Getting Where We Need To Go
Simple transportation for all
A City on the Move
Everyone needs transportation. Whether it’s commuting to work, picking up groceries, seeing friends, or bringing your children to and from daycare or school, transportation is vital to daily life in America. Transportation in large cities is often easy to access. Small cities, however, often lack transportation that is available to all. One of these small cities is Winooski, Vermont.
Focusing on Winooski, it’s easy to see that accessible transportation is necessary to achieve a town’s goal of working together as a community of success and well-being. Transportation provides a means for individuals to interact with one another, work together, and succeed together.
This means more than just bringing people together physically. Accessible transportation also promotes economic growth and sustainability. The question becomes: How can a small city like Winooski be a vital city when local transportation is neither efficient nor accessible throughout the community?.
Existing Systems
The existing public transportation system, Green Mountain Transit, does not accommodate people who need to travel within Winooski. In addition, it does not cater to the needs of an aging population. This kind of large scale operating transit system serves a purpose on a wider scale, but it doesn’t reflect a smaller city’s needs.
Through my research on transportation and its existing function within the United States I found that Winooski was in high need of creating a transportation system that was not only operating on a smaller basis, but had means of expanding in the future.
I wondered what would be the most viable outcome especially during this pandemic for individuals looking to still travel in a safe and orderly means. We are in need of solutions that reflect our own ability to adapt to crisis. We are resilient human beings by nature, the pandemic has reflected this greatly at a time of a lot of stress. I carefully considered when assessing current data around transit.
How can Winooski develop a local transportation system that is sustainable, efficient, and accessible to all while flexible enough to adapt to crisis as they arise?
Universal Problem
Transportation in the United States and worldwide in small urban areas relies heavily on independent means of transit. Whether it’s driving, biking, or hitching a ride with a friend, residents are often on their own when they are looking to travel within their town. What happens when significant numbers within a town’s population are unable to move around freely?
Many individuals in the City of Winooski do not have cars or live in households with just one car. Those without ready access to a car may be unable to be present at community events or access basic services like food and options for maintaining their health.
The problem of transportation is a problem we all face at some points in our lives. A community that aims to promote economic growth, local businesses, and Winooski pride cannot be successful when parts of their community cannot be present and engaged.
Functional Transportation
Through my Winooski Community Services Department Internship I was tasked with researching existing public transportation and creating a restructure plan for Winooski that fills in the gaps. To achieve this project meant addressing all populations. My effort to identify population groups who heavily rely on public transportation brought me to the aging population.
As Winooski’s population grows, the aging population remains underserved. As the need for local public transit increases, Winooski’s local transit must expand. GMT offers special programs for the aging population that are beneficial for long distance travel. But it doesn’t provide trips to the grocery store or to get one’s hair done — essentially to allow seniors to maintain an active and engaged presence in the community they’ve grown to love.
I was determined to hear from the town’s seniors themselves how they perceived their own transportation needs. Barbara Pitfido, Director of the Winooski Senior Center, provided initial feedback. Unfortunately, the coronavirus crisis required us to cancel our plans for a public forum. As the city of Winooski moves forward with its restructure plan, public opinion will be solicited.
The restructure plan aims to address the transportation of all residents, with a special focus on the elderly in particular, a population in critical need of services. The restructure will benefit Winooski’s economic growth and bridge gaps between our neighbors. The outcome will be a shuttle system. It will run continuously and circle throughout the town.
Outcome: A Shuttle System
A shuttle system operating within the borders of Winooski will enable speedy and efficient transportation accessible to all residents. In addition, it will encourage individuals to take public transit when going a short distance within their town. The decreased use of individuals’ cars leads to reduction of CO2 admissions allowing for public transit to head towards the direction of an environmentally conscious system.
How Can We Do It?
The City of Winooski received a grant from the University of Vermont to spend however they chose to allocate the funding. Winooski dedicated this grant to create change within public transportation. This seed grant funding will be supplemented through resources from partnerships, memberships, and hiring local drivers. Together these resources will provide the foundation for funding. Having already organized funds allows Winooski to think towards the direction of change. While grant money is limited, it represents the important call to action that can be spur on little acts of change.
Growing the Local Economy
Public transit affects all in a community. Smaller scale public transportation provides greater efficiency as well as other benefits to the town. It allows residents to choose how and where to enjoy their free time, and it enables those in the aging population to be part of the community. Important considerations for the shuttle system are its sustainability, its potential contribution to economic growth, and its suitability for the environmental conditions of the area. All important features that public transit brings, we also need to think about how this transportation is sustainable for the future and Winooski’s always growing population. Having the community engaged throughout all seasons and weather conditions is beneficial for local businesses to grow as well as maintain their income. Having a vibrant and active community draws more individuals in to live there, and for the business side of things a active and functioning transportation poses benefits for businesses looking to start in Winooski, as they won’t have to worry about customers finding parking.
For our community to continue to grow local public transportation seems to be the most viable option for Winooski and the residents itself.
Differentiating Ourselves
The Winooski shuttle system must be profitable in order to be sustained. Economic considerations are key to future viability. This system, however, is different from more generic shuttles designed for other areas. A fundamental criterion for this system is accessibility for all. This system was designed with seniors’ needs in mind from the start, not as later add-on features. This shuttle system addresses critical problems seniors faced with large-scale transit, like safety and the availability of pickup. The shuttle system will cater to the needs of all, with convenient stops throughout Winooski and an already functioning wheelchair ramp on the van. The reduction of cost for the public was needed to maintain accessibility, allowing Winooski residents to ride at a lower cost on this van. Residents can ride safely and at lower cost than on GMT services.
Protecting the Environment
A silver lining from the coronavirus crisis has been lower pollution levels now that fewer cars are on the roads. More than ever, we need to work together to continue to protect our environment by reducing gasoline emissions. Public shuttles throughout Winooski can help individuals save gas and save time by not having to look for parking and overall utilize resources in place in Winooski. Because of easy access to shops and services of the City of Winooski through the shuttle service, the City’s economy should experience growth.
Transportation and the Future
Transportation will always be a relevant topic of discussion. It is essential to function in our daily lives.
Because of this, communities need to be invested in working to create a better transit for all. I found it important to hear directly from stakeholders involved how they perceived the transit system in the City of Winooski. Those who do not have a voice in our community should be heard, and we must speak up for those who may not be able to. Figuring out what the gaps are in services provided and groups being served forms the basis for steps forward.
Transportation that is safe, accessible, and affordable is the foundation of all individuals’ ability to live the quality of life they deserve.
