Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Service topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
KTA meeting: staff reports on ridership and hiring; rider raises safety concerns about relocated bus stop
Summary
At the KTA monthly meeting, staff reported a small ridership decline, improved on-time performance and the hiring of more than 30 people after recent job fairs. A longtime local rider and former KTA commissioner, Sandra Brewer, urged the authority to review a relocated stop she calls unsafe for people who use wheelchairs or are visually impaired.
The KTA held its August meeting, during which members approved last month’s minutes, heard a staff update on ridership and hiring, and received a public complaint about a relocated bus stop that a resident said is unsafe for people with disabilities.
In the most newsworthy items, staff reported a slight decrease in ridership for the first month of the fiscal year but said on-time performance has improved. A staff speaker said, “on time performance is still up. It's about 11% improvement over last year. We're around 75% to 74% last year in on time performance.” The same report noted recent recruitment activity: the authority held a job fair and “hired over 30 people,” which staff described as a successful step toward full staffing.
The meeting also included public comment from Sandra Brewer of 3030 Holbrook Drive, who said she is grateful for free rides to polling places and raised safety concerns about a stop that was relocated from the Citgo at Adair and Bridal. Brewer said the previous stop allowed riders to use a continuous sidewalk toward Food City but that the current location lacks a curb cut and sidewalks. She described an observed incident in which a man in a wheelchair flipped over while trying to reach the stop and lost his groceries. “I just don't understand how you can change stops like that and make them so dangerous without consulting people,” Brewer said, and left photographs with the authority for staff review.
Meeting participants acknowledged Brewer’s history of service as a former KTA commissioner and a member of a mayoral disability advisory committee. Board members and staff offered to follow up: an official said, “Isaac and his team will get with you after the meeting,” and another added that Executive Director Thorne and planning staff would speak with her.
Other routine business: the board noted there is no financial report in the packet this month because the city finance department has not yet completed the fiscal closeout; a staff speaker said the financial statements will be included in the September packet. The board also announced that Beth Miller, whose council confirmation was noted, will join as a new board member next month. The next meeting was scheduled for Sept. 25 at 3 p.m.
Votes and formal actions taken at the meeting were procedural: the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned on a motion that was seconded and approved. No formal votes or policy actions about the bus stop location were taken; staff were directed to follow up with the commenter and planning staff after the meeting.
Questions raised during the meeting centered on sidewalk and curb-cut access at the relocated stop at Adair and Bridal, the safety of people using wheelchairs or with visual impairments, and the need for staff coordination with planning to assess and, if necessary, adjust the stop location. Staff accepted photographs Brewer provided and committed to discuss next steps with her after the meeting.
