Posts Tagged ‘south Carolina’

On Tuesday, April 30, 6-7 pm, public transit for Daniel Island advocates will gather at the Daniel Island Library from 6 to 7 pm for a public discussion on bringing full time bus service to the community this year.  The library is located at 2301 Daniel Island Dr Daniel Island, SC 29492.  The public is welcome to attend and participate.  You can sign up for the April 30 meeting on Facebook

You can support this effort by downloading this flyer and distributing copies  inviting Daniel Island Residents to attend this meeting.  A Hungryneck Straphangers outreach team will also be working on Daniel Island prior to the meeting.  Volunteers would be appreciated.  if you need more flyers or posters to promote the meeting, the UPS Store on Daniel Island has the electronic files to print them for you.  We’re a small, volunteer organization and rely on community support like this to make our projects work.  Please help by paying to print a few and share them with your neighbors.

Transit advocates from Hungryneck Straphangers and will meet with stakeholders in the Daniel Island Community about bringing more extensive public transit services to the community there.  We’ll attempt a Skype call with Americans for Transit. After the formal meeting, we’ll gather at the Daniel Island Grill patio for dinner and more discussion.  If you can’t make the meeting, feel free to join us at the Grill for informal discussion.

An outreach team from Americans for Transit visited Daniel Island earlier in April and met for breakfast at the Honeycomb Cafe.  Afterwards two teams visited people on the island with information about transit and the Congressional election.  It became clear from the feedback the canvassers received that the Island wanted and was now able to support a transit development campaign.  Among the people participating in that canvass was Andrew Austin, Executive Director of Americans for Transit.

On April 25, William Hamilton and CARTA Driver Debbie Geise distributed door hanger bags at over one hundred homes and businesses on Daniel Island and met with residents at the Farmers Market.  Nearly all feedback was positive.  The Daniel Island News printed a story on the effort: Group Seeks to Bring Public Transit to DI

Existing Services and Planning Activities on Daniel Is. Transit

• Tri County Link has limited service through Daniel Island now   It runs from Moncks Corner to Mount Pleasant, connecting with the Express 2 and 40 Mount Pleasant at Kmart on Johnnie Dodds Blvd.
• A route connecting Daniel Island, N. Charleston and Mount Pleasant was one of four options considered in a consultant’s report prepared for CARTA in Oct. 2012,  You’ll find the Daniel Island route option on page 9 of the report.
• Last summer, Hungryneck Straphangers  included a proposal for Daniel Island which we submitted to CARTA.  It was one of several options considered and we feel the effort to improve transit connections for the community is moving closer to success.  You can view our N. Charleston to the Beach proposal as a PDF.  The Daniel Island part is on page two.
• The Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Council of Governments is working on a new plan for regional transportation now, and will be holding public hearings.  You can sign up for notices and look at their material at http://www.bcdcog.com/transportationPlanning.htm
• Hungryneck Straphangers began work on getting improved transit service to Daniel Island and Cainhoy over two years ago, under the leadership of DI resident Kurt Khelenbeck (who has sinced moved to Mt. Pleasant.).  At the meeting we’ll be looking for a core group of volunters to cotinue this important work.

For more information see www.busec.org/di or call William Hamilton (843) 870-5299

On April 5, 2013, Hungryneck Straphangers learned that for over a year, CARTA has been negotiating to sell the planned location of the North Charleston Intermodal center and use some of those funds to purchase the old, existing Amtrak Station East of River’s Ave, off of E. Montague in North Charleston so that location could be converted into our region’s transportation hub.  This new plan evidently has been delayed by the Federal Transit Administration for reasons unknown.

Extensive drainage, landscaping, paving and sidewalks have been installed at the Intermodal center site in N. Charleston.

Dave Crossly of Hungryneck Straphangers has agreed to lead a study group on this problem with the assistance of Larry Carter Center.  Meetings and events will be listed on our Straphanger’s Calendar.  The group will conduct an independent rider’s oriented investigation of what has happened and prepare to make sure that rider input is included as the process moves forward.  At this time, we have no conclusions to offer.

The reason cited for this is an alleged problem with construction of the necessary railroad siding at the original location.  Years of planning and millions of dollars have already been spent on this location.  Drainage, parking and landscaping are already constructed.  You can see a photo album of the Intermodal Passenger Transportation Center site in N. Charleston.

You may read details in this article in the Charleston Post and Courier:  CARTA Plan to Purchase Amtrak Station Derailed

Since I am not a railroad engineer, I can’t evaluate the seriousness of the problem alleged to exist at the original site.  Most of you are familiar with the current Amtrak station.  Last week we learned that there may be a serious crime problem in the area which preys on train passengers.  We will be requesting information from the North Charleston Police Department to determine if those rumors are true.  CARTA drivers also inform us that there are serious problems getting buses to and from a bus transit hub at that location due to difficulty of making a left hand turn across two lanes of traffic, up an incline and over two railroad tracks in a distance of 30 feet in a full sized bus.  The grade crossing there is also often blocked by trains.

View of South end of station platform, Amtrak station, N. Charleston, SC

We have a photo album of the current 1950s era Amtrak Station in N. Charleston, which despite its horrific condition, has some wonderful staff who would love to help you go railroading.  If you’ve always flown, you don’t know what you are missing.

