Port Authority cuts threaten independence of people with disabilities
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Karin Thum, 33, volunteers at the Good Samaritan Hospice in Wexford. -
Karin Thum, 34, relies on ACCESS buses for transportation to and from her volunteer work at the Good Samaritan Hospice in Wexford. Ms. Thum, who has spina bifida and uses a motorized scooter, would be house-bound if she lost her access to the bus service, which could happen with the proposed service cuts. -
Karin Thum receives help in the kitchen from her fiance John Fitzgerald. They both rely on ACCESS for all of their transportation needs because of their disabilities.
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Allegheny County is reeling from the Port Authority's proposal to increase fares, reduce operating hours and eliminate bus routes as a means to address a projected $64 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. Part of that proposal is a 35 percent reduction to ACCESS, the paratransit program for people under 65 with disabilities.
If approved, service cuts scheduled to begin Sept. 2 threaten to squelch the independence that many people with disabilities have worked hard to attain and that the community champions. Further, the cuts would dismantle a 32-year-old system of accessible transportation that is lauded as one of the most efficient and effective in the nation.
Under the proposal, service for the county's 4,500 ACCESS users under age 65 would be limited to the minimum requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act -- that is, all rides would start and end within three-quarters of a mile of an operating bus line. With 46 bus routes out of 102 on the chopping block this year, the proposed ACCESS service map omits a substantial portion of Allegheny County. Currently, ACCESS picks up and takes riders anywhere within the county.
Information about Port Authority's proposed fare and service changes, and a form for submitting comments, is available online at www.PortAuthority.org (click on "Service Changes"). Comments may also be submitted by mail to Port Authority Fare and Service Proposals, Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Ave., Floor 3, Pittsburgh 15222. The public comment period ends March 9.
A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 29, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. Pre-registration is requested. Call 412-566-5437 (TTY 412-231-7007).
Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Occupy Pittsburgh are sponsoring a rally on Feb. 29 at noon at the Convention Center. Information: 412-716-1790.
Nearly 1,300 ACCESS riders would lose transportation service because they live outside the service area. The remaining riders who live within the service area would lose some transportation because hundreds of destinations -- workplaces, medical facilities, shopping areas, community colleges and more -- are not on the map.
First Published February 20, 2012 12:00 am
