BRATTLEBORO — An upcoming forum will address transportation needs and remedies in southeastern Vermont as part of a statewide study on the issue - for those who can get there to attend.
State Representative Mollie Burke (P-Brattleboro), a member of the House Transportation Committee, and Matt Mann, transportation planner for the Windham Regional Commission, will discuss schedules, ride-sharing, energy efficiency and cleanliness, and the special needs of the elderly, the disabled, homeowners who live in rural areas, job commuters, and school-age youngsters.
Burke and Mann will join Windham Central Supervisory Union School Superintendent Steve John, independent living specialist Candace Stoumen, transit representatives, and other panelists.
“Rail, bus, carpooling, cycling, and walking will be reviewed, along with current problems, potential solutions, and funding possibilities,” says Alan O. Dann of Marlboro, who will moderate the forum.
Hosted by the local League of Women Voters chapter, the discussion will comprise one element in a statewide League study.
The UVM Transportation Research Center reported in December 2008 that three significant obstacles stand in the way of increasing transportation efficiency in Vermont: dispersed settlement patterns, dependence on the automobile, and our aging population.
“On the plus side, we do seem to be using vehicles that are more fuel-efficient, and we are driving a bit less the past few years,” Dann says.
The forum will take place Monday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Brattleboro Savings & Loan Association at 221 Main St.
For more details, call Judy Myrick at (802) 257-4616 or Dann at (802) 464-0329.