Hannah Spreckley Photo
CT Transit officials held a meeting in New Haven to get public input on a procedural matter. Instead, people inundated them with complaints about the quality of local bus service.
More than a dozen neighbors attended the meeting, which took place last week at in the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St. State transit officials and neighbors alike left the room after two hours with few definitive answers to their questions.
CT Transit called the meeting to get input on its “equity policies,” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which ensure minorities and low-income people are not disproportionately affected by service changes or fare hikes. The department is required to perform an “equity analysis” and hold a public hearing every time it wants to make a “major service change,” said Michael Sanders, public transit administrator.
At last Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, Sanders and other CT Transit officials asked neighbors to help them figure out the thresholds for determining what represents a “major” change in service and what represents a “disproportionate” effect on minority groups.
Sanders (at left in photo) began by explaining the draft of the policy to the crowd: Racial minorities are considered “disparately impacted” by a service change if the percentage of minorities affected by the change is 15 percent higher than non-minorities affected. Minorities are considered “disparately impacted” by a fare change if they are 10 percent more impacted than the overall rider population.
Officials also asked neighbors for input on a policy to determine how to measure “disproportionate burden” on low-income populations.
Neighbors instead prodded officials to discuss specific plans to improve service, directing questions well outside the parameters of the policy changes.
“I guess it went as I expected,” Sanders said after the meeting.
Mayor Toni Harp has argued that the quality of bus service in itself qualifies as a “civil rights issue” in New Haven.
Off-Topic Q&A
Neighbors first expressed worries that the meeting had been prompted by a specific plan to cut bus lines or raise fares.
Is CT Transit planning to drastically change routes or hike fares in New Haven? asked Anstress Farwell, who heads the Urban Design League.
Not at the moment, Sanders said. But even if CT Transit adds services to New Haven, it must hold a public hearing to ensure it is doing it equitably.
Farwell then suggested adding environmental impacts to the analysis. Sanders replied that it was a good idea but not directly relevant to the draft.
What about being more proactive? Farwell asked. “It’s been 20 years since CT Transit has done multiple studies on crosstown routes and subhubs in New Haven.”
“Today’s discussion has almost nothing to do with that,” Sanders asked. He said CT Transit had done studies more recently and was in the process of revisiting them.
A man in a wheelchair in the back of the room asked whether the policy “factors in handicapped people.” He said bus drivers often leave him behind, because they didn’t want to deal with the hassle of raising his chair into the bus, he said.
Sanders said Title VI doesn’t cover disability.
Nicholas Battaglino was one of few to directly address the text of the draft. He called the thresholds as detailed in the draft a “fantastic idea.” He said as a “low-income” rider, he relies on buses and public transit to get from Hamden to New Haven — specifically the O and D bus lines. “I buy the 31-day pass. It’s getting harder and harder” to afford, he said.
He also said New Haven “gets snubbed” and receives “hand-me-down” buses from other cities instead of new buses.
Sanders said bus fleets are replaced when buses “hit 18 years.” New Haven will have a lot of “shiny, new buses” and new fare boxes by the end of next year, he said.
Why isn’t CT Transit more active on Twitter? asked Coby Zeifman, outreach coordinator for CT Rides. He said he had tweeted the agency a while ago saying he enjoyed the service, but no one responded.
“It’s a lot to keep up with. It’s a lot of work and we’re a stodgy old organization,” Sanders said.
A few said the bus shelters around the city are poorly maintained. Now that, Sanders said, is up to New Haven’s transit department head Doug Hausladen, who was sitting in the audience.
Eventually, Hausladen got in on the questions, relaying one that local bike advocate Brian Tang had submitted over Facebook. Why, he asked, with three different bus service lines running from Hartford to New Haven, is there no sign that says “CT Transit” to indicate the correct bus to riders?
CT Transit is leasing buses from Peter Pan, because it is the “best deal,” until Amtrak finishes its Hartford line with midday service, Sanders replied. He said he will look into putting those signs on the buses. (Read here about Independent reporter Markeshia Ricks’ trouble finding the CT Transit bus to Hartford this winter.)
Sanders said afterward that there was “nothing wrong” with the fact that people did not stick to the topic at hand. “A lot of this is just going out and seeing” the community, he said. He said people are welcome to submit further comments by Sept. 18 through cards passed out at the meeting or by email.
Previous coverage of problems with bus service in New Haven:
• Can Bus Woes Be Solved?
* Common Complaints: Crowding, Inconvenience
* Commute By Bus Must Start 2 1/2 Hours Ahead
* CT Transit Drove Me To Zipcar
* Fares Paid 22 Percent of the Cost of Running the Bus
* State Bus Boss: What Broken System?
*Cleaner Air, Upgrades Increase Maintenance Costs for CT Transit
* 28 CT Transit Bus Injuries Reported In City This Year
* CT Transit Can’t Count Crowding Yet
* Lost, Looking for the J Bus
* It’s Safer on the Bus
* 25 Years in, Eligio Keeps the Wheel Steady
* Class Waits For No Bus
* Guayquier & Terrier Board the G
* The Bus Gets Personal
* The Bus Helps Him Think
* Rafel Sanabria Has Big Plans
* Where Would You Really Want The Bus To Take You?
* With Whom Would You Want To Ride The Bus?
* Next Stop: Karma
* Resto Steers the O
* The Bus Stop is Quiet on Sundays
* Foley: Let People Drive
* Malloy Vows To “Build a Better Bus System”
* ‘I’m Sick of Driving’
* Work Search Starts With The Bus
* Der Bus Ist Gut
* Football Win Makes The Bus Ride Bearable
* Brenda Works Around the F Bus
* Where’d the Q3 Go?
* 3‑Hour Commute Includes 3 Buses, 1 Train
* On Inaugural Ride, Student Meets the D Bus “Queen”
The "disparate impact" already exists because the hub and spoke system is anachronistic and dysfunctional. Instead of asking the public to help CT Transit define for themselves an imaginary negative, why not design a system that works and get the communities reaction to its design?