Public Transportation Forum PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              
Oct. 23, 2009   
Contact: Shoshana Hebshi 515.281.1338

Public Transportation Forum to address regional and statewide transit issues
 
When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Polk County Convention Center, 501 Grand Ave., Room 134

DES MOINES, IA – There are few issues that relate to a blind or disabled person’s independence as directly as public transportation. Throughout Iowa, there is a network of public transit options for those who cannot or choose not to drive, but those options are limited.
 
For instance, getting from Des Moines to Sioux City could take seven hours and include a bus transfer in Omaha. And, there is no direct route from Sioux City to, say, Algona or Ames.
 
“Public transportation service can greatly affect a person’s mobility and life choices,” says Karen Keninger, a blind Iowan who relies on Central Iowa Rideshare to commute to and from Newton and downtown Des Moines to her job as director of the Department for the Blind. “Improvements to the system locally, regionally and statewide would greatly enhance all Iowans’ lives, and especially those with disabilities.”
 
In April, the Iowa Dept. of Transportation called for public comment on public transit issues, and, through a series of meetings collected this information and compiled it into a report, which will be given to the state legislature as recommendations for improvements in Iowa’s transit network.
 
The public will have a chance to hear the DOT’s recommendations, ask questions and make comments during a public transportation forum sponsored by the Department for the Blind. Speakers include officials from the DOT and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The free event will be on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Polk County Convention Center, 501 Grand Ave, Room 134.
 
The forum is part of the Department for the Blind’s 50th anniversary celebration, which includes an open house on Friday, Oct. 30 and an alumni banquet.
 
“This forum is a great opportunity to hear the latest on public transit issues in Iowa,” says Keninger. “We encourage anyone who has an interest or uses public transportation to attend this event so the state can take recommendations and improve services.”
 
For more information about this event or the Iowa Department for the Blind and its services for blind and visually impaired Iowans, contact Shoshana Hebshi, communications specialist, at (515) 281-1338 or Shoshana.Hebshi@blind.state.ia.us
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