Would you like to live in a more livable community that can
reduce stress? If the answer is yes, then it will be good to know that several
organizations and individuals have already been working together to make it
happen.
For example, there is the Memphis Bus Riders Union, Car-Free
Memphis blogger - David Fullerton, and The Memphis Center For Independent
Living.
The Memphis Bus Riders Union (BRU) was recently organized
through various individuals and collaborative groups of like-minded people who want
social justice concerning mass transportation. For example, they want to force
Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) to provide far superior services for all
citizens within the metropolitan area.
The blog contributor for Car-Free Memphis, David Fullerton, is
backing up all of these legitimate rants with many years of mass transportation
knowledge and research, as well as ongoing personal experience as a MATA rider for many years.
To illustrate, many years ago, Fullerton attended High
School at Overton High School where he also graduated from in 1984 as a perfroming arts student. His MATA bus ride trip from the Whitehaven area to Watkins Overton High
School took about 90 minutes each way. And more
recently, as a substitute teacher with Memphis City Schools, his MATA bus trips
throughout the whole city also took about 90 minutes or longer each way; and not
to mention all the trips he had to take his classes at the University of
Memphis, which were also 90 minutes each-way.
All in all, as the blogger for Car-Free Memphis, Fullerton has
well over ten years of solid car-free living experiences to pull from, as well as having a deep passion for social justice issues.
And Fullerton has observed that regardless of a MATA bus rider's
economic level, educational level, or race, one can easily spend as much as 30
hours each week waiting for and riding on a MATA bus; and that is just to get to work.
Now add all of that stress to also having to ride a MATA bus to meet
any other essential needs like retail shopping, as it drains even more time
from the bus rider's personal life. The stress level alone is inhuman to say the least, as there
is little or no time left over for family, friends, or celebrating their spiritual values, such as with their local church organizations.
What is the result of all this?
The Answer - Nearly 40,000 mentally and physically exhausted
Memphis citizens - that is what!
In fact, according to several members of The Memphis Center
for Independent Living, MATA drivers are refusing to let down ramps for people
with disabilities who are wheelchair bound if the ramp is not working
mechanically; yet these ramps can be let down manually too.
And when the busses are full, some of these wheelchair bound
citizens have been forced to wait for another bus that may not come for another
hour --- perhaps longer if the next bus is late. Therefore, we should not be
asking MATA to make improvements, but demanding it and getting it right now!
On the other hand, we can advocate for redesigning several
blocks of property at various locations throughout our city to become car-free.
This will allow for up to 5,000 people living within these communities to cut
back on using MATA.
The main purpose of a car-free city is to drastically reduce
the daily stresses related to transportation woes. This means that we should
want car-free streets and neighborhoods with no parking for motorized vehicles
within the community itself - perhaps private parking within a security zone nearby.
Within such a community, one can meet all of their essential
needs, wants, and desires within ten minutes of their homes. All of us are
deserving of communities like this so that we can live without the constant
noise of traffic and exhaust fumes that have been taking us over day after day
for decades.
For your own good health and social well-being - join us and
take action!
MATA FACTS
- We have one of the nations poorest public
transit systems.
- According to the Brookings Institute, among 100
largest in the U.S., Memphis is #69.
- More than 80% of MATA's riders are
Memphians who have no other means of getting to work.
- In the Memphis area, only 26% of all jobs are
reachable via public transit within 90 minutes.
- The Brooking Institute ranked Memphis #98 out of
100 for suburban job access.
- 83 % of MATA riders do not have cars.
- There are 33 numbered bus routes.
- The MATA fleet has 169 vehicles (149 active),
down from 244 in 2007 and 198 in 2008.
- There are 5,600 bud stops -- but only 326 bus
shelters.
- MATA serves 40,000 riders per weekday.
- 89% of Riders are African -American.
- Nearly 60% of riders have an annual income of
$18,000 or less.
- MATA has raised fares two times in the last four
years.
- In the spring of 2010, MATA eliminated bus-to-bus
transfers of 10 cents requiring riders to pay a separate fair.
- MATA reduced bus service three times in 2011.
- 2013 MATA laid-off employees, shut down several
routes completely, and cut way back on the over all operations and other key
bus routes.
- The whole City of Memphis is devastated!
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