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Rich Green, Transit Manager for the Merced County Association of Governments
Rich Green attended the transportation forum to get residents aware of some workshops the city is organizing. Green help run buses county wide and he is also trying to make route information easier to understanding and easier to access, making sure residents make it on time to their destinations. Green is revising routes and on July 1st the new routes will run longer and a Sunday route will be introduced. On April 2nd, there will be a workshop held at the Civic Center in Merced from 3-5pm and then again from 6-8pm. There will be a discussion about the new route changes and adding buses.
Green’s goal at the transportation forum was to start to get to know what the community wants. During his April 2nd workshops, he will be taking suggestions and doing his best to make services better for the community.
Irene de la Cruz, Merced Resident
Irene De La Cruz lives in Merced and she attended the transportation forum to find out what’s going on with transportation. She says she is aware of people in need of transportation around her in Merced. She also stated that she personally isn’t as affected by transportation as other people are. Before living in Merced she was a resident of Planada and she has seen the health issues that are connected to transportation like missing sidewalks, therefore she wanted to see what if anything could be improved. She thought the transportation forum was very successful because many people attended even though she thinks more people could have showed up.
Isai Palma, UC Merced Student & Intern for City of Merced Planning Department
UC Merced Students have also been involved in transportation issues. Isai Palma, a student at the UC and intern for the City of Merced Planning Department, is working on a bicycle transportation plan. One of his goals is to reach the places where students travel in order to help them and provide a safer environment for them to bike. Isai wants the residents to participate more in workshops and meetings because if they don’t say what they want, they aren’t going to get it. The changes would benefit the residents. Isai uses public transportation or rides his bike to and from school and work. The poor condition of roads or the traffic sometimes forces the bicyclists to ride on the sidewalks, which is technically against the law. This is one such problem the city needs to address.
Samuel Rangel, Merced Resident and Parent
Samuel Rangel’s main transportation concern is getting his children to school safely. He has a daughter that attends Merced High and has a zero period. His daughter has to walk to school early in the morning when it is still dark since the district cut busses last year. One of the reasons this is dangerous is that in their neighborhood there is a registered sex offender and since his daughter walks alone and in the dark, she is pretty much a sitting duck. Rangel cannot provide transportation for his daughter so if the district doesn’t resolve the issue he will have to cut zero period altogether for her. Also due to their transportation troubles, Rangel’s daughter is currently failing her zero period class.
