Dear LTD Needs Your Help to Find This Woman

Apparently, according to this handwritten note, a woman who is 31 weeks pregnant was denied use of the Lane Transit District's bus services due to not having the correct TYPE of change.  LTD's fare machines do not accept pennies. This is a fact we at Dear LTD were unaware of, and we ride the bus daily using bus passes.

According to this note it appears the woman was escorted away by a security guard even though she did infact have the correct amount of money to ride the bus. According to this note she then was forced to walk to reach her destination.

We at Dear LTD would like to find this woman, verify this incident, and help this woman find competent legal representation to make sure this type of behavior is never again allowed to happen. At the very least we would like to get a public apology from LTD for this woman.

Please copy and paste this picture and distribute it on all your social media venues. Please copy the link for this article and post it to all forms of media. It would be great to get ANY of the local news media to cover this.

You can follow Dear LTD on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DearLTD

Reprinted with permission from OMOT: "Believe it or not!!"

 September LTD Board Meeting
Summary Report
October 7, 2011

The following report is not fiction; strange and bizarre, but all true. We were there and can pass a lie detector test if needed. Call it an OMOT version of “BELIEVE It or NOT”. Kudos to Mike Dubick for looking out for the public. He noticed that the board was being asked to approve board minutes from Dec 2010. They were going to be approving about 8 months of overdue minutes (one of the months in the middle was missing?). He requested that the staff be more timely in providing the minutes since they are and should be in public record as soon as possible. Thank you Mr. Dubick for your logic; wish more of the Board had access to logic and common sense.

OMOT would like to suggest all the meetings be televised. Anyone can see that the minutes, even when they do appear, are not a true verbatim transcript but an abridged report that tends to favor LTD staff and goals and minimize any public participation. To televise would allow everyone to see and hear tonal inflections and not make the public have to trek to meetings. The viewers could then decide who is who and what is what from the comfort of their couch. Please remember we do not get paid to sit in meetings.

The report was from Point to Point Solutions and it was a great one! With much smiling and enthusiasm, it was presented as a great triumph. LTD received a $55,000 grant from ODOT to promote and study carpooling. Results of program: LTD distributed approx $4,138.75 in gift certificates to new and existing carpoolers who logged 10 trips. LTD spent $21,666.72 just to administer that little program. Board member Doris Towrey was very pleased with the end result of a calculated savings of $12,575.21 in fuel. Towrey said she loved numbers and wanted the TV stations notified. She forgot to notice that the ODOT grant allowed for $11,000 (20% of 55,000) to administer the entire grant amount. LTD spent $21,666.72on just that small program so they had to pull $10,666.72 out of the Point to Point budget. Good news is they have over $38,000 of the grant left, which is not for administrative costs. If they have the same rate of success, it will only cost $180,000 more in admin to make that last $39,861.25 disappear. Perhaps Ms. Towrey needs a calculator for that last bit. Oh, if you actually read the entire report, 31% of the enrolled people failed to fill out the pre-entry survey so the end data recovered was junk. My favorite quote from this report: Page 51 "From a budgetary perspective, the Carpool Incentive Program was able to exceed its goal of VMT/VMR reinforced using only 47% of projected program costs." Yup they actually printed that! Guess someone predicted even higher admin costs? P.S. Data on page 42 of board packet conflicts and says you saved 12,575.2 gallons of fuel when calculations in the chart on page 49 shows it is actually 3353.4 gallons.

Board member Gary Gillespie stayed in character. At last month’s Board meeting he said that LTD should not pay attention to elected officials since they are just trying to get elected. He thought the LTD Board and Staff should go to the planners and City Managers and ignore elected input. So after another month of thought, he had his brilliant observation for this month. He is concerned and is frustrated that LTD cannot just do what they want and are not in control of their own destiny. They have to answer to so many people and other local agencies! It is just not fair.

Duh. Mr. Gillespie, of the unelected LTD board, wants to have full control so he would have to get approval from no one? What else you want Mr. Gillespie- $94 million in your bank account and unlimited Power of Eminent Domain? And your third wish would be?

Tom Schwetz gave another glowing report that shows LTD does things better than Tri Met. He claims Tri -Met contacts no one on planned service routes until the projects are fully funded. He nearly dislocated his shoulder patting himself on the back. LTD has had 300 meetings with people on the West Eugene EmX Extension in the 4 years they have been working on it (that would be an average 75 per year and probably includes multiple visits to the same property owner). By the way he was carrying on, you would think they had never promised to meet with all 800-1200 property and business owners before submitting for the Small Starts $94 million grant on Sept 12th. Cossette Reese had, in prior public meetings and Board meetings, stated they would meet with all affected property owners. LTD made a whole list of property owners and said she and staff were diligently notifying and meeting with people. Guess a postcard was all they needed. I guess you may meet them at their office when they close your driveway.

