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January 10, 2004
Dial-A-Ride
Legislative Fact Sheet
Prepared
by the Greater Hartford Transit District
ADA Paratransit Advisory Committee
Mobility is a critical issue if you do not drive an automobile and it
is becoming an issue for more and more people in Connecticut each year.
Over 546,800 residents have a disability and, according to the U.S. Census
2000, the disability rate rose with age. Did you know that Connecticut's
senior population is expected to increase from 14.5% to 18% of the total
population by 2025?
In 1999, the State of Connecticut passed a law (CGS 13 b-38bb) that requires
the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation to make state matching
grants to municipalities for elderly and disabled demand responsive transportation
programs (Dial-A-Ride) within available General Fund appropriations. The
grants cannot be used for any other purpose and must be in addition to
the current municipal spending. Since the General Assembly has never appropriated
the funds for the state matching grants, the state program has never been
implemented.
Why should this concern you? If do not live near a fixed-route bus line
or within ¾ of a mile of one, then you do not have the option of
using public transportation or the ADA mandated paratransit service to
get you to the places you need to go. What do you do if you cannot drive,
stay home? Your only mobility option may be the town dial-a-ride service
for persons who are 60 years of age or older or who have a disability.
Various town dial-a-ride programs are not equal in the levels of service
they provide to residents, and funding is often the reason. At a time
when demand for existing service and requests for expanded service increases
daily, dial-a-ride programs are struggling to maintain existing service
given a static level of local funding. Some towns have reduced service
to meet their budget constraints.
What can you do? Tell your state representative and state senator that
you want the law (CGS 13b-38bb) implemented that provides state matching
grants to municipalities for elderly and persons with disabilities demand
responsive transportation and that you wish them to support the appropriations
of funds for this purpose. If you currently use the town dial-a-ride program,
tell how the service helps you and what happens when the service is not
available to you. If you don't use dial-a-ride, tell them that you are
concerned for those who use the service or will need to use it in the
future. Tell them that it is time for Connecticut to invest in state matching
grants to municipalities for dial-a-ride. You can make a difference!
If you don't know who is your state representative or state senator or
how to contact them, call your local library and ask. If you have access
to the internet, go to www.vote-smart.org.
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