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Community Corner

South Brunswick Transportation Debate Continues

TRANSPORTATION REMAINS A HOT TOPIC

Following a presentation of an Open Letter to the Council at their April 22nd meeting, written by Pat Kay and read by a colleague, (Pat is blind) the Township Council announced they would present their decision at this Tuesday's May 6th meeting. Because the April 24 PATCH report of the meeting was so inaccurate, even though the reporter Brenda Stolyar had a copy, it is necessary to make every effort to correct what appears to be considerable misunderstanding, especially when one reads the comments. 
Thus I am including a copy of the Open Letter to The Council as prepared by Dr. Kay and read by Marvin Schlaffer.




OPEN LETTER TO SOUTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP

COUNCIL





Good leadership, like the late Ed Koch, continually asks,

“How am I doing?” Not once in the fourteen years that I have had to rely on

public transportation has anyone asked, “How are we doing?  What could we improve?  Are there issues we need to address? Is this

the most efficient use of drivers, vehicles or tax-payers dollars?” Just a few

among the questions we had hoped Council would have raised at this month’s

working session, but were not.





Recently, as part of the Aging in

Place Partnership presentation to a working session of the council, I made a major

mistake in assuming  that the mayor and

members of the council were aware of the serious transportation problems that

exist in South Brunswick and, knowing the situation, that they cared, at least

enough to discuss an opportunity for improvement.  So, I glossed over the real need for the

assistance with a newly donated vehicle and an opportunity to introduce a curb

to curb service for the Township. I hope to remedy my mistake now.

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.





Why do we need a new curb to curb transportation service in

South Brunswick?  Quite simply because

the existing township, county, and private services are not adequate to meet

the needs of seniors and disabled people in our community.Years of research across the country indicate that the main

needs of seniors who cannot drive their own vehicles are for rides to medical

appointments and food shopping.  Almost

as important, they need to do general shopping, get haircuts; go to banks,

churches, places where they can take classes or workshops.  Some older Americans still work full or part

time and others might if they had a way to get to and from their jobs.  Some would like to visit friends, see a

grandchild play soccer, go to a gym to work out or swim in a therapeutic pool

or get a massage, or go see a current movie. 

They need to get to government buildings and, sometimes, want to attend

a council meeting, or join a civic organization.  A recent survey of South Brunswick seniors

reflect these same needs.





When older Americans are denied access to these kinds of

activities, the world closes in on them and their outlook on life narrows.  They become less and less vital members,

unable to contribute to their community and more and more of a burden. It is no wonder that geriatric depression is

so prevalent.

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.





The South Brunswick township transportation services are lacking

in several important aspects. They might

more aptly be called the Senior Center transportation service. It exists historically and primarily to take

people to and from the center.  But even

in that function, it excludes many people who might make greater use of the

center than they now do.  The problem is with the schedule. It has not changed in years.  Currently, if a senior or disabled person

wants to go to a single class or activity at the center, they must leave their

home at either 8:30 to 9 to arrive at the center between 9 and 9:30 or they can

be prepared to get on the bus any time after 9:30 to arrive at the center

between 10:30 and 11.  Sometimes the

buses arrive in time for a class, and sometimes they don’t. Service can be

unreliable and at times non-existent.





Once at the center,

people are literally stranded there until 1:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon when

buses arrive to take them home. That trip may also take up to one hour.  For some people, in order to take one class,

they are out of their homes from 8:30 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon.  That’s a lot of sitting around waiting.The wait time extends through the lunch period so one must

purchase a meal or bring their own from home. Not too practical for those with

dietary constraints. Now, this schedule appeals to a small number of regulars

but there are many other senior or handicapped residents who do NOT want to hang around the senior

center for hours but would like to take a class and leave at the end of

it.  They will not be stuck in a place for

hours at a time when they need or want to be elsewhere.  It may come as a shock to some people, but

not all seniors need or want that kind of “assistance.”  They have lives of their own outside the

senior center.  They are often

volunteering in civic, charitable, cultural, educational, or religious

organizations.  They are active,

intelligent, creative, compassionate, friendly people who, for one reason or

another cannot drive themselves to the places they need or want to be.





On a slightly different note, what kind of a township

transportation program does not

take people to that gem in South Brunswick’s crown, the public library?  There are many South Brunswick residents who cannot

attend events at the library because they have no way of getting there.  Are the programs at the library supposed to

exclude seniors and the handicapped?  I

don’t think so.





South Brunswick also lacks any transportation to link

residents to bus, shuttle, or rail that can take them anywhere in the world.  The Senior Center’s single attempt to link to

other forms of public transportation requires someone to be on six buses in order

to spend about 40 minutes in a Walmart or other North Brunswick store or to go

to a bakery in Jamesburg. And I, for one, would like to shop in South Brunswick

stores, if I could get there without paying $16.00 each way in a taxi.





