{"id":337,"date":"2016-11-03T15:16:12","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T15:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/?p=337"},"modified":"2016-11-03T15:17:30","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T15:17:30","slug":"media-release-transit-plan-approval-crucial-for-handydart-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/?p=337","title":{"rendered":"Media Release: Transit Plan Approval Crucial for HandyDART Riders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Tim-July-2016-TL-Board-Mtg-Small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-338\" src=\"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Tim-July-2016-TL-Board-Mtg-Small-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Tim July 2016 TL Board Mtg - Small\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Tim-July-2016-TL-Board-Mtg-Small-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Tim-July-2016-TL-Board-Mtg-Small.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Media Release: HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance<\/p>\n<p>Transit Plan Approval Crucial for HandyDART Riders<br \/>\nMayor\u2019s Council Phase One Plan marks return to regular HandyDART service increases<\/p>\n<p>The HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance is urging all the mayors on the TransLink Mayor\u2019s Council to approve their Phase One transit funding plan this month. <strong>Members of the group will attend the Mayors Council meeting on November 10th to make their case in person.<\/strong><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis plan includes about a 13% increase in HandyDART service over three years\u201d says HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-coordinator Tim Louis. \u201cI commend the mayors and TransLink\u2019s new CEO Kevin Desmond for putting forward a plan that will make a real difference to HandyDART riders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HandyDART service per-capita has been declining since 2009. The need for improved HandyDART service is so severe that the new TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond recently approved an emergency HandyDART budget top-up. HandyDART service hours were frozen in 2009, and as a result trip denials went up over 600% before the US contractor changed procedures to disguise the crisis.<br \/>\n\u201cThe growing population of seniors means the number of people with disabilities is increasing twice as fast as the rest of the population, and this plan finally recognizes the need for more HandyDART buses on the road every year.\u201d says HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-coordinator Beth McKellar. \u201cUs baby boomers aren\u2019t getting younger\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope that every mayor will vote in favor of this plan\u201d says Louis. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough, but it\u2019s real progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>HandyDART Riders Alliance spokespeople will be available for interviews at the joint TransLink Mayors\u2019 Council \/ TransLink Board meeting scheduled for 10am Thursday November 10 at the TransLink Boardroom \u2013 4th floor 287 Nelson&#8217;s Court New Westminster, BC<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-30-<br \/>\nFor more information please contact:<br \/>\nTim Louis, HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-coordinator 604 732 7678 or 604 738 0405<br \/>\nBeth McKellar &#8211; HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-coordinator 604 444 9289<\/p>\n<p>www.HandyDARTriders.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Media Release: HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Transit Plan Approval Crucial for HandyDART Riders Mayor\u2019s Council Phase One Plan marks return to regular HandyDART service increases The HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance is urging all the mayors on the TransLink Mayor\u2019s Council to approve &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/?p=337\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions\/340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}