Sarasota News Leader

04/04/2014

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"And save one of your $40,000 shelters," Patterson said, referring both to the substitu- tion of the gazebo as a stop and the estimated cost of a SCAT shelter that Carter noted in a presentation to the County Commission in early 2013. "They are $32,000," Carter said of the shelter expense, laughing softly. When Montgomery asked where he would propose the stop be on the other side of Ocean Boulevard, Smith replied that it should be across the road from the gazebo. In response to another question, Carter said the trolleys will have bike racks. However, the maximum number of bicycles some SCAT racks hold is three, per Florida Department of Transportation safety regulations. Most of the SCAT racks hold two bikes, she said. MORE SIESTA SERVICE During her remarks Tuesday, Carter also pointed out that SCAT implemented Route 33 from Pinecraft to Siesta this season as a pilot program. Pinecraft is the Amish and Mennonite community in the vicinity of Bahia Vista Street and Beneva Road in Sarasota that swells with winter tourists, just as other parts of the community do. When SCAT staff decided to start the pilot program, Carter continued, the goal was to see whether it would alleviate some of the demand for Route 11, "and, bingo, it did. It worked tremendously. … [The buses were] so full that we couldn't keep up." That new service also enabled Route 11 to operate closer to its posted schedule, she said. "That was just a great idea," Sarasota County Sheriff's Deputy Chris McGregor told Carter, referring to Route 33. Those buses were "always full," he concurred with her, and he heard "nothing but great things about that route." The service began on Feb. 1 and will end on May 2, Montgomery noted. When SKVA President Cheryl Gaddie asked whether Route 33 would be revived in late December, Carter explained that she and her staff are "in the process of updating what we call the 'Transit Bible,'" their long-range planning document. That will be presented to the County Commission in June or July, she added. It will be up to the commissioners to approve the new route plans, she said, but she is hopeful not only that Route 33 will con- tinue, given the ridership numbers, but also that it will start again in late December. "You don't predict sufficient ridership to make the Pinecraft [route] a year-round thing?" Patterson asked. "No," Carter replied. When Patterson then asked whether Route 11 or Route 10 would provide service on South Midnight Pass Road, Montgomery said nei- ther would. However, she said, Route 33 does pick up people in that area who want to head into town. "But it will do no good to somebody that lives in Hidden Harbor [for example] and wants to go to [Siesta Public Beach] and not take their car," Patterson said. " T h a t i s a b s o l u t e l y c o r r e c t , " Montgomery responded. "Ultimately, it adds more time to the route," Carter added. "I get it," Patterson said. "We only have so many dollars." % Sarasota News Leader April 4, 2014 Page 51

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