About food shopping.  South Brunswick buses takes only those who are

members of the senior center shopping one day a week.  The buses pick them up at their homes or the

center, take them to a grocery store, wait an hour, and take them home.  Shoppers can bring up to three small bags

back on the bus and these must fit on their laps or directly at their feet. Not

too easy if you use a walker.  I do not

know anyone who can exist for a week on three bags of groceries.  Just think of all the grocery store products

that you use in a week: meats, fish, dairy products, beverages, canned goods,

cereals, grains, baked goods, paper products, cleaning and laundry supplies,

fruits and vegetables, etc. And, what happens if it snows on your day to go

shopping?  You wait a week. It’s no

wonder too many of our older residents are malnourished.





The errand run has similar problems.  If you have an errand, it must run along

route 27. You will be gone from home from, minimally, four to five hours to

spend one half hour in a single place of your choice.  It may be a bank or a dry cleaners or the

Amish Market, but only one of the above and only for a half hour.  Most of the time is spent sitting on the bus.

What is it that makes people think that older Americans have nothing to do and

so will accept sitting around for long periods of time?





The transportation that South Brunswick does best is the

medical service, but even there the service is inadequate in that they must

turn down a large number of legitimate requests on the grounds that their

schedule is full. Please know that in criticizing South Brunswick

transportation, I am not finding fault with the employees who deliver the

services.  All of the drivers and people

who do scheduling are competent people doing well the jobs they have been hired

to do.  They are cheerful, friendly, and

helpful.  It is not their fault that the

services are inadequate.  The problem appears

to be lack of knowledgeable, committed leadership.  Something that does not seem to be found anywhere.





We firmly believe that only through cooperation,

communication, and collaboration can existing transportation problems be

solved. As witness a few years ago, when AIPP worked with the County and the

Township, we were able to bring the first County shuttle service to South

Brunswick. HOWEVER when we tried to

work with Township decision makers to ensure appropriate schedules and connections

would make this a viable service for our seniors, it fell, and continues to

fall, on deaf ears. 





With leadership changes at both the county and local levels,

it became abundantly clear that neither the county nor the township were

interested, capable, willing or able to make any changes to address existing

problems. We started discussions of what it would take for a nonprofit

organization to sponsor the needed services. AIPP had not set out to run an

alternate transportation service. But all else had failed. Along with the

experience gained from our earlier attempts and a board member’s meeting with a

Knoxville, TN. non-profit leader of a nationally recognized model for curb to

curb transportation service who serves as our advisor, we prepared to introduce

a similar service in South Brunswick. BUT it cannot be done without your help.





In addition to saving tax payers money, there are a number of

reasons why the township should assist us in this effort.  First, for a very small investment, you will

be providing needy residents with transportation services that are not

available to them now.  You could not

afford to start this program on your own. 

In fact, for the small investment that we are requesting, you will be

able to double the number of trips that the medical van now accomplishes each

week. You do not have the resources to deliver needed services on evenings and

weekends.  We can with your support.  You cannot serve all disabled workers by

taking them to work.  We can make a dent

in that.  We can take residents to bus,

shuttle, and rail connections, religious institutions on weekends and evening,

and to the library, movies, classes, the gym, and just to visit a friend or

work  in the food pantry for a couple of

hours. It’s time to look at new ways to provide better services.





Most importantly, by helping to provide choices in activities

and transportation, you will be acknowledging that our older and disabled

residents are valued members of the community. 

It may restore some sense of independence.  It may restore hope to some who have come to

think that nothing can be done.





Our committee has become a VERY

knowledgeable team. We have:·       

a

proven track record in identifying qualified volunteer drivers; received

two technical assistance grants from the National Center on Senior

Transportation (NCST) and Easter Seals; worked

with transportation leaders at the State and County as well as National levels; studied

transportation issues for four years; 

 met with transportation experts who are

running model programs, not only locally, but also around the country; 

held

three Transportation workshops/summits to which all transportation leaders in

the county and the township were encouraged to attend; participated in webinars and conference calls,

and read stacks of information about successful programs and how they have

overcome problems.





There are over 12,000+ South Brunswick residents over the age

of 55.  Not all of them need

transportation services, but many do and many more will need them in a few

years.  This says nothing of those who

are currently driving who really ought not to be.  But that’s another project.





You should keep in mind that these 12,000+ constitute about a

quarter of the population.  And the one

thing they do not need transportation for is to vote.





Submitted by Pat Kay, April 22, 2104    AgingInPlaceAdvocate@verizon.net.





Pat Kay is currently a member of the Middlesex County Senior

and Handicapped Transportation Advisory Board; and serves on NJ Council of the

Blind and on the Citizens Advisory Board for the NJ State Commission for the

Blind. As a volunteer she co-facilitates the monthly vision loss support group

at the Township’s Senior Center and leads a Native American flute circle at the

Township’s Public Library (she pays to be driven there) and is the Aging in

Place Partnership facilitator for Transportation. An accomplished artist, her

large paintings of flowers have garnered numerous awards throughout the region.





Doctor Kay is a retired professor of Education and Psychology

at City University of New York. The retired coordinator of Botanical Art and

Illustration Program at the New York Botanical Gardens and former member of NY

State Teacher Education Certification and Practices Board.





 







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