It’s deeply disturbing that these discussions have gone on behind closed doors for more than a year while input from bus and train passengers and drivers was never requested.  A transparent, detailed public exploration of what may or may not have happened here is in order.  Our community is investing tens of thousands of dollars in a major, new transportation study now.  Progress is impossible when mistakes like this are made and public confidence in planning is eroded.

South End of Amtrak Station, N. Charleston, SC. Much of the station building is unused.

We have contacted the Federal Transit Administration and expressed our concern.  Amy Bernstein, informed us that our input should be directed towards our representatives in Congress.

Fortunately both locations are in James Clyburn’s District, where we have a sitting Congressman to work with.  You can contact Congressman Clyburn at https://clyburn.house.gov/contact-me

However we have no current Congressman in SC District 1, which includes most of the Charleston area.  We’re currently preparing to elect a new congressman in the 1^st. District. We requested their thoughts on this issue last week.  Elizabeth Colbert Busch responded on Friday and we’ll be revealing her answer a week from today at the April 15 meeting of the SC Progressive Network at the International Longshoreman’s Hall at 8 pm (the meeting starts at 7 and everyone’s welcome.

Former Governor Sanford did not responded, but we invite all riders to contact his campaign with your input on this issue.  Information about how to contact both campaigns can be found at www.busec.org/vote

This gatehouse is the only structure on the N. Charleston Passenger Intermodal Center Site

South End of Amtrak Station, N. Charleston, SC. Much of the station building is unused.

Next week we’ll begin the region’s first major modern Transit Riders Voter information campaign, distributing 15 thousand information cards in the Charleston area and Beaufort.  We’re looking for volunteers who like to ride and talk to people.  Please contact me at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com if you are interested in helping make sure things like the Intermodal Center planning problem don’t keep getting repeated while highway projects go on regardless of the cost or issues which may arise.  It’s time for a uniform, higher standard of transportation planning to apply to all taxpayer funded mobility projects.

Vote for Transit in the Primary, March 19

Linda Page of the CARTA board & Mt. Pleasant Town Council speaks to candidates in a rainy Kmart cURRENparking lot on FcURR

The Primary phase of this election has ended- Updated information on this election and Transit Voter activities can be found on our Farebox to Ballot Box Page

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Thanks and congratulation to the Seven candidates for the First District US Congress Special election who took one of our four guided rides on CARTA in February and March.  Early voting is now available at the Election Commission Warehouse on Headquarters Road in N. Charleston, a short walk from the CARTA stop on Dorchester Road, near it’s intersection with Leeds Ave, served by the Dorchester Road #11 Bus.  Google Transit Directions to the Election Commission from Mary Street, Downtown Charleston. Anyone over 65, full time students and people who have to work on election day, and seven other categories of voter can vote now.  Everyone can vote on the Primary election day, Tuesday, March 19 from 7 am to 7 pm.  For questions about voting, contact the Election Commission at (843) 744-8683 or see their website at http://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/BEVR/index.htm

When you are contacted by candidates before the primary, remember to tell them you ride, you vote and you want to know what they’re going to do if elected to help our community continue the journey to better public transit.  About one third of CARTA’s budget comes from funds appropriated by the US Congress, including grand funding for the purchase of new buses and funds to pay operating expenses.

Thanks for Taking a CARTA Ride with US

Below are the Candidates who got on board with the riders before March 15, 2013.  Best wishes to all of you who made part of your campaign’s journey with us.  The links take you to their websites or facebook pages where you can study their positions and ask them questions which you need answered to decide how to vote.  Those without a date or route listed did not ride with us despite a vigorous recruitment effort by local Republican and Democratic transit riders.

Democrats

1. Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D)  Colbert Busch Facebook  rode with us on March 14, Coleman Bvd, 41.
2. Ben Frasier

Green Party

• Eugene Platt (G)
• Larry Carter Center (G) rode with us in the rain on Feb. 7, The Green Party selected Platt to be it’s nominee at their meeting on March 9.  Greens use a meeting system to pick their candidate instead of a primary.

Republicans

1. Keith Blandford  indicates that he will not be riding, and that he is opposed to public transportation,
2. Curtis Bostic or Bostic on Facebook
3. Ric Bryant rode in the Morning on Feb. 28, North Charlston Exp.
4. ‘Larry Grooms or Larry Grooms on Facebook
5. Johnathan Hoffman rode in the rain, Feb. 7, Mt. P. Exp & 40
6. John Kuhn
7. Jeff King
8. Tim Larkin rode on Feb. 13, Mt. P. Exp & 40
9. Chip Limehouse or Chip Limehouse on Facebook
10. Peter McCoy
11. Elizabeth Moffly  rode on Feb. 13. Mt. P. Exp & 40
12. Ray Nash
13. Andy Patrick
14. Shawn Pinkston or Pinkston for Congress on Facebook
15. Mark  Sanford or  Mark Sanford on Facebook
16. Teddy Turner rode in the rain on Feb. 7, Mt. P Exp.

Thanks also to Linda Page of the CARTA Board and Mount Pleasant Town Council who met with four of the candidates during their rides.