesity director, then
that’s a price worth paying. I’m married to a State worker and know second
hand that there’s plenty of FAT to be cut out there and you don’t need an
obesity director to find it.
(pun)
Signed a Democrat who is sick of waste,
Meg