Help Mt. Pleasant Town Council Candidates become Transit Aware

We were deeply disturbed by the lack of basic understanding of local transit issues we observed at the Oct. 23 Candidates forum for Mt. Pleasant Town Council. We are acting now to bring the community into active involvement to motivate the candidates to become informed. We need your help to make this work.

Pathetic Mt. Pleasant Answers Cause Alarm

Audience at Forum, Oct. 23

Watch the pathetic answers offered to the sole Transit question presented at the forum, "Would they support getting the Bus Rapid Transit line to run no later than December 2023?"  You can hear and most of the forum video at https://www.facebook.com/LWVCharleston/videos/407443876855289/, however the stream appears to have failed before Louise Brown successfully demanded they ask a Transit Question. Several questions are asked regarding traffic and climate change in which in over 15 minutes of discussion, Transit is never mentioned in the video we do have.  One candidate suggested the Town establish a bus service to take workers dontown to jobs at MUSC, an express bus service that has been running for 12 years, the #2 Express. Another suggested a circular shuttle route similar to the Mt. Pleasant local which was cancelled in Spring 2001 or the East Cooper Connector, which had overwhealming reliabilty problems and was cancelled about 2014 and once served the very Senior Citizens Center the forum was held at but never had a bench, shelter or safe walker and wheelchair accessable access from and two the building. Not one candidate mentioned Tel-A-Ride, our paratransit service used by the elderly at an event held for Senior Citizens that several of those in attendance used to reach the event. It was a horror show of clueless disinterest that disgusted Louise Brown. She share her thoughts with William Hamilton and the Staff at Joe Cunningham's, our congressman's office at our visit following the forum.

This lack of knowledge of transit is remarkable in a  town where one of our largest employers, Hubner supplies bus articulations to transit vehicle manufacturers around the world.

Image, Left- Developer Provided Bus Stop in Mount Pleasant.

Without improved transit, Mt. Pleasant will simply become impossible to travel around in as West Ashley and Summerville have already become for several periods of time each week. The only long term solution is high capacity BRT on segregated lanes linking dense, transit enabled hubs, supported by a strong last mile shuttle service and connecting service to the beach. They will either recognize this now, as the people on the town's master planning committee have or someone will figure it out some time after the afternoon the traffic stops moving for three hours.  Mistakes like the horrific location of the new Football Stadium only reenforce the autocentric values which will doom the town to failure. To do this as the town's population of elderly people who can't drive continues to increase is clueless and cruel.

A Plan to Go Forward

After what we saw today, the struggling Town of Lincolnville and little Ridgeville look a lot better. As busy as we are, we can't leave Mt. Pleasant where it is. Together, We Go Forward.

Call Them Now- We're asking our East Cooper Supporters, including those outside the Town of Mt. Pleasant who use the bus lines there to call the candidates with their concerns and ideas about transit. It was clear at the forum that most of these candidates believe our buses are empty and that you, do not, in fact. actually exist.  This web page lists their contact information, phone numbers and emails.

Guided Bus Ride Oct. 29- We're offering every candidate for Mt. Pleasant Town Council at guided bus ride beginning at Wando Crossing Shopping Center on Tuesday,  Oct. 29 at 7:15 am and returning to Mt. Pleasant on the #40, arriving back at Wando Crossing at 9:03. Candidates should bring bus fare of $3.50, exact change. We'll be calling into a talk radio station and live streaming from downtown during the ride. If a candidate wants to ride sooner, we're ready tomorrow. Just call (843) 870-5299.

Experts- We're offering these candidates access to our panel of independent transit experts. They can  also contact the Council of Governments, which has already spent 7 million dollars planning the rapid transit line over the past 25 years. Their I26 alt plan treats East Cooper Bus service extensively.

Updated Transit Materials and Questions were handed to all of the candidate's at today's forum. You can read our annotated questions for muncipal election candidates online. We'll be asking for answers to those questions at the Moultrie News Election Forum next week. We've sent a copy of the questions and Christian King's, candidate for Charleston City Council's answers to them to the Moultrie News which is preparing the questions for the forum.

Answers- We'll publish any written answers to our Transit questions or link to any answers posted online from our Blog, Facebook and Twitter feeds.

We'll attend next week's Moultrie News forum on Tuesday evening. It's not on a bus route and as a usual policy we would refuse to attend, but the problem here is so extreme, we're going to make an exception. We'll Uber to the forum from the #40 bus stop at Oakland Marketplace. We'll provide and RSVP signup and an opportunity to donate towards the cost.  We'll have "Transit Voter" stickers for all our supporters in attendance.