Mr. Vobora, Director of Service Planning, did not have much to say. I am not sure, but he may have been benched for this meeting.

Tom Schwetz had a double feature. He had another grant they had to spend. So, LTD hired CH2M Hill to help waste funds. The CH2M guy was not too helpful, or maybe he was way more educated than this observer. But thank our lucky stars, Tom quickly cleared up everything. Let’s all get on this make believe bus and pretend it did not go to Ferry Street Bridge, but straight to the FUTURE! In that future, 2021, Lane County would not have 320,000 people but 400,000 bus hungry inhabitants. Eugene would have $7.00 a gallon gas so EVERYONE would ride the bus! So in the hypothetical world, what would the Board members suggest LTD do? Yes this is all true, it really happened, Believe it or not. They had two staff taking notes on easels. Tom was asking if the Board members did their homework problems. Tom could not seem to get the participation he wanted and many confused looks were exchanged. Some stuff was written on the two easels. The exercise just kind of ended with no conclusions. I would love to know what this exercise cost us taxpayers. Let’s see, two easels, two pens, CH2M Hill guy, Tom Schwetz time, misc staff time. Hopefully only $100,000, but if the prior Point To Point presentation is any comparison .........
The CH2M Hill guy went home, still smiling. Earth to Tom: Try reality next time in 2021. Gas $7.00 a gallon, LTD millions in the hole on underfunded pensions, LTD millions in hole on underfunded OPEB benefits, unfriendly business climate and slow growth policy causing severe lack of jobs in Eugene, and therefore, a less than 0.5% annual growth in county population.

Pension Plan: the Board was approving a new pension plan for new Admin hires; much less than the current plan cost. Interesting- not one board member asked why they did not fund the current employee health benefits costs and pension in the fiscal year the expense was incurred. Surprisingly, no one asked why they let the deficits grow and told the FTA they were in good financial health? Why did they not have any policy in place to insure it would never fall below proper funding levels? OMOT is now considering funding a grant for basic calculators for all Board and staff members. It’s possible LTD is already applying for 5307 Federal funds for calculator battery replacements.

My favorite part. Public input. First, an "elite sports car shop" owner asked if the board would put him on the payroll since he attended so many meetings and read so much transit data. They could have, but he asked too many questions they could not answer.

Next, a man read a letter for a lady from Springfield that asked LTD not to drive the bus down her street 84 times a day to turn it around. She was concerned for safety of children and thought the light side street overlay would not stand up to the wear and tear of heavy bus.

The final lady was the sweetest little old lady you have ever met. She had a neat handwritten notepaper filled on both sides. She stated that she gave up her car 20 years ago when her husband died. She formerly had a bus stop on her corner but no more since EmX came on in January. She could no longer do her church volunteer work easily, and was too tired if she had to walk. She stated she went to the Oakway Mall once and it took her 80 minutes one way; so, she had the eyeglasses mailed to her because she could not think of returning to the store. She uses Ride Source some now, but misses her freedom. She stated she felt like she had aged 10 years since the January implementation of the new EmX. You could have heard a pin drop during her talk and she repeatedly apologized for complaining. Hope LTD considers this issue of EmX: less stops further apart does not equal basic bus service. Sure will be interested in how much of this makes it into public record.

You would think the Board would think it their responsibility to look at a LTD financial statement or performance report. None were discussed and none found on the LTD website. Not updated since May and June. LTD wants the EmX expansion but sure doesn't want you to see the increase in maintenance costs that come with 60 ft buses nor the increase in admin costs while they are negotiating with the providers of service, the bus drivers.

Public records are apparently not too public right now. Don’t forget to sign the petition- and pass on the link to friends and family. http://www.petitiononline.com/EmX2010/petition.html

Finally a use for an EMX bus.

