Log 2012122802

This is a link to an article in the Toledo Blade on 12/28/2015 regarding the possibility of reinstating the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority's (TARTA) "Spencer Township Call-a-Ride" service.  In the past, TARTA had transit services at the Toledo Express Airport.  But when the airport lost business, enough personnel were let go to the end that TARTA canceled it their services there.

As for the Spencer Township Call-a-Ride, a hiker according to the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR) could reach the service's zone within 4.0 miles from the North Country National Scenic @ the Wabash Cannonball Trail - North Fork.  But one of TARTA's telephone operators informed me that the bus must have somewhere to pull into (like a driveway).  With OTHR's 4.0mi restrictor, there's isn't a public, or commercial establishment in range.  For example, from said intersection to the Toledo Express Airport is 3.7 miles.  And the transit zone was roughly about that, too.  0.3 miles in a residential area just doesn't leave a lot of options. So the Spencer Township Call-a-Ride can not be listed on the OTHR.

If I could, the benefit of having service there would give the hiker's on the North Country Trail access to all of Toledo's regional transit.  Right now, it's about 135 miles from the Barron's Bus in Napoleon of Henry County to the Greyhound stop and Amtrak Stations in Battle Creek, Michigan via North Country's route.

Some perspective transit hiker's will be analyzing my data.  They're going to do this because distance trails sometimes have camping/ lodging amenity gaps.  So, it's a good practice for them to "leave no stone unturned." And if this transit service has a zone like it use to, they're going to wonder why I didn't route the OTHR to it.  But, one thing that could work is pending that Spencer Township get's its call-a-ride back, instead of a private camp host, what the transit hikers would need is a private bus stop for them.  Somebody who wouldn't mind if the hikers scheduled a drop-off/ pick-up at their private residence on the condition that the host was called 24 hours prior so they could know that its scheduled to take place, or deny the individual.

Currently, the transit hiker can get to Toledo's Greyhound and Amtrak stations only from the Defiance Section - Buckeye Trail (BT) from Waterville of Lucas County on the "Waterville Call-a-Ride."  But because the BT & NCT aren't concurrent by this point, Waterville is about a two day trip at OTHR's thru hike rate to the 3-way BT/ NCT intersection in Liberty Township of Henry County.  Also, the North Country Trail's Northwest Independent Arm (unofficial) is also 1/10th of a mile too far from this line's park-n-ride lot in Waterville.