2008 Woodie Awards
City debates transportation options
Council may consider need for alternative modes of mass transit
Rebecca Kelley
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Community
A resolution to create an Oxford Bus Feasibility Work Group to evaluate the eneed for public transportation in Oxford was brought up at the city council meeting Tuesday.
The resolution was not passed, but the council is asking group members to bring the issue back to the next meeting for further discussion.
The work group aims to assess the need for public transportation within the city, listen to citizens' concerns, investigate costs and how transportation projects might be funded and present the findings to city council. The findings will then be reported back to city council as soon as data is collected.
"There are many options out there," said Oxford Mayor Prue Dana. "This is a group that wants to explore them."
The concern expressed by many citizens of Oxford was that the city's elderly and people without cars don't have a way to get to doctor's appointments and the grocery store.
According to Dana, there are several private van services that will pick citizens up from their houses and take them to doctor's appointments, but the constraints of having to make appointments to leave the house is not practical for many people.
"It takes your independence away," Dana said.
The formation of the work group was discussed at length during the meeting, with one of the more controversial talking points was the automatic assumption that Oxford needs a public transportation system in the first place.
"What I think the committee has proposed is almost a stacked deck," said City Councilor Richard Keebler. "We've got the answer, now we have to create the problem."
According to Greig Rutherford, Oxford city councilor, there have been no studies or surveys conducted to determine if there is actually a need for a public transportation system in Oxford.
"(The committee) is suggesting that we need a bus system, but what I haven't seen is the front end report that tells me this committee needs to be formed," Rutherford said.
The resolution was not passed, but the council is asking group members to bring the issue back to the next meeting for further discussion.
The work group aims to assess the need for public transportation within the city, listen to citizens' concerns, investigate costs and how transportation projects might be funded and present the findings to city council. The findings will then be reported back to city council as soon as data is collected.
"There are many options out there," said Oxford Mayor Prue Dana. "This is a group that wants to explore them."
The concern expressed by many citizens of Oxford was that the city's elderly and people without cars don't have a way to get to doctor's appointments and the grocery store.
According to Dana, there are several private van services that will pick citizens up from their houses and take them to doctor's appointments, but the constraints of having to make appointments to leave the house is not practical for many people.
"It takes your independence away," Dana said.
The formation of the work group was discussed at length during the meeting, with one of the more controversial talking points was the automatic assumption that Oxford needs a public transportation system in the first place.
"What I think the committee has proposed is almost a stacked deck," said City Councilor Richard Keebler. "We've got the answer, now we have to create the problem."
According to Greig Rutherford, Oxford city councilor, there have been no studies or surveys conducted to determine if there is actually a need for a public transportation system in Oxford.
"(The committee) is suggesting that we need a bus system, but what I haven't seen is the front end report that tells me this committee needs to be formed," Rutherford said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Uptown Businessman
posted 4/04/08 @ 10:06 AM EST
This has to be a joke.
Uptown Businessman
posted 4/08/08 @ 11:55 AM EST
Oxford Bus Feasibility Work Group? Seriously? Why doesn't Oxford focus on things that we really need like a bike path? If the City Council didn't approve ridiculous apartment complexes in Hanover Township, they wouldn't need buses to bring the people to Oxford. (Continued…)
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