Making getting around easier

By DAVID HULSE

GLEN SPEY, NY — Meeting changing public transportation needs is one part of the Sullivan County’s 2020 comprehensive planning effort, so county and town officials surveyed seniors at a joint Lumberland-Highland seniors meeting on January 4.

Sullivan County Planning and Community Development Commissioner Dr. William Pammer said that existing routes for the county van and bus transportation system need to be updated and that the county has hired an Ohio consultant to evaluate them.

Beyond that, Sullivan needs to know how public needs have changed and who needs to travel where and how often, Pammer said. To that end, about 30 seniors filled survey forms that asked about travel and shopping habits and common days of transportation need.

Legislator Kathy LaBuda said transportation needs are common complaints that she hears from elderly constituents and one that she is determined to address.

Pammer said Sullivan’s rural population would not support a scheduled bus system, but that the county is able to provide a free “dial-a-ride,” on-demand system for seniors that can meet most needs, even to the extent of providing transfers to Orange and Pike County public transportation for those who need to travel outside Sullivan.

“We’re still small enough where people often know each other and we want our system to remain flexible enough to meet everyone’s’ needs. We don’t want to call it public transportation. There’s a stigma attached to that language,” he said.

Pammer said he and LaBuda would return in the spring with the recommendations for changes and again seek public input. He hopes to have new routes and changes in place by this summer. He hopes to be able to offer similar services for other demographic groups by the fall.

Pammer said once decisions are finalized about routes and services, the county would conduct a marketing campaign to raise public awareness about the federal and state subsidized program.