KBEK Radio host Robin Riley and Karen Onan with East Central Transit discuss mobility management with Michelle Lichtig, MnDOT project manager of Minnesota regional transportation coordinating councils (RTCCs). Highlights of the interview follow. Listen to the complete interview here.
Litchtig: I have been involved in organizations that have been trying to support people to live their best life within the community rather than perhaps having to go to assisted living or nursing home type situations, or perhaps no longer being able to live in their own home independently as they would like to. Transportation is a central part of that ability to live the best life, whether it’s to go to home, school, medical appointments, or social activities.
Onan: One of the main objectives from the very beginning was to be putting together a mobility management center. The technology that goes along with that — as far as people being able to make their schedules and plans using their phones — is coming along and is actually happening down in southwest Minnesota. What is mobility management and why do we need it?
Litchtig: When we look