We'll be traveling out to the Forum on the #40 and #42 buses and returning home by Uber and the #40 bus (The bus out to the Wando Library stops running at 6:30. We depart Mary Street downtown at 4:30 and arrive at the forum location at 5:47. Signup up on eventbright online for paid bus tickets and Uber fees. We'll be wearing our yellow shirts, but if you don't have one, try for the shade of yellow on the tranist voter sticker above, close or just yellow will be fine.

A Proud History of Achievement now in Disarray, How Quickly a Community Can Forget Transit

Our organization began as Hungryneck Straphangers in Mt. Pleasant and the East Cooper area and made remarkable progress between 2009 and 2016 in that area. We increased transit ridership to 308% of its 2007 level. We persuaded the town to install benches at bus stops and inspired them to begin requiring developers to build bus stops as part of their development agreements like the one at right. We pioneered transit outreach in conservative Southern suburbs in ways national experts told us noone had every tried and achieved results we were told were impossible before we started. Our East Cooper effort, supported by Mayor Linda Page, laid the foundation for passage of the Half Penny Sales tax and funding of the first Rapid Transit system in the history of the state. The restoration of bus service in Columbia began with a hail Mary jump on the candidate at breakfast effort we executed at a political convention where the candidate for the Mayor of Columbia found himself surrounded by people in tranist union provided "Don't Cut Transit T-shirts."

We knew there was a real risk of losing ground on suburban and rural bus when we chose to concentrate on trying to force progress on the bus rapid transit line a year ago.  However, we recognized that without an actual rapid transit spine a system slowly strangled by rising traffic congestion was the likely outcome. That's why we're in Ridgville, Dorchester County and Summerville now. Ridgeville, you'll be happy to know is a $45 Uber ride from Mt. Pleasant but it was worth it. We met 3rd graders who know more and care more about transit and what it can do for their community at Clay Hill Elementary School up there (See image left) than some of the candidates at this forum. They were certainly more fun.

We believe if they are properly motivated by the need to earn votes from Mt. Pleasant Transit supporters that progress can be made. We appreciate your support.

If you have any questions or ideas please email or call: wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or (843) 870-5299.

Thank you for your help, together we go forward.

Christian King Answers 10 Transit Questions in Race for CHS City Council

Christian King, (Image, left) candidate for Charleston City Council, Dist 10 (West of the Ashley) will released her detailed answers to the 10 Transit Questions posed by Best Friends of Lowcountry Tranist on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 8 am at the Bus Stop at Citadel Mall during a guided bus ride for Candidates conducted by Best Friends Executive Director William Hamilton. The media is welcome to meet the candidate at the bus stop, however filming on board a bus requires permission from CARTA.

King is the first of over 100 Candidates for Mayor and Town or City Council in the Lowcountry to answer all ten questions in written form. Mayor Techlenberg, who sometimes sits on the CARTA Board and Mike Seekings, member of Charleston City Council, Chairman of the CARTA Board and Candidate for Mayor have both not yet provided answers to these questions, including the critical Low Line. Seekings is alleged to have said he's been given a dozen copies of the questions by voters.

King will be available to respond to press inquiries about her answers to the questions at 8 am at the Citadel Mall Bus Stop before departing for downtown Charleston on the #33 Bus at 8:23 am. She will arrive at the Mary Street Transit Center at 8:55 am and be available for interviews there for as long as needed. You can see the trip itinerary on Google Maps.

King can be reached for comment today by phone at (843) 442-6079. Her full answers to all ten questions are set out below verbatim, formatted with images added by Best Friends.,

Answers of Christian King

Do you favor locating the bus rapid transit line on the old railroad line running into Charleston (site of the proposed Lowline park) or do you believe that it and its stations should be located in traffic on Meeting Street?

 I am very much in favor of locating the bus rapid transit line on the old railroad line running into Charleston. I agree that it makes common senses and the best use of funds now and the future to use the abandoned railroad right of way beneath I26 offers the opportunity for a faster trip downtown and space for functional stations to connect with free DASH bus service, regular CARTA bus service to Mt. Pleasant, West Ashley & James Island, Bike Share and services like Uber. All of this can be combined with a pleasant, useful linear park and bikeway using the rail line and space in the existing, but little used "park" under I26. It is quite obvious there is no space in the Meeting Street right of way to put stations and locations for other transit services to transfer passengers.

