buses
Fare-free
transit service is a key amenity in our community. As a result of the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan that Orange County
voters passed in 2012, we are seeing improvements to our service with more to
come. We ask Brian Litchfield, Chapel Hill Transit Director, some questions
about those improvements and other issues surrounding transit in our community.
Take a look and then share what you would like to see.
Q & A With Brian Litchfield,
Director of Chapel Hill Transit
Thank you for this opportunity
and I appreciate you sharing information about some of the initiatives Chapel
Hill Transit currently has underway via OrangePolitics. First, let me offer a quick overview of
Chapel Hill Transit.
Over the next two weeks, Orange County will be holding public outreach sessions to get feedback from central and rural Orange County residents about the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. Residents are invited to discuss options for new, expanded and existing bus services under the plan. Bus routes to be brought for public input will include rural service routes, regional service routes, and the Hillsborough Circulator.
Four meetings will be held throughout northern Orange County in August. The dates and locations are as follows, and can also be found on the OP calendar.
Orange County is holding public meetings to discuss options for new, expanded and existing bus services outlined in the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. Bus routes to be brought for public input will include rural service routes, regional service routes, and the Hillsborough Circulator. The purpose of the outreach is to obtain information regarding community bus service needs and assist in the design of future services.
As the meetings will be conducted primarily in an “open house” format, feel free to come when you can. A presentation may be given a couple of times during the course of the evening to best accommodate attendees.
Date:
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location:
Mebane Arts & Community Center, 633 Corregidor Street, Mebane
Orange County is holding public meetings to discuss options for new, expanded and existing bus services outlined in the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. Bus routes to be brought for public input will include rural service routes, regional service routes, and the Hillsborough Circulator. The purpose of the outreach is to obtain information regarding community bus service needs and assist in the design of future services.
As the meetings will be conducted primarily in an “open house” format, feel free to come when you can. A presentation may be given a couple of times during the course of the evening to best accommodate attendees.
Date:
Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Location:
Efland-Cheeks Community Center, 117 Richmond Road, Efland
Orange County is holding public meetings to discuss options for new, expanded and existing bus services outlined in the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. Bus routes to be brought for public input will include rural service routes, regional service routes, and the Hillsborough Circulator. The purpose of the outreach is to obtain information regarding community bus service needs and assist in the design of future services.
As the meetings will be conducted primarily in an “open house” format, feel free to come when you can. A presentation may be given a couple of times during the course of the evening to best accommodate attendees.
Date:
Thursday, August 8, 2013 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location:
Northern Human Services Center Cafeteria, Cedar Grove Park, 5800 NC Hwy. 86
Orange County is holding public meetings to discuss options for new, expanded and existing bus services outlined in the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan. Bus routes to be brought for public input will include rural service routes, regional service routes, and the Hillsborough Circulator. The purpose of the outreach is to obtain information regarding community bus service needs and assist in the design of future services.
As the meetings will be conducted primarily in an “open house” format, feel free to come when you can. A presentation may be given a couple of times during the course of the evening to best accommodate attendees.
Date:
Monday, August 5, 2013 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location:
Fairview Community Policing Center, Fairview Park, 501 Rainey Avenue, Hillsborough
In a fairly crowded business meeting tonight, the Chapel Hill Town Council member heard from more than 30 members of the public on Chapel Hill Transit's current bus advertising policy. Contraversy around the ad was sparked by the placement of an ad by the Church of the Reconciliation urging the end of U.S. military aid to Israel. Speakers included several members of the Church of the Reconciliation, the director of the N.C. ACLU and local Jewish leaders among others.
The central question on the issue was whether the transit system consitituted a "public forum." This is important because under Supreme Court precedent regulations on speech in public forums are subject to greater scrutiny than regulations on speech in non-public forums.
About a year ago, the Town of Chapel Hill amended its bus advertisement policy to spell out rules for ads with political messages. In August, the Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill placed an ad that shows a Jewish and a Palestinian grandfather each with a grandchild and reads “Join with us. Build peace with justice and equality. End U.S. military aid to Israel.” The ad stirred up a controversy and led to a petition from citizens to change the bus ad policy to disallow such ads. The current policy is available online at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=15328.
On Friday, the ACLU of North Carolina sent a letter to the Chapel Hill town manager and elected officials outlining why changing the bus ad policy would violate the free speech clause of the First Amendment. Below is the ACLU-NC press release. The full letter is available here.
I'm surprised no one has yet posted comments about the following article by Mark Schultz that appeared in Chapel Hill News. Chapel Hill Town Council has taken many principled positions on contentious national issues such as gay rights or gun control, to name two. Why not Palestine? Where does this community stand on the issue of free speech? Why is it OK to take positions on some issues, but not others? In this case the town itself is not actually taking a position, but allowing a local church to pay for ads that say the following: “Join with us. Build peace with justice and equality. End U.S. military aid to Israel.” It's a simple message quite in keeping with many of the values Chapel Hillians hold dear. Should the town censor this particular kind of speech on town buses?
Town leaders will discuss their policy for bus advertising after an ad calling for an end of U.S. military aid to Israel drew complaints.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will vote in May, one week after the primary election, whether to put a half-cent transit tax on the ballot for voters to decide. The transit tax is a critical component of our region's long-term transit and growth plans, and it's time for Orange County voters to join Durham County and vote for expanded transit service to ensure a more sustainable Orange County in the future.
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