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As anyone
who has driven on Route 12A in West Lebanon, Route
120 near DHMC, or across the Ledyard Bridge during
rush hour can attest, traffic is no longer a foreign
concept for the Upper Valley. In fact, traffic
congestion can sometimes be so brutal that it takes
more than half an hour to get from one end of the
“strip” in West Lebanon to the other. It’s easy to
see why more people in the Upper Valley are
discovering the benefits of riding a bus, and why
ridership has steadily increased over the past
decade. However, currently, most bus stops are
marked by nothing more than a post and sign to
designate a waiting area, and with unpredictable New
England weather and harsh seasons, commuters are
left to the elements as they commute each day to
work. For this reason, Trumbull-Nelson Construction
Company and Vital Communities, a regional non-profit
organization dedicated to engaging citizens in
community life, are working together to build bus
shelters on all major bus transit routes in the
Upper Valley.
The benefits of improving public transportation in
the Upper Valley are obvious. Not only does it save
on the costs of commuting, but it also relieves
congestion on our main roads. Dartmouth College even
offers fringe benefits to its employees if they
commute by public transportation rather than by car.
Due to commuter fringe benefits, the price of fuel,
and an easily navigable transit system, there has
been an “incredible ridership increase,” explains
Shawn Donovan, a board member of the Upper Valley
Transportation Management Association.
Trumbull-Nelson recently offered to help the four
public transit providers in the area—Advance
Transit, Springfield’s Connecticut River Transit,
the Stagecoach of Randolph, and CTS in
Claremont—build bus shelters throughout the Upper
Valley. These bus shelters come in the form of kits
and, along with donating time and expertise,
Trumbull-Nelson has offered to store the unassembled
kits in their warehouse until they are ready to be
erected.
Now is certainly the right time for such a project.
The use of public transit has been growing by double
digits over the last several years. The Stagecoach’s
“89er” route, for example, has grown from 5,547
fixed-route transit bus boardings in 2005 to 11,523
in 2006. Advance Transit currently accounts for
700,000 annual passenger trips, up from 125,000 in
1992, said Donovan. “We have a thriving transit
system in the Upper Valley, which is quite unusual
for a rural area,” he says.
“Every place there’s a bus stop—and there are a lot
of them out there on the edges of roads right
now—there should be a bus shelter,” Donovan
recommends. “We prefer people take buses year round
and it’s not feasible if they are standing out there
in the rain. We’re not in an urban area where people
can easily duck into a building corner. That’s why
we are grateful to Trumbull-Nelson, who has the
capability and willingness to erect these shelters.”
After working together to design the shelters,
Trumbull-Nelson and Vital Communities have decided
to use standard kits with glass walls. This way,
people will be protected from the elements, but
since they are transparent, there will be no
public-safety concerns. Although these kits can be
pricey, Len Cadwallader, executive director of Vital
Communities, finds them cost effective. “They are
pennies compared to the cost of adding another lane
that would quickly end up being filled with cars.”
“For Trumbull-Nelson to offer warehouse space is
extremely important to this process,” explains
Cadwallader. The process of acquiring easements and
building permits is not only time consuming, but
often the grants from the state necessary to acquire
the kits can be sporadic. As a result, “one of the
biggest obstacles has been where to store the kits,”
Cadwallader continues.
Although storage is important, it is not the only
aspect of Trumbull-Nelson’s offer that is
appreciated. “They are strengthening their corporate
citizenship and at the same time they are helping
their employees serve their community. This is a
good model for building a stronger workforce,”
asserts Cadwallader.
Steve Usle, Director of Marketing for
Trumbull-Nelson, approached Vital Communities when
Trumbull-Nelson began looking for additional ways to
give back to the community. “When we were putting
together plans to celebrate our 90th anniversary, I
began to realize how much influence our company has
had on the locally built environment,” Usle
explains. “As a larger employer and stakeholder, we
understand the importance of smart growth,
transportation, and affordable housing, all areas of
focus for Vital Communities. Offering assistance to
Vital Communities in the area of transportation by
erecting bus shelters is a logical extension of our
Company’s commitment to maintaining the area’s
quality of life.”
With continued cooperation between communities and
constant planning on the part of Vital Communities
and other non-profit organizations in the Upper
Valley, the region is able to better support its
workforce and continues to be a desirable place to
live.
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