DDOT Virtual Community Input Meeting - April 15, 2021

The agenda & instructions for joining today’s Zoom meeting can be found using the link the below 👇🏼

https://detroitmi.gov/events/ddot-virtual-community-input-meeting-april-15-2021

There is a delay starting the meeting, due to what sounds like connection issues. DDOT said they’re working to resolve it as quickly as they can.

The meeting that was (sort of) started, ended. It now displays this screen. https://t.co/IvHFz7ge6f

Update from DDOT. https://twitter.com/RideDDOT/status/1382803172272521227

Reconnected now. No update yet. https://t.co/AUnXKFVcx9

Andddd the meeting is starting now! https://t.co/Kn9whDL3Lu

Waiting for Mr. Oglesby, Executive Director of Transit, to reconnect.

They moved forward into introductions without Mr. Oglesby. He has now joined the meeting.

Two people in the chat have asked about closed captioning, they do not see the feature during this meeting. https://t.co/Cf4acTwGOz

Detroit Transit Police Chief Ricky Brown provided an update on their staff after concerns over positive/negative COVID testing. They’ve received negative tests so things are looking up.

The first participant addressed the delay conflict and lack of staff for buses that contribute to delays and conflicts for riders

Mr. Oglesby was disconnected & is unable to rejoin the meeting for some reason. “He wanted to be here with everyone” is the message that was relayed.

The next participant offered many suggestions. Among them, she addressed available bus routes, posting rules/restrictions on the buses and various ADA accessibility suggestions

3rd participant suggested posting these meetings on the buses, referencing community outreach issues. They also asked @RideDDOT to reopen the bathrooms and mentioned the bus wait times as a reason for the request.

The 4th participant also commented on the community outreach. They went into detail about the uses for funding for improvements, noting the partnership between @smartbusorg and @RTAmichigan

Mr. Oglesby is present now and is addressing the prior participant and their references to Mr. Ogelsby calling funds “leverage funds”. He says he did not use the term “leverage” and explained, in short, that certain funds have a purpose.

John Wallace explained that CARES Act funding was largely used on lost revenue, PPE, cleaning and other COVID-19 related measures that were necessary for DDOT to resume and maintain operations. https://t.co/jMqetsjV5x

The 5th participant addressed concerns over riders not following mask mandates & music being played by the bus drivers. Maryanne Walsh says drivers are trained to communicate the mandate to riders & they will address the issue of bus drivers playing music.

Geena Schofield asked about the ability to accommodate individuals with a speech impediment. The answer is not clear. Don Lozen mentioned a phone number they can call, but it’s not clear what is available

Andre Mallett said they can ask people to comply with mask rules, they cannot enforce

DDOT staff shared information for feedback via a Title VI Public Involvement Survey. Details and the link shown are provided below.

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/9f5f89f27b8d427c84aa9ffaa7adb3fc https://t.co/72EMYb1qcv

Information for Michigan Relay was provided. Per the state’s website, this is a “communications system that allows hearing persons and Deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired persons to communicate by telephone”

Participant #6 commented on grants and the uses therein. John Wallace offered a fairly complex explanation for the process of grants being approved, funded and approved for specific uses again between the federal government, RTA & agencies such as DDOT.

Participant #7 suggested bathrooms on the buses. They also requested an audit of night service logs to review disruptions. He says he has had to wait 1.5 hours in the cold and walk long distances in the cold because buses don’t show up.

#7 says most outages he has seen are at night and asked if they have supervisors work at night.

John Wallace said the bathroom suggestion is something they can look into and report back.

Andre Mallet is responding to #7’s question about service issues. He says this is concerning because the specific stop he mentioned (Claremont?) would’ve had 3 buses out of service at that time/location.

Mr. Oglesby also responds to #7. He thanked #7 for bringing up the night service issue and confirms they’ll look into it further. He also says the bathroom/porta potty suggestion is complex, citing safety and health concerns

#8 requested handles to assist people getting on/off the bus and that bus shelters be cleaned.

The next participant is using an outdated version of Zoom that is no longer compatible and doesn’t allow them to participate. This is the 2nd participant who has encountered this issue.

This would make the last participant. They are going to wait 2 more minutes for the participant to connect via phone before wrapping up the meeting for tonight.

#9, the last participant, was able to reconnect. She says that every stop should have a shelter and asked them to ensure funds are used for repairs for side lots & shelter improvements/additions.

She noted that State Fairgrounds plans weren’t mentioned this evening and asked for updates on that plan.

She also requested an update on the task force that would address the disability communities needs. Geena Schofield said that not every stop qualifies for shelters because of ADA compliance. Participant #9 asked for adding, at least, a concrete slab for wheelchair accessibility.

Mr. Oglesby thanked participants and said he has to run to another meeting. He mentioned that he trusted his staff to address the rest of the questions… even though staff already said they were on the last participant.

It was noted that the next meeting is scheduled for May 20th.