Transportation seen as way to improve livability index in South Bend, St. Joseph County

Ed Semmler, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read
Zach Dripps, deputy director of MACOG, discusses an area transportation plan at a meeting Saturday morning at the St. Joseph Public Library.
Zach Dripps, deputy director of MACOG, discusses an area transportation plan at a meeting Saturday morning at the St. Joseph Public Library.

SOUTH BEND ― Planners and government officials know a stronger public transportation network is important to the region’s growth and livability.

To that end, public transportation provider Transpo and the Michiana Area Council of Governments were invited by South Bend and St. Joseph County officials to discuss their plans to reorganize bus routes in the next year and to look ahead on how public transit can better serve the needs of the community in the future.

Aiming to improve:Michiana transit weighs conflicting goals of ride frequency, geographical coverage

The meeting was Saturday morning at the St. Joseph County Public Library.

“The goal is to provide better, more frequent service,” said Zach Dripps, deputy director of MACOG, of the public transit plans. “There are people without cars who need better access to jobs as well as necessities, such as hospitals and grocery stores.”

The first plan that is being considered by Transpo and MACOG would improve service efficiency within current budget parameters, but a longer-range plan, which would put much of St. Joseph and Elkhart counties within an hour trip via public transit, would cost millions more to implement, Dripps said.

"We are well below what other cities and regions invest in public transit,” he said.

The benefit of the long-range plan is that the potential job market would be expanded for those who can’t drive or can’t afford to drive. Another benefit is that seniors could get where they need to go, even when they’re no longer able to drive.

Besides those efforts, MACOG also has looked at van pools and other ideas that could get workers where they need to go. Some form of ride-sharing program, similar to the one that South Bend has been using to get people to jobs, also could be developed for seniors.

Some work groups at Saturday’s meeting also suggested that Transpo might make sure its stops are always cleared of snow and that ridership might be boosted if stops were made more comfortable for users.

In addition, groups also suggested that some education and outreach probably needs to occur to show more people how to use public transit services.

The Michiana Area Council of Governments and Transpo are looking at ways to improve public transportation in the near term as well as into the future.
The Michiana Area Council of Governments and Transpo are looking at ways to improve public transportation in the near term as well as into the future.

South Bend Mayor James Mueller and county Commissioners Deb Fleming and Carl Baxmeyer attended the meeting as the area hopes to glean suggestions that could be part of an updated plan to maintain and improve upon the area’s AARP livability index.

A previous session dealt with things the community could do to improve building and outdoor spaces to make them more friendly to seniors, said Allie Dolz-Lane, project manager for the mayor’s office. Input at that meeting is what led to the second meeting on transportation, as that was a key concern brought up by participants.

Additional meetings aimed at the AARP designation will address housing, neighborhoods, engagement, environment, health and opportunity.

Learn more about the AARP designation at southbendin.gov/age-friendly or the transportation plan at connecttransitplan.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend, St. Joe County look at public transit to boost livability