Mount Pleasant, SC- In addition to raising hell, practicing law and attempting to launch my son towards adulthood via his senor year in High School and admission to Evergreen State College, I'm a local volunteer activist for transit working with our regional transit authority in Charleston County, CARTA. After ten years of effort, including a two year near shutdown of the system and 2 million dollars in budget cuts, my part of the county has managed to push it's back off the wall with an effort to improve our segment of the system.
This is a non partisan, local effort, so I'm working with pro public transit Republicans and business people as well as my favorite local leftists. The system is funded by a referendum approved tax levy with 20 more years to run so the Republicans are OK with making the system work better. Many are invaluable members of the team. it wouldn't be possible without them and the support of the business community, churches, non profits and local government.
Here is the text of my column published on paper in the local communty weekly paper, the Moultrie News.
The new CARTA bus route system will begin running East of the Cooper on Sunday, April 17, providing transportation that day to the popular Blessing of the Fleet Festival at Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park.
The new CARTA bus route system will begin running East of the Cooper on Sunday, April 17, providing transportation that day to the popular Blessing of the Fleet Festival at Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park.
All three new lines will begin running their regular routes that day, allowing those going to the Festival to travel from throughout Mt. Pleasant, the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island to the event without having to take their automobiles to and park their cars at the 12 thousand person event.
Beach Island residents will be able to take the new Island Flex route to Town Center where they can transfer to the #40 or #401 bus to reach the Festival at Waterfront Memorial Park.
The new #401 community circulator loop bus (just renamed the East Cooper Connector yesterday) will provide transportation directly into the park for people living near Belle Hall, Coleman Blvd., Snowden, Long Point Road, Chuck Dawley and Bowman Road among other locations along that route.
Passengers traveling from as far North in Mount Pleasant as the location of Wando High School, Charleston National, Park West and the new Mount Pleasant Hospital will be able to take the #40 bus directly to the celebration, walking from a stop by Channel 2 TV to the park. The #40 will also allow people traveling outbound from its stop near the Visitor’s Center in Downtown Charleston to reach the popular festival.
At the Blessing of the Fleet festival, CARTA and volunteers working with the CARTA 541 initiative will operate an information center out of a parked neighborhood sized bus and tent in Waterfront Park where full information on the new route system will be available, including maps and detailed schedules. Trained volunteers will be available to assist those wanting to take the bus to the beach, using it to allow students to access after school activities and for getting to Downtown Charleston and connections to the entire regional transportation system.
Details on the intense launch effort which will begin with the Blessing of the Fleet are being finalized this week by CARTA, the area’s three municipal governments and the East Cooper CARTA riders Face book group. The effort will include three weeks of coordinated outreach with the community’s schools, nonprofit groups, churches and business community. After school education stop service will begin after Spring Break ends on Monday, April 25. Events involving the Beach, Mount Pleasant Farmers Market and other major community activities are also being planned.
The routes and schedules of the new routes have now been determined. The new #401 route will connect with the cross town #40 route at the intersection of Six Mile Road and Highway 17, near Goodwill and East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO); at Town Center; at Bowman Road and Highway 17; and near Town Hall on Houston Northcutt Boulevard. Immediate transfers traveling out from the City of Charleston to travel out on Coleman Blvd. and from Coleman Blvd. to travel North on Johnnie Dodds Blvd. will be available at 50 minutes after the hour at the stop near Whole Foods on Houston Northcutt. Transfer from the #401 to the #40 at Bowman road will allow travel from Coleman Blvd.; Chuck Dawley and Bowman Road with a one minute wait towards and into Downtown Charleston and the Mary Street transit center.
Scheduled connections for both the #40 bus coming out from Charleston and the #401 circulator Route at Town Center will enable a “Bus to the Beach” Connection to the County Park and Beachfront Commercial District on the Isle of Palms. Call to reserve pickup and drop off front door Flex service will be available on a limited basis on both the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.
The successful CARTA Express Bus service will continue to operate as currently scheduled with improved functionality made possible by a connecting stop at Kmart and Bowman Road with the new #401 circulator route which will enable some Express Bus riders to travel the final miles to home along that new route.
Community input on how to make the new system function better, such as needed improvements to major bus stops, is still being accepted. Several locations for stop upgrades have been identified. Business sponsors for stop improvements at some locations will be welcomed. Upgrades are expected to begin with simple benches at the most important locations with shelters being installed in the future as sponsorship support allows. Linda Page, of the CARTA Board and Mount Pleasant Town Council is spearheading the stop improvement and shelter effort.
Over 40 schools, homeowner’s associations, nonprofit groups, churches, businesses and government entities are committed to the effort, which must reach ridership targets by September 30th if the East Cooper area is to retain these new routes.
Next fall, CARTA will evaluate the new systems performance based in passenger ridership and fare box revenue, cancelling, adapting or upgrading East Cooper service as the objective data indicates is appropriate.
New route maps and brochures, promotional posters and video are all being edited this week. Printed materials on the new routes will be distributed to project partners and become available to the general public on or about April 4.