Commuter Services of North Florida

SouthWood mulls StarMetro route
By TaMaryn Waters (4.18.06)
For The Tallahassee Democrat

Terry Cole wants a transit system he can count on.

But before he leaves his car at home, he had a few concerns about whether the city's proposed bus route to SouthWood was a fit for him.

"Knowing how you're going to get home is important. If it took an hour, I wouldn't take it," said the 60-year-old Cole, a lawyer for Oertel, Fernandez, Cole & Bryant law firm. His schedule demands fast, reliable service.

His wife, Linda Cole, 59, nodded in agreement. She's thinking about the long-term benefits of a SouthWood bus route. The retired librarian said, "We intend to make SouthWood our home forever." She's concerned about accessibility to various areas of town as the couple gets older.

About 15 residents voiced their opinions about the new bus route being proposed for SouthWood residents during a listening session Monday evening. Bus service is slated for late July or early August.

Plans are still in the works, but here's what's being proposed:

The possible target areas for commuting will be downtown, Florida State University and the Koger Center because of limited parking. Buses will run every 20 to 30 minutes during peak times and every hour for off-peak times. Passengers will be able to use the Internet to determine how long their ride will be using the new route. A "guaranteed ride home" program will dispatch a cab for free if an emergency comes up and bus service is not an option.

"We want to change the way people look at transportation," said Brad Sheffield, planning administrator for the city.

The new plan is part of a four-part collaboration between the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency, Commuter Services of North Florida, St. Joe Co. and StarMetro.

A similar service, Capital City Rider - also designed for SouthWood residents - didn't work out last August because of limited money, Sheffield said. He said the city was able to get a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation that will pay for 50 percent of the costs of the new plan.

Sixteen buses are planned for the SouthWood route, and it's going to take $100,000 a year to run one route, Sheffield said. StarMetro currently has 80 buses and vans operating 40 routes throughout the city. Depending on the need, the new route could run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Ronald Garrison, executive director of StarMetro, said adding options to residents leaving SouthWood for work or residents coming to the area to work, will help economic growth and make it a more connected community.