May 15, 2005
Sunday

As reported in the KDN May 7-8, after an extensive study we know the exact percentage of boardings and disembarks coming from each GEOGRAPHICAL AREA or route presently served. What the study failed to report was any statistics as to the TIMES that ridership occur. People I've talked to agree that 80% of the ridership occurs at 20% of the time. The study also failed to identify what percentage of Boro residents will not be offered bus service at all. These are the Boro citizens who live north of the pulp mill and south of Fawn Mountain. When Assemblyman Glen Thompson suggested extending the routes out into the borough, many of us hoped the extension would add service for nearly all citizens, not just AML.

This new plan will still leave 30-40% of Boro residents without service and provides select residents with service they don't use every 30 or 60 minutes. Why should select households receive service every 30 minutes while a huge % receives NO SERVICE?

A NEW BUS PLAN should provide service south to include the Roosevelt Drive loop and north to the Knudsen Cove loop. Drivers should be recruited who live in these areas to provide service into town at 7:30 AM then do the Carlanna, Bear Valley, etc. routes. Buses would go south and north again about 11:30 AM and return to town at about 1:30. This provides a lunch break at home for the drivers for about 90 minutes. The final trip south and north would leave town at about 5:00 PM. This plan is more like a school bus schedule X's2, if you want to catch the bus, get your b-hind out of bed or off the couch and catch the bus.

If the Boro Assembly would commit to this plan, citizens north & south would adopt park and ride locations such as Rotary Beach or near South Point Higgins etc. Please consider providing bus service to all Boro citizens.


Rob Holston
E-mail: holston@kpunet.net
Ketchikan, AK - USA

 

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