Living Locally
by Bryan Davis

On a train, in a car, would you take a bus that far?

Like folks in other towns in Vermont and across the U.S., Charlotte residents are eager to find new ways to travel from place to place. The price of fuel has generated many conversations about the future of transportation, locally and beyond. A group of local citizens is trying to move from conversation to action.
Early in 2008 former Living Locally columnist Ron Miller announced efforts by the Charlotte Sustainable Living Network (CSLN), Planning Commissioners and other residents to explore local transportation options. A community forum soon followed where a wide range of ideas was discussed, such as extending CCTA bus service to Charlotte, establishing a local shuttle service, organizing a coordinated system for carpooling and ridesharing, reinvigorating commuter rail, connecting path networks and more.
As a first step to learn more about local transportation needs and desires, particularly regarding public transit, a survey was available townwide in late spring to which 77 people responded (thank you!). More than 94% of respondents said that they would use public transportation if it fit their schedule, and almost 75% of respondents said that they would use public transit up to three days per week, with Burlington, Shelburne and Vergennes being the top destinations. While there are a variety of reasons residents might not use alternatives to driving alone, respondents identified the strict schedule of public transit as the biggest barrier, followed by the need to do errands, possible emergencies and other situation-specific barriers.
While perhaps we could have speculated on these kinds of results, now we have input from residents to support them. The survey also revealed that residents are interested in other components of a multimodal system: 74% of respondents expressed interest in train and/or light rail, 60% in a jitney or local shuttle service, 55% for sidewalks/paths, and 49% for ridesharing.
The good news is that there are a number of ways locals can start changing their driving habits (and saving $$$). One of the best ways residents can improve transit in Charlotte is to ride the existing Middlebury LINK Express bus, which stops at Steve’s Citgo in Charlotte and Jimmo’s Motel in North Ferrisburgh on Route 7. More than 71% of respondents noted that they were aware of the Middlebury LINK Express that serves Route 7 between Burlington and Middlebury. The better the ridership on that route, the better the ability for CCTA to secure funding for additional trips. If the times on that route simply aren’t convenient enough, folks could drive to the Shelburne train station and then hop on the CCTA Shelburne route, which has more frequent stops than the LINK bus (see cctaride.org for details). Organizing a Ride -the-Bus Day, either from the Citgo station or from Shelburne, could be a first step in encouraging folks to try taking the bus.
Even though there is free public parking at the three local LINK bus stops (Steve’s, Jimmo’s and Shelburne train station), developing a public park and ride in close proximity to Route 7 in Charlotte is also important to expanding transit in the town. If the town could take advantage of the municipal park-and -ride program or a public/private partnership to develop a site more convenient than the state park and ride at the Charlotte train station, CCTA would be better able to offer convenient service in the future.
Creating a local rideshare network—for commuting or longer distance travel—is another fairly easy action to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and share traveling expenses. This could be accomplished through the town web site or using online resources like Yahoo Groups or Google Groups. A rideshare listing could also be included in this paper for folks headed out of town. Other rideshare resources include the state’s new Go Vermont initiative government.org, the Campus Area Transportation Management Association (uvm.edu/~catma), and free online sites such as eRideShare.com.
Also important is continued coordination with the Charlotte Trails Committee to continue developing the local network of trails and paths, including those that could provide access to bus stops and other meeting points. Also, simply having adequate bicycle parking facilities at local destinations (town office and library, businesses, LINK bus stops, etc.) can encourage bicycling over driving.
Summer, of course, is a tough time to get folks organized to work on projects. The good news is that pieces of the overall vision (transit, the survey, rideshare, trails/sidewalks, bike racks, etc.) have been identified through the survey results. September may be a good time to rally and expand the committee to re-establish the overall goals and identify other action items. Keep an eye on this column and the town web site for meeting updates, and keep talking to your neighbors—you just might come up with the next great transportation solution!

Bryan Davis is a Transportation Planner with the Chittenden County Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (CCMPO). The CCMPO is a federally funded but locally controlled organization serving Chittenden County’s 18 municipalities. To learn more visit campo.org or contact Bryan at 802-660-4071 or bdavis@ccmpo.or