Below is the email from EPD in its entirety




From: MCCULLEY Jenna B <Jenna.B.McCulley@ci.eugene.or.us>
Date: Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Subject: Coordinated Response Lands Bank Robber in Custody
To:


News Release
August 30, 2011
For further information, contact:
Jenna McCulley, Public Information Coordinator, at 541.682.5197, or
Melinda McLaughlin, APR, Public Information Director, at 541.682.5124

Swift Response Nets Bank Robber
Case No. 11-14566

SUMMARY: Eugene Police arrest William Cody Grimes, 34, within 21 minutes of a robbery at Bank of America, 201 E 11th Avenue

Eugene Police responded to a robbery today at 12:06 p.m. at the Bank of America branch located at 201 E 11th Avenue.  A single white, male suspect entered the bank approached the teller and presented a note, then left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.  Responding officers quickly set up a perimeter and began to search for the involved suspect.

Thanks to quick and tactical coordination between EPD and partnering agencies including the Lane County Sheriff's Office, and Lane Transit District, Officers Tim Haywood and Jud Warden located the suspect who had boarded a nearby EMX bus.  At 12:27 p.m. William Cody Grimes, 34-year-old, was taken into custody and will be lodged at the Lane County Jail on Federal Charges.

# # #




Jenna B McCulley
Public Information Coordinator
Eugene Police Department
Office: 541.682.5197
Pager: 541.341.2606

PROTECT.SERVE.CARE.



(End of EPD email)

If you think being an LTD bus driver is so easy then go ahead and apply.

Go ahead and apply, it is a thankless, underpaid job. Next time you ride the bus, think of all the responsibilities these drivers have. Think about the pay.  Next time you ride the bus, thank your driver. They deserve it. Lane Transit District is now accepting applications for the position of Bus Operator Lane Transit District is one of the most successful and highly regarded public transit systems in the nation; has received numerous national, state, and local awards for service to the community; and, for transit districts its size, is consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in the successful implementation of Bus Rapid Transit, bus ridership, and service efficiency.  LTD is committed to the values of working together, taking initiative, being professional, and practicing safety. If you are interested in joining us as we endeavor to provide and improve services to all our diverse communities in ways that are sensitive and responsive to cultural differences, including accessibility for persons with disabilities, we urge you to apply for this position.

This position is responsible for providing excellent service to LTD’s customers.

The essential functions of this position include: ·               Safely operating any assigned transit coach, or other vehicle, on a designated route while maintaining an accurate time schedule ·               Providing information about Lane Transit District’s services, bus schedules, and routes ·               Following State and Federal  motor vehicle regulations and Lane Transit District policies and procedures ·               Monitoring and collecting fares and checking passes ·               Announcing designated stops in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Lane Transit District’s procedures ·               Communicating with other Lane Transit District employees regarding accidents, equipment or operational problems, situations involving customers or the general public, or any other situation requiring attention or assistance ·               Interacting with customers and the general public in a courteous and professional manner

Qualification requirements for this position include the ability to: ·               Obtain and maintain a valid Oregon Commercial Driver’s License, including passenger and air brake endorsements, and a valid DOT medical card ·               Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public and other Lane Transit District employees ·               Learn Lane Transit District’s routes and schedules, including learning the general geographic layout of the service area ·               Meet the position performance standards ·               Provide a five-year driving history and record acceptable to the District’s insurance carrier

Physical Demands for this position include the ability to: ·               Sit and operate a bus for long periods with few breaks ·               Turn side-to-side and reach overhead with a push/pull force of 40 pounds ·               Lift up to 30 pounds ·               Bend, squat, kneel to secure wheelchairs and complete pre-trip inspections of vehicles Compensation for this position starts at $16.32 per hour, with a top wage of $21.72, and includesan excellent benefits package.

HOW TO APPLY:  LTD requires a completed application form for each position.  You may obtain the REQUIRED application form and job information below or the main office at 3500 E. 17thAvenue, Eugene, OR  97403.  Completed applications and resumes may be mailed to or turned in at the main office.  Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2011.  For additional information call: (541) 682-6100. LTD Application (pdf) Applicant’s Authorization to Release Information (pdf) Voluntary Applicant Data Record (pdf) Application Bulletin (pdf)

Lane Transit District is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

The ACLU has written Eugene's City Attorney a letter of intent over the City's sign code.

This just in from LCCRG: (republished with permission)

The ACLU has written Eugene's City Attorney a letter of intent over the City's sign code.

Here is the letter in full. Please click on each of the pictures to see it full size.

Clarifying LTD's Spin

By LCCRG (reprinted with permission)

LTD Board President Mike Eyster

Sunday's guest editorial in the Register-Guard by LTD Board President Mike Eyster was a very clear attempt in misleading the public with more fluff and unsubstantiated predictions and dreams about future ridership that are based in fantasy, not fact. In this article, we strive to help sort "spin" from "proven and substantiated fact".

