The Oxymoronic Road to Nowhere
Today, I tried to use public transportation to get a meeting about public transportation and it was near impossible.
The meeting was a transit roundtable hosted by the Connecticut Association for Community Transportation. The panel, moderated by CACT executive director, Mary Tomolonius included Michael Sanders, a transit administrator for the Connecticut Department of Transportation; Joe Carbone, President and CEO The Workplace; Tony Rescigno, President of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and more transportation heavyweights. The panel discussed accessibility, upgrades, budget, and the future of Connecticut transportation.
According to Google Maps, I live approximately 4.2 miles, a 15 minute drive from the Greater New Haven Transit District's garage in Hamden at 1014 Sherman Ave, where the meeting took place. Yet, for me to get back and forth from the meeting it took a $16 cab ride, a 2.2 mile walk, two relatively short bus rides and a piece of my sanity.
I don't drive. While I have a permit I have yet to take steps that will allow me that privilege because frankly driving scares the hell out of me. But, I must admit today's journey through the frigid fall air of 34 degrees might make me reconsider.
At first glance, the address seemed familiar and I recalled it being relatively close, so I presumed the cab ride would be $10 at most. Plus, with the time winding down, a cab was my quickest option.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Like myself, the cab driver recognized the address and presumed he knew what direction to go. What we soon learned, there is a difference between the familiar, Sherman Parkway and the great unknown, Sherman Avenue. So, this time with GPS in hand, we made a U-turn and headed in the right direction...30 minutes late.
Upon my arrival, the big wigs of Connecticut transportation debated the budget and had Sanders, "the money man" on the defensive. While, Sanders crunched numbers and crushed my hope for a more convenient bus system, I wondered how I was going to use that same bus system to return home from the middle of nowhere.
At the meetings end, while all the panelist drove away in their cars, I began my search on foot to find the nearest bus stop, which I eventually found, a half mile away.
I reached the random dilapidated bus stop, at 11 a.m. and attempted to read the weathered paper bus schedule in its yellowed display case. I had no idea where I was and with my phone service temporarily off for the moment, GPS was not an option.
So, I did what anyone in my situation would do...guess. I could at least make out that it was J-Bus schedule. Luckily, it was still morning because those times were the only times visible on the schedule. But, the fact still remained, I had no idea where I was, at least in correlation to the bus route. Therefore, using the process of elimination, I knew I wasn't in Cheshire nor was I at the Hamden Plaza, so I figured I was somewhere in between, which left the Hamden Hills. While, I have never heard of the Hamden Hills previous to reading the schedule, it sounded plausible. The schedule read that the bus would reach the Hamden Hills at 11:03 a.m., great I thought, only three more minutes.
Three more minutes passed and so did the J2 bus -- on the other side of the road. I ran like a crazy woman weaving through cars, waving my hands in the air trying to catch the bus driver’s attention across the street. No luck. I continued to chase the bus as it turned the corner and drove out of sight, as if I was going to catch-up to it and give that bus driver a piece of my mind. .
At that moment, I lost any hope of getting out of the cold anytime soon. I pulled out my hideous, but exceptionaly functional gloves put my earbuds in my ears and blasted A$AP Rocky's F**ckin' Problems because that is exactly what I had at the moment...problems minus the expletive. With no car, no phone, and no bus in sight, I continued to walk with no real destination.
But, after about a half hour of walking the sidewalk-less streets of Hamden there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I saw the IHOP sign, signaling that the Hamden Plaza was near. The plaza was a familar place, a familar place with plenty of bus stops where the D-bus comes every 10 minutes.While, I still had two bus rides before I was actually reached my front door, the plaza was familiar and although I have been there many time before, I've never been more happier to see it. p>
Watch an interview with Mike Sanders from the GNHTD roundtable below...