 This common-sense proposal of a distance of an uninterrupted BRT trip on a dedicated transit line is being supplanted by a proposed Low Line Park. According to their website, the proposal is from a  group called the Friends of Lowcountry Low Line who purchased the property from Norfolk Southern.(This portion-does not make sense to me. Why did they do they or who selected the board) Their focus per the website to be in creating an economic output. This focus concerns me because of our Community mindset and our community goals need to be about more than just the dollars and sense of Economic Development. Our leadership in this community needs to be about more than just the dollars and sense of Economic Development.

Our leadership and especially the leadership of District 7 on Charleston City Council MUST reprioritize the balance between money and people...and it MUST be done now before  yet another generation of young people behind. PEOPLE must come FIRST!

There are many adults in our community who have already been left behind by decades of our City government focusing solely on the dollars and sense of Economic Development. For many of those people who have been left behind, there is simply no way to fix this. We can help them to survive in this world that left them out, but our primary effort NOW must be that of building strong capable children for the future of our community, and that is what MY life's work has always been about.

 Finally, this quote is taken from the website of the Friends of Lowcountry Low Line who purchased the property from Norfolk Southern:  The late Jane Jacobs, author, and champion of community-based approaches to city planning, wrote that "Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody."  However, I am sorry that I was not aware of this issue earlier to promote the essential open, public discussion of this issue and clear standards be obtained before the November 5th election. 

2. Will you commit to holding a public hearing to hear the public’s concerns and consider written materials presented. prior to your council’s vote on approving or disapproving the CARTA annual budget?

Yes, I will commit to holding a public hearing to hear the public consider written materials presented, prior to your council’s vote on approving or disapproving the CARTA annual budget. I will also hold quarterly meetings and input sessions in various communities of my district to hear their concerns, issues, and suggestions about CARTA. Actually, I think all of the City Council should spend a day twice a year riding the bus line from their home to understand the challenges their constituents face and if elected I will make that proposal.

3.  Do you believe the rapid transit line should reach downtown Summerville or are you willing to let it end at the Charleston County line? I believe the Rapid Transit Line should reach downtown, Summerville. 

The rapid population growth and the need for affordable housing is pushing more and more people to outer areas, such as Summerville to live. But they are still working in Charleston. To help reduce traffic congestion the rapid transit line needs to go all the way downtown.

4. Do you believe the rapid transit line should run in segregated lanes on Highway 78 or are you willing to have it operate in traffic from Rivers? Ave. to Merlin G. Myers parkway outside Summerville? 

I believe that the rapid transit line should run in segregated lanes on Highway 78. Have you ever seen Fairground Traffic? To have it operate in traffic from Rivers will defeat the purpose.

5. What do you believe should be done to assure that affordable housing is constructed within walkable distance (a half-mile) of the rapid transit line, including the location of the old Navy Hospital in N. Charleston

Planning and zoning using allow more density in areas that will allow it. Plans should be in place for permanently affordable housing and mix-use housing areas. Also, tiny homes and other creative use should be considered.

6. Do you support the implementation of a complete streets standard in the area you would represent accommodating pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders? 

Yes, this is very similar to what Charleston Moves asked me and answer to them and now is Yes, I would work to support the implementation of a complete street standard in my area that would represent accommodating pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders.

7. Will you support requiring developers to build sheltered bus stops and pull outs as part of their development agreement with your Town, City or County? 

Yes!! Regardless of the outcome of this election, I am going to work with BFOLT as a priority issue for my community. There are too many members of my community, traveling to and from work having to stand in the elements while waiting on the bus while other areas especially in tourist areas who are very comfortable.

8. Do you support returning regular scheduled public transit bus service to one of our local beaches three days a week, Friday, Sat. and Sunday for 12 hours a day with service not less than once an hour starting no later than Memorial Day Weekend, 2020 and to operate said service until the last Sunday prior to Oct. 1 of the year? Yes!! I have you seen the traffic during that time of year? 

What a difference it would make if we could reduce the number of vehicles going there.  I believe that it will also increase the number of low wealth community members access as well. Also, this bus service would also eliminate the problem with finding parking and the schedule of parking.

9. Would you support repeal of the “Pay Go” plan and restoration of full funding for improvements in regular bus service, raising the money available to improve CARTA and Link service within Charleston County from the current level of 3 million dollars per year to 14 million dollars per year.?

Yes, we need to spend the money now and provided full funding for improvements in regular bus service,tackle the unreliable service, increase frequency and extend hours, especially on the Citadel Mall-Sam Rittenberg-North Charleston-route that was suggested by CAJM in May.  

