At Catholic Social Services we see a very clear and direct link between transportation, employment and self-sufficiency. Our clients must have public transportation to take advantage of job training opportunities, go to job interviews, attend English as a Second Language classes, drop their kids off at day care, apply online for jobs at the library or secure an official copy of their Social Security card.
Even without the proposed cuts, utilizing public transportation in Anchorage can be very challenging. We need more buses on more routes throughout the city, not fewer. Currently, a bus is scheduled approximately every 30 minutes to one hour Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. Bus service on weekends is hourly from approximately 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For those working nontraditional schedules this can be very difficult. If you have to take two buses to get to work on a weekend and the first one is running late, you can end up missing the transfer and then you need to wait another hour -- making you well over an hour late for work.
It is my hope that Mayor Sullivan, the Anchorage Assembly and the People Mover program reconsider the proposed cuts in light of the direct connection between economic self-sufficiency for low-income Alaskans and access to reliable public transportation.
In a city as spread out as Anchorage (encompassing Eagle River and Girdwood), transportation is an even bigger concern for our low-income neighbors. The proposed cuts to service will make it even harder to find and retain jobs in today's struggling economy. Please do not make the proposed changes to the People Mover program, but find a way to use our resources more efficiently in other areas that won't impact the people who need this essential service the most.
Susan H. Bomalaski is executive director of Catholic Social Services.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.