I don’t drive and I couldn’t possibly in a million years afford a wheelchair accessible vehicle, so the only way for me to get out and do anything is via public transit. When people think about disability, they just think about getting to medical visits, but I grocery shop, run errands, visit friends, sit in coffee shops, and go to concerts, too. I make an impact on the community by contributing financially to it.
Public transit is my lifeline to getting out into the world, and it’s not just about people like me who can’t really drive because of disability related reasons. About 30% of the population in the United States either can’t or doesn’t drive. We need those people to be able to get out and be part of the community. It’s even good for people who can drive to avoid the pain of parking in a lot of places. At the concert I went to last night, for example, there was no parking anywhere, but my friend and I were able to go just fine because of the public transit.
The ability to take public transit is absolutely freeing for everyone. I have a relative who gets frustrated very easily trying to parallel park. I think about the amount of pain and suffering that we would have not gone through growing up had there been better public transit in where we lived versus that nerve wracking sitting in the back seat of the car trying not to say anything lest the anger be diverted to you.
In Pittsburgh, we are fortunate to have a robust paratransit network that includes vans for wheelchair users and sedans for riders who are blind, have low vision, or are seniors who no longer drive. It’s an incredible system, one that should serve as a model for other cities. If more areas implemented networks like ours, people of all abilities would have the freedom to move through their communities with dignity and ease.
Public transit is the blood of the city. It gets people anywhere and everywhere. It’s so freeing to have access to public transit. However, this system is at risk. If 62% of our paratransit service area were cut, it would devastate the disability community. That’s why I’m asking others to join us in the fight to protect and expand public transit. Together, we can ensure everyone has the freedom and access they deserve.