Save the Mission Hills bus line!
Kay Davis, who resides in Mission Hills, also relies on public transportation and is seeking to keep the 83-bus route.
By Sharon Gehl and Patricia Paylor
The Metropolitan Transit System is proposing eliminating the 83-bus route, the only bus that serves north and south Mission Hills, as part of a system-wide route realignment. The 83 bus runs through Mission Hills, and then down Reynard Way to the American Plaza Trolley station downtown. It returns up Reynard Way and makes a loop through Hillcrest. Without it, residents in north and south Mission hills would have to walk up the steep hill to Washington Street or down to the Middletown Trolley Station.
Residents who work downtown or attend meetings or jury duty depend on it, as do residents who are disabled, no longer drive, or can’t afford a car. Less frequent riders like the idea that it is available if they need it.
Many who work as housekeepers, nannies and homecare aids depend on the 83, as do their employers. Without reliable medical homecare, many residents would be affected, as would the many handicapped people who live along Reynard Way.
The MTS planner, Peter Casinelli, says the number of riders has gone down since 2008, coinciding with the reduction of us service to once an hour. Many suggestions have been made to the MTS planner, Peter Casinelli, such as cutting out the Hillcrest loop of the trip, and then providing more frequency. He has considered these options and rejected them.
The MTS says that they have to consider costs. Taxpayers subsidize the bus and trolley service in San Diego, just as they do trains, airports, streets, and freeways. The MTS actually pays a lower subsidy per rider than comparable cites like Sacramento, Portland, and Denver.
The people who would be hurt the most by eliminating the 83 bus would be those who depend on it the most: The disabled, elderly, housekeepers, and homecare workers. Without bus service, many disabled riders would have to depend on the highly inconvenient and frequently unreliable MTS para transit service, which requires a much higher taxpayer subsidy.
The MTS is asking for comments on their proposed route changes. You can send your comments and suggestions to the MTS board of directors by way of the clerk of the board, Julia Tuer; julia.tuer@sdmts.com or call her at (619) 557-4515 and leave a message for the board.
You can also comment in public at future MTS Board meetings when this issue is discussed. Check meeting agendas a week before the upcoming July 20th, and August 17th meetings to see if the Transit Optimization Plan (TOP) will be on the agenda. The webpage is: https://www.sdmts.com/about-mts-meetings-and-agendas/board-meetings. You can also call the MTS Administrative offices at (619) 238-0100 a week before each of these board meetings to ask if the TOP will be on the agenda.
You can also communicate with Patricia Paylor who is helping to educate the community and is working to help those who rely on public transportation. She can be reached at (619) 838-1126 PPaylor@Klinedinstlaw.com.
Category: Local News