One of the first claims made by Eyster Is that the Franklin EmX line exceeded 20-year ridership projections in its first year of operation. What is conveniently left out is that rides were free during that first year. Also unknown is how exactly those ridership projections were determined, and what the projections even were. Verdict: SPIN. There are too many holes in LTD's claim about increased ridership to substantiate whether or not the increased number of riders was caused by the distribution of free rides, and the methodology by which ridership projections are determined.

Dear LTD

LTD also asserts that they are concerned about the impacts of construction along their proposed routes. However, according to the Dear LTD blog, LTD sent a construction crew to do some minor work on Franklin near the 76 station at Walnut St. The owner of the station was told that the construction would be done by 7AM, or by 10AM worst case scenario. The reality was that the crew was done just before 1PM, which cut access off to his business during the crucial lunch hour. LTD also did not even notify the station owner in writing, instead sending one of their spokespersons out to tell one if his employees verbally. A few months ago, LCCRG wrote an article about another business that was negatively impacted and abused by LTD's construction. Springfield Cleaners had their access severely compromised by LTD construction crews from January-April 2009, with the contractors cutting off a lot of their parking and doing virtually nothing to ease the impact to is business save for putting out a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk to let passers-by know they were still open for business. LTD representatives assured the business owner, Casey Dresser that her business would benefit from having the EmX go by her shop, however, she shared that not one customer she knows of has patronized her shop after riding the EmX there. Verdict: SPIN! If the way LTD has mismanaged their interactions with the above impacted businesses with false claims, gross abuses and outright lies, how can LTD be trusted to do the right thing for businesses along West 6th, 7th and 11th Avenues in Eugene? It's clear, they simply are not to be trusted.

LTD makes the claim that preliminary data, from THEIR OWN alternatives analysis that capacity for traffic along 6th and 7th will increase as a result of EmX, and that opponents claims are based on 27 year old data. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that of ODOT deemed it necessary to add a lane on those streets in the 1980's because of increased traffic, it probably would not increase traffic capacity to have EmX buses and turning traffic taking that lane back in the future.  Verdict: SPIN. LTD is using their own analysis, that has not been verified by any other transportation entity. Common sense and basic physics would dictate that if 3 continuous traffic lanes was not enough to meet the needs of 6th and 7th back in the 80's, it certainly would not be now, or into the future.

Eyster cites the recent opening of Cabela's along the EmX corridor as one of the retail opportunities related to this project. Really? Cabela's is a destination store, typically one that it's customers drive significant distances to get to. How many big game hunters do you know bought their rifle at Cabela's after taking the EmX there? Verdict: SPIN! That is simply a desperate attempt by LTD to tie retail development to their system. Also worth noting is that in the over 4 years since the Franklin EmX line opened, there has been no new developments of significance in Glenwood, save for an announcement that Planned Parenthood plans to open a new facility there.

(click image to see full size)

The tragic part of all of LTD's putting out information that is based on shaky ground at best is that they are wasting OUR resources in doing so. Every ad that LTD puts out touting the greatness of EmX is paid for by us. Every minute an LTD employee spends engaging in PR activities to cram an unwanted West Eugene EmX extension down our throats is paid for by us!

When considering who to believe about the EmX, consider what the following parties have at stake:

Our Money Our Transit: Their businesses and the livelihoods of their employees and families.

Taxpayers: The notion of seeing our country dive deeper into debt to spend tens of millions of dollars on something only 3-5% of Lane County residents use, and that has no proven need, either now or in the future.

LTD: up to $80 million in "free federal money" and untold millions more for future unneeded extensions.

We think one only needs to look at the motivating factors for all those involved to decide where the truth really lies.

LTD Board President Provides EmX Update.

Board President Provides EmX Update

EmX Improves the Transportation System
EmX is a highly effective transportation system. The first EmX line on Franklin Boulevard exceeded 20-year ridership projections in its first year of operation. Today EmX carries more than twice the number of customer boardings compared to the route 11 service that it replaced. The opening of the Gateway EmX Extension in early 2011 has attracted new riders and has even increased ridership along the original Franklin line.  The region’s current transportation plan calls for a 61-mile network of EmX routes.  As EmX routes are added, the entire transportation system becomes more effective in attracting additional transit riders, improving travel time for automobiles, improving air quality, reducing green house gas emissions, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel. Transit districts from all over the world have come to LTD to study the highly innovative EmX system in place here in our community.

