Fourteen years ago, Pat Kay made the conscious decision to stop driving. Having worked for years as a freelancer in the art industry, she would take long drives to visit museums all over the country.
“In 2000, I noticed that my eyesight was diminishing,” she said, adding that she had trouble reading street signs. “I was driving from North Carolina and I couldn’t even read those big, green highway signs.”
Kay started to limit her driving to short trips, such as to the supermarket or a doctor’s office. On the way to a local grocery store one day, she ran a red light that she thought was green.
“Luckily, no other car was around,” she said. “I quickly turned around and parked in a nearby parking lot. I called my son-in-law to come pick me up, drive me home, and take the keys to the car so I wouldn’t be tempted to drive it.”
At the time, she thought she would easily find an alternative way to get around, but securing adequate transportation would prove difficult over the years.
“I had no idea what was in store for me,” Kay said, noting that she relies on friends for some rides and has not been able to go to any museums since she stopped driving. On birthdays, she asks her family for the same gift — a car with Morgan Freeman as the driver, a reference from the 1989 movie “Driving Miss Daisy.”
However, Kay said she will not allow such limitations to affect her life, and she remains very involved in the community.
As the transportation facilitator for South Brunswick’s Aging in Place Partnership, Kay was one of many who shared their stories March 20 during the “Transportation Summit: Working Towards a Tri-County, Seamless Transit Plan and a Model Middlesex County Curb-to-Curb Service.” The event was held at the South Brunswick Department of Public Works. Among those on hand to discuss options for those who need transportation were Sue Dowling, director of Milltown based Interfaith Network of Care; Beverly Briggs, operational manager for Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT); Joyce Tiemens, program director for RideWise, Somerset County; Lauri Harbison of Interfaith Caregivers of Mercer County; and Cheryl Kastrenakes, director of the Great Mercer Transportation Management Association.
Other experts included Steve Fittante, director of local programs and mini-bus support for NJ Transit; Patricia Bunnell, transportation supervisor for the South Brunswick Public Schools; Dabita Gimulka, customer service representative for NJ Transit Access Link; David Schmetterer, senior planner for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority; Bill Neary, executive director of Keep Middlesex Moving; and Louis Hoffman, program manager for the New Jersey Travel Independence Program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
The purpose of the summit was to work toward creating a seamless transit plan and a curb-to-curb service for residents in the area, according to Jacque Rubel, founder and advocate of the Aging in Place Partnership.
Issues that were raised during the discussion included transportation across county lines, the costs of transportation, and limitations of the services that are offered.
Fittante said he was encouraged by the discussion, since many of the questions asked were directed to the future and building upon what is currently in place. He said such discussions have been ongoing for more than 35 years, but with the ever-changing population, agencies need to use what is commonly called the three Cs: cooperation, coordination and consolidation.
Fittante told everyone involved to keep an open mind when it comes to transportation options, which may include local taxi companies and reducedshare programs. Currently, he said East Brunswick and North Brunswick have transportation voucher programs for seniors and residents with disabilities.
In discussing services offered in Middlesex County, Briggs said MCAT provides curb-to-curb service with its seven shuttles. It has a fleet of 76 vehicles, including 65 that are wheelchairaccessible.
“We have a membership of 18,000 — 10,000 of which are active members,” she said. “We have 60 full-time drivers and two substitute drivers.”
Janine Balazs, who uses a motorized wheelchair, is director of the Spotswood Office on Aging, where she has served for 21 years.
“I rely 100 percent on MCAT,” she said. “If it weren’t for the shuttle, I wouldn’t have been able to continue my job, which I truly love.”
Balazs said it is important for local, county and state officials to continue working on transportation offerings, as they are vital to many seniors and residents with disabilities.
Michael Klein, a Monroe resident who is visually impaired, raised the issue of the “silver tsunami,” referring to the growing senior population in the area.
Neary said the high density of senior housing in Monroe and elsewhere has brought about weaknesses due to inadequate transportation in the area.
“We need to all work together [for a solution],” he said.
Neary said this is a “car-centric” society, where being able to drive is part of the common lifestyle. Losing the ability to drive affects one’s quality of life.
Dowling and Harbson — both of whom belong to interfaith nonprofit organizations — said they work with volunteers, including many retirees, to provide transportation. The volunteers and clients work together like a closeknit family.
“Everyone knows everyone by name,” said Dowling, whose agency works in 13 towns in Middlesex County. Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@gmnews.com.