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On Friday, September 19th, The Ability Center, an advocate for people with disabilities, held the “Toledo On Track” transportation rally in front of 1 Government Center. Organizations set up tables to distribute information and later several speakers talked about the need for increased transportation options for people struggling with disabilities, especially the need for new Amtrak train lines between Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit and Toledo and Columbus.
People First of Toledo, a disability advocacy group, was one of the organizations that set up a table. “We want more accessible rail to benefit people with disabilities,” said People First of Toledo’s representative Quinn Thomas, “Specifically, we would love to see a rail line from Detroit, Toledo, and Columbus. It would make getting to the statehouse a lot easier and would also connect us to other major medical centers, people who need to go to the doctor or see a specialist in Detroit or Columbus. More accessible rail would connect more parts of the state. Largely most people with disabilities, most people with severe disabilities cannot drive, so accessible public transit is a need, it’s a must.”
“We’re talking about signs, kind of visual signs, communication to help the deaf,” said a representative of the Deaf Services Center via a signing interpreter, another organization that set up a table. Currently many modes of transit lack visual signs showing travel information, which makes travel more difficult for the deaf.
Tim Tegge, the Executive Director of the Sight Center, who is visually impaired, said “I’d like to see progress on every front, I think things like passenger rail would be really great for some of the big corridors, opportunities for people who may live in Toledo but who may want to work or go to Columbus or Detroit, just have more opportunities personally, socially, professionally.”
“We all know the more public transit options are available to people with disabilities the more easily and reliably they can get an education, a job, medical care, and social supports,” said the woman introducing the speakers portion of the event, “In short, a reliable, comprehensive, multi-modal public transit system allows people with disabilities to live independently in their own homes. We are here today to draw attention to the need for passenger rail here in Northwest Ohio,”
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Jonathan Bartholomie, of the Disability and Aging Rail Coalition was the first to speak. He told a story about taking an Amtrak train to return to Toledo, where he obtained a sleeping car. The trip took about five and a half hours and arrived in Toledo at 4:30am. “Accessible transit is such a big deal, it’s a very big deal, and when there are limitations to the transit that is something that can be so hampering to people,” he said, “I was very appreciative of being able to be back home and visit with family members. But the fact that I still had to arrive at 4:30 in the morning was a real bother. And so, you get these limitations of when you’re actually able to arrive back at a place. And this is why we need to continue advocating for expanding passenger rail. When those expansions are available it opens up more opportunities to travel and more opportunities to arrive at not-middle of the night times. It also opens up the possibility of people being able to have educational and work opportunities that are open to them through the accessible rail. And, also, there’s the fact that expanding passenger rail also opens up the possibility of people being able to connect to the people they care about.”
A Representative from TMACOG, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, spoke next. Talking about TMACOG’s interest in rail development, he focused on the proposed Cleveland to Toledo to Detroit Amtrak route. “The Toledo to Detroit route is a short route, there’s several choices of existing freight rail to use that connects existing Amtrak services, so we consider this connection to be low-hanging fruit for Amtrak and a good project for Amtrak to show successful expansion,” he said, “Amtrak cannot take a chance on developing an unsuccessful low-ridership corridor because it could hurt future funding when they’re always kind of under a microscope. Cleveland-to-Toledo-to Detroit is a perfect project for Amtrak to show successful expansion. This initiative also sets up Toledo as an important hub for current and future inner-city connections. Amtrak is also considering a possible connection from Detroit to Windsor.”
John Esterly, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio, a statewide passenger rail advocacy group, spoke next. “We need folks like you to provide a voice particularly in our state legislature, to let them know that passenger rail is important for Ohioans, regardless of the reason,” he said, “For some folks things like passenger rail really are the only or the best way to move around…That connection between Detroit and Toledo can’t be overstated, that’s going to be transformative, for our city for their city and all points in between.”
State Representative, House District 41, Erica White spoke next, “Accessible transportation opens doors, we know that, it creates opportunities for people with disabilities to access education, health care, jobs, and community life with the same ease,” she said, “Accessible transportation serves as a crucial lifeline, that we all deserve, and we talk about rail service and expanding passenger travel we’re not just talking about trains, we’re talking about dignity, equity, and independence.”
Toledo City Councilmember Theresa Morris closed the speaker session. “Toledo has long led the way in trying to be a catalyst for passenger rail development,” she said.
The Ability Center’s motto is: Let’s build a transportation future that moves everyone forward. This “Toledo on Track” Transportation Rally was a step in this direction.
