Residents weigh in on possible changes to TCAT routes

If you live in North Lansing, there could be changes coming to your TCAT route. TCAT held a virtual board meeting Friday for residents to voice their concerns regarding possible route changes, including to route 30 in Cayuga Heights and routes 36 and 37 in Lansing.

Routes 36 and 37, which go as far north as Lansing High School and Lansing Fire Station No. 4, would have the northernmost part of each route cut off.

The proposed change is part of TCAT’s Transit Development Plan (TPD), a 10-year plan to look at how its services are reaching members of the community. Members of the public will have until Feb. 11 to submit comments.

The process has taken a year and half so far, and there is no definite timetable for when, or if, the changes could take place. TCAT hired an outside contractor to consult with the organization about potential route changes, said TCAT Assistant General Manager Matt Yarrow.

“I think part of the challenge is this TDP hasn’t gone like other ones, primarily due to COVID,” he said. “COVID hit just as we were starting the project. Clearly, we’ve had to pivot on our feet and adapt to new conditions on the ground.”

One thing that was clear before the pandemic began is that the northern parts of both routes were not getting ridership to justify going that far north.

“The northern stretch of both 36 and 37 had very few riders,” Yarrow said. “In the case of the 36, there were probably less than three boardings on average north of the Lansing school area. They’re just not high ridership numbers, even though they were being used.”

Yarrow said another factor in determining whether a route is changed or taken out is the impact to transportation in the area. He said the impact would be low on North Lansing, as most of the riders use the Park and Ride services, meaning they have vehicles but prefer to ride the bus.

He said he hopes to make Lansing Town Hall a Park and Ride station because it would serve both routes 36 and 37. During conversations with some people who ride those routes north of Lansing Town Hall, Yarrow said the riders told TCAT staff that, instead of using the Park and Ride, they would prefer to drive to downtown Ithaca and Cornell University.

Although much of the public meeting was taken up by discussing route 83, which goes through Cayuga Heights, Tyler Nearing of Lansing wanted to discuss route 36 continuing to go to Ludlowville Falls, where he thinks TCAT can pick up more riders.

He now lives on route 30, but he used to live on route 36 and would take the bus to Ludlowville many times.

“If we’re planning, in the long term, to have regular service to Ludlowville, I don’t see why we would be cutting it off currently,” he said. “It seems like we’re setting ourselves up for failure to get any regular ridership out to that area.”

During the meeting, Yarrow said TCAT will consider moving route 36 to cover Ludlowville.

Nearing wasn’t the only one who voiced concerns over the changed routes. A Lansing resident who identified himself as Michael during the public meeting said there could be more people using those routes in northern Lansing than people think.

“I hope you will consider adding in those lengthening bus routes north of Lansing High School on bus route 36 and past Lansing Town Hall on route 37,” he said. “There are a significant number of Lansing residents who use the bus. It’s extremely important, if not essential, for people to use those bus routes.”

Yarrow also said there is nothing set in stone, and plans could change. He encourages the public to chime in, although he reiterated during the meeting that route analysis done in 2020 before COVID-19 saw very low ridership in the area.

“We have noted that north of Lansing and Lansing Town Hall, the ridership pre-COVID was fairly low,” Yarrow said. “I think it’s worth considering [that] … in the past, there hasn’t been much ridership to Ludlowville.”

The other issue, according to Yarrow, is something that has been seen in other places in the United States: the breakdown of supply chains.

During the meeting, he said TCAT usually has 42 buses up and running but right now only has 31. He said the reason for this is it can take weeks or months for vital parts to make it to TCAT to repair damaged buses.

“You can’t have a bus without a radiator, and it can take weeks to get a radiator,” Yarrow said.

It would also mean two more buses on the road during peak morning and evening travel times, which, as buses go down, can be taxing to TCAT’s resources.

“What it means is, then, we don’t have two more buses during peak time,” he said. “That was something we were a little concerned about.”

Written feedback on only the TDP’s proposed service reductions will be accepted until Feb. 11 and can be emailed to TCAT at tcat@tcatmail.com. Write “TDP feedback” in the subject line. Comments can also be mailed to TCAT, 737 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850. Write “Attn: TDP feedback.” The public can also comment via phone by calling (607) 277-9388, ext. 560.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Weekly storytime

The Lansing Community Library is partnering with the Finger Lakes Toy Library to offer weekly storytimes Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. starting Feb. 9.

Storytime will be held at the Toy Library’s new space in The Shops at Ithaca Mall, Space D07, 40 Catherwood Rd., Ithaca (between Regal Cinemas and Target).

Join our new children’s librarian, Rachel, for stories, songs, fingerplays and fun! Following storytime, you will have the opportunity to check out and/or return library books and sign up for a library card if you do not already have one.

Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Register on the library website (tinyurl.com/y9auqv4o) to reserve your spot for our first session Feb. 9! You can sign up for future sessions at the same website. Masks are required for those 2 and older.

Author Eric C. Lindstrom discusses ‘The Skeptical Vegan’

Join us virtually at the Lansing Community Library on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. via Zoom for an author visit with Eric C. Lindstrom. Hear about his overnight switch from omnivore to vegan, which became the subject of his first book, “The Skeptical Vegan.” Lindstrom will talk about blog writing, book publishing and book promotion, as well as provide inspiration for trying a plant-based diet.

Please register to receive the Zoom link by calling (607) 533-4939 or emailing info@lansinglibrary.org.

Lindstrom is the executive director of Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) and author of two books on going vegan: “The Skeptical Vegan” and “The Smart Parent’s Guide to Raising Vegan Kids” (Skyhorse Publishing), available wherever books are sold. Lindstrom resides in Lansing with his wife, two kids, two cats and one dog.

This February program is the second program in a four-month series about food and nutrition. In March, Sarah Curless, SNAP-Ed New York nutrition educator for Tompkins County, will share some recipes and tips for healthy eating. And in April, the recently added fourth program will be a presentation by Carrie Koplinka-Lehr discussing “Our Changing Menu,” a book she co-authored with Danielle L. Eiseman and Michael P. Hoffmann. At this time, all programs will be held via Zoom.

See the post on the library’s website (tinyurl.com/y9684xzp) for more information.