The Mysteries of Public Transit!
(published
in Downtown and Around Shreveport May/June 2004, Vol.2, No.3,)
The great adventurous journey of my life has taken many twists and turns and I find myself back home where I started in North Louisiana. Having resided in the states of Arizona and Hawaii I was not bemoaning the loss of my wheels as I mistakenly thought I could take in all exciting things Shreveport has to offer by utilizing the local bus system. Unfortunately to my dismay I soon discovered the time and areas covered by the transit system where limited indeed! I had never heard of a bus system ending at 7p.m. in the evening! There went my plans to take in the various theater and musical entertainments along with relaxing and dining out in the cool of the evening. I do freelance work in many areas to keep myself afloat in this economy, my work hours are erratic at best, I must refuse any work that takes me out after 7 p.m. in the evening. I cannot commit to any organizations I would love to check out and possibly join that meet or end their meetings after 7 p.m. in the evening.
I am beginning to wonder if this town is truly in earnest in touting itself as a tourist town with such limited public transit hours. In this economy many of those that vacation do so cheaply these days and for sure and certain taxi cabs are very hefty on the pocket, as I have found out! It seems that the only organizations or activities that are wise enough to get shuttles are the casinos and there is much, much more to this city than casinos!
Along with the above mentioned economic effects on this town it seems this practice of shutting down the buses so early in the evening is geared toward the economically disadvantaged. Last summer, a friend and I gave an elderly gentleman, who had missed the last bus, a ride home. He was struggling with some hefty bags of groceries (many of the groceries would have ruined in the August heat if he had walked all the way home). He was walking half a block resting and going on, the weather could have also caused him irreparable health damage had we not come along.
I have not been back home long enough to discover the reasoning behind this unreasonable transit system, but in my humble opinion increasing the hours of the bus system would provide more jobs for people, both those in the transit system, along with those unable to currently afford vehicles or taxis to carry them to and from work, and the physically challenged who cannot drive. It would also put more money back into the local economy and allow those of us that long to be able to, to take in the night life (without being dependent on the kindness of friends) and give us an opportunity to indulge and contribute to local activities. Just something you might want to think about, at the very least, perhaps mention to those powers that be in Shreveport if you come across them in your life’s journey.
By Joanna Ballard