LTD understands that some business and property owners have concerns about moving forward with the West Eugene EmX Extension at this time.  Some businesses are struggling, others don’t see value in this investment, and many are concerned about construction impacts.  Lane Transit District understands these concerns and continues to work on ways to minimize or eliminate negative impacts while moving forward with a project that provides tremendous benefits to the entire community.

Many public outreach efforts, including more than 300 business and property owner meetings, have been completed during the past few years. These meetings have helped craft the current configuration of the route and the plans for a successful partnership for working with the West Eugene community. The process of meeting one-on-one with residents, property owners, and business owners along the selected route is on-going.  These meetings will provide additional opportunities to view the early designs and modify designs to minimize impacts further. LTD is committed to working with each property owner to make sure that this is the best route for West Eugene while serving the needs of the entire region.

LTD and construction contractor Wildish Construction have worked together on the first two EmX lines and have learned a great deal from the construction of each route. With the West Eugene route, we would use these lessons learned to make this an even smoother process for local residents and businesses. Construction techniques, such as night work and maintenance of access for customers and deliveries during construction, would be employed to maintain full business operations during construction.  These options have been very successful in the past, but we want to continue to work with businesses to get their input on what to include in a construction plan that addresses any and all concerns.  LTD knows the importance of maintaining and improving the health of businesses in order for our community to be successful. Construction of an EmX line in West Eugene must be done in a way that ensures the short-term health of businesses while creating an environment for long-term business expansion.

In a recent Register Guard Guest Editorial, Brian Weaver asserts that the West Eugene EmX Extension project will reduce vehicle capacity by 25 percent along sections of 6th and 7th Avenues. Mr. Weaver’s assertion is based on 27-year old data.  Preliminary data, gathered from current information and projections of future conditions, shows that capacity for auto traffic will increase, and the amount of time it takes an auto to travel the corridor will improve as a result of EmX.  This analysis is being refined as part of the required federal process and will be available for public review later this fall.  The bottom line is that one of the purposes of EmX is to improve vehicle movement—starting on the day that it is built.   EmX development has always been about improving the entire transportation system, which is why professional traffic engineers and analysts work on detailed assessments of system effects.  These effects are then reviewed and approved by city and state traffic engineers and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) who are ultimately responsible for the safe and efficient operation of our transportation network.

Mr. Weaver states that LTD should consider impacts to adjacent neighborhoods.  EmX development considers these impacts carefully, and a review of population and jobs adjacent to the proposed EmX line are a prime reason that the Eugene City Council, the LTD Board, and the Metropolitan Policy Committee selected the 6th/7th/11th route.  Nearby residents will be connected to fast, frequent, and reliable transit service through the envisioned EmX.  Employees will have better connections to and from work, and businesses will be able to attract new customers from throughout the region.  In addition, the EmX route selected by the community was refined specifically to avoid causing traffic to be diverted into adjacent residential neighborhoods.

In the coming months, LTD will complete three key steps in the development of EmX in West Eugene.  First, the West Eugene EmX project must compete with transportation projects from around the United States for federal funding. LTD is preparing a grant application that will be submitted in September 2011.  Second, an environmental analysis will be completed and submitted to the Federal Transit Administration for review.  Following the FTA review, a public review will occur in late 2011.  Third, the LTD Board and Eugene City Council, after analyzing the data currently being collected including an analysis of operating costs, will again hold a vote on the project.

Exciting things are happening in our community.  New retail opportunities, like the opening of Cabela’s, have popped up around existing EmX corridors.  Three significant projects are underway in downtown Eugene, plus the addition of the new hotel at 5th Street Public Market, all around the hub of LTD’s downtown transit station.  Having just completed the Matthew Knight Arena, the University is working on a new residence hall and a new science building.  PeaceHealth is moving forward with the reconstruction of Sacred Heart Hospital-University District, creating even more opportunities for employees and visitors to fully utilize both EmX and other LTD bus service.

To prepare for present and future growth, an enhanced transportation system is critical.  The goal of a West Eugene EmX Extension line would be to make these destinations more easily accessible to people throughout Eugene-Springfield, while simultaneously making businesses and residences in West Eugene more easily accessible by more people.  Taking one step at a time, we will meet the needs of today while ensuring that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy our community for generations to come. 
Mike Eyster
Mike Eyster is the President of the Lane Transit District Board of Directors


From: ltd.org