Transit Week 2012 Encourages Local Ridership

Transit Week is an annual effort sponsored by Ride New Orleans, a local independent non-profit organization, working to promote safe, convenient and affordable transportation options in the New Orleans area. This year, their third annual Transit Week takes place Nov. 11 – 17, 2012.

“Transit Week is a time to celebrate transit and raise awareness about the importance of world class transit to the economic vitality, sustainability and health of New Orleans and the greater region,” said Rachel Heiligman, executive director of Ride New Orleans.

Transit Week 2012 includes several events and activities open to the public including the Employer Transit Challenge, 11th Mobile Happy Hour, Transit Trivia Nights and Transfer Station Conversation. Ride New Orleans created the Employer Transit Challenge as a “challenge to the business community to promote their employees to try transit,” said Heiligman. “Most businesses aren't aware that by supporting a transit commute, they can access tax credits through the RTA's employer subsidized program,” she said.

The organization will implement community outreach with riders as part of their Transfer Station Conversation to learn what transfer station improvements in the CBD and Lakeview areas will aid transit riders’ daily commute. They will also host a mobile happy hour this Friday on the #11 Magazine Street bus, as well as transit-themed trivia nights at different pubs around the city. Heiligman said participation is still encouraged and more information about Transit Week can be found athttp://www.transportfornola.org/transit-week.

As executive director, Heiligman is the force behind this organization’s local movement to emphasize the critical role of public transit in New Orleans. Her views highlight the importance of investing in transit to encourage economic opportunities, promote public health improvements and reduce environmental pollution. Her organization has worked closely with the RTA on opening transit data, which has resulted advancements such as the Google Trip Planner tool. In 2013, Ride New Orleans plans to launch educational campaigns to dispel myths about transit funding and to advocate for more resources for increased transportation service locally.

“The average rider can help make the case for more transit funding by writing letters to Governor Bobby Jindal and their State legislators, asking for the State to increase funds for public transit,” said Heiligman. “What may shock many riders is that the fares they contribute cover only a small portion - about 25% - of what it costs to operate the transit system,” she said.

Heiligman also stated that riders should be more creative with outreach to local leaders, asking them to explore all options to increase transit funding. “We will not see the service increases and improvements that riders deserve until we can raise additional revenue for the RTA,” she said.

Ride New Orleans encourages riders to get involved to make their voice heard. Heiligman suggests attending RTA board meetings and taking advantage of new agency tools can help riders become more transit-savvy and make transit riding easier.

In the future, Heiligman proposes that Ride New Orleans can support the RTA on different initiatives that can continue to improve public transit for the city of New Orleans. She commends the agency’s significant efforts this past year to become more transparent with the public. However, she thinks there is more work that can be done collectively for more transparency and more opportunities for riders to be involved in the decision-making process.

Since their founding in 2009, Ride New Orleans has worked to build their coalition through outreach to local transit riders, as they advocate for improvements in transit service and funding. To learn more about this organization, visit www.rideneworleans.org, visit their Facebook page or follow them onTwitter @rideneworleans.