 The pago plan is currently diverting 11 million dollars and bus funding a year to road construction. We do need more roads West Ashley, however in many areas there is no more Room for significant new road capacity. Improving transit is the only way we get to reduce congestion that building new roads to undeveloped areas which  creates more sprawl and more traffic instead of making sure the area's current residents who are paying sales taxes have better transit service. Failure to provide an increase in higher funding for Carta  is irresponsible and unfair to the people who voted for the referendum. We need to improve basic bus service West Ashley with  money the voters appropriated for that purpose in 2016. We need to spend the money now because 14 Million today is worth far more  than five years from now. The funds are available-use them now. The citizens of West Ashley deserves those services.

10.  Will you commit to a plan to complete and commence operations no later than Nov. 2023 on the bus rapid transit line serving Summerville, Lincolnville, Ladson, N. Charleston, the Neck and Charleston. Yes, I will definitely commit to a plan to complete and commence operations no later than Nov. 2023 on the bus rapid transit line serving Summerville, Lincolnville, Ladson, N. Charleston.

  I am so disappointed that we could not have taken Indianapolis example and already have ours in place. . Indianapolis voted to build its bus rapid transit line the same day Charleston County did in Nov. 2016. Operations commenced there in Sept. 2019, 2 years agn ten months after vote approval. Plans for our line anticipate a 9 year planning and construction process the longest such process we know of anywhere on Earth for a project of this type.

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Ten Questions about Transit for Candidates.

Here are the Ten Questions we want the people running for municipal office in Charleston, N. Charleston, Summerville. Mt. Pleasant and Ridgeville to answer. We've put them online so we can link them to background material available on the internet and our own blog posts.

Introduction- 

Municipal and County governments control Lowcountry Rapid Transit, CARTA and Tri County Link through their presence on the COGs various committees, by appointing members to the CARTA and Link Boards and by having veto power over the CARTA budget. Please get these questions answered by your candidates prior to voting and share their answers with us, on video if possible. The answeres provided in past elections regarding transit seem to vary with the context. Downtown meetings known to have transit riders present got protransit answers. Suburban meetings filled with car drivers got answers promising to eliminate bus stops or use transit funding to build roads. Our elected officials ought to know transit riders don't park their bus in the lot for the meeting and their statements can be recorded on cell phones easily now. Please get us your recordings and we'll link them here.

The 10 Questions-

Developer provided bus stop in Mt. Pleasant.

1. Do you favor locating the bus rapid transit line on the old railroad line running into Charleston (site of the proposed Lowline park) or do you believe that it and its stations should be located in traffic on Meeting Street? Our blogpost on the Lowline issue.  Challenges of planning better transit in a historic city. 
2. Will you commit to holding a public hearing to hear the public’s concerns and consider written materials presented. prior to your council’s vote on approving or disapproving the CARTA annual budget. Video of four candidates for N. Charleston City Council answering this question at the Oct. forum. 
3. Do you believe the rapid transit line should reach downtown Summerville or are you willing to let it end at the Charleston County line?
4. Do you believe the rapid transit line should run in segregated lanes on Highway 78 or are you willing to have it operate in traffic from Rivers. Ave. to Merlin G. Myers parkway outside Summerville?
5. What do you believe should be done to assure that affordable housing is constructed within walkable distance (a half mile) of the rapid transit line, including the location of the old Navy Hosptial in N. Charleston?
6. Do you support implementation of a complete streets standard in the area you would represent accommodating pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders? Information on our complete streets effort.   Riverland Drive effort to get bus stops. Charleston Moves has a collection of answers from 70% of the candidates running on the complete streets issue. 
7. Will you support requiring developers to build sheltered bus stops and pullouts as part of their development agreement with your Town, City or County. 
8. Do you support returning regular scheduled public transit bus service to one of our local beaches three days a week, Friday, Sat. and Sunday for 12 hours a day with service not less than once an hour starting no later than Memorial Day Weekend, 2019 and to operate said service until the last Sunday prior to Oct. 1 of the year? Blogpost on effort to return transit to Folly Beach, June 2018.
9. Would you support repeal of the “Pay Go” plan and restoration of full funding for improvements in regular bus service, raising the money available to improve CARTA and Link service within Charleston County from the current level of 3 million dollars per year to 14 million dollars per year. The paygo plan and I526 issue. 
10. Will you commit to a plan to complete and commence operations no later than Nov. 2023 on the bus rapid transit line serving Summerville, Lincolnville, Ladson, N. Charleston, the Neck and Charleston. Indianapolis voted to build its bus rapid transit line the same day Charleston County did in Nov. 2016. Operations commenced there in Sept. 2019, 2 years agn ten months after vote approval. Plans for our line anticipate a 9 year planning and construction process the longest such process we know of anywhere on Earth for a project of this type. 

Updates and additional links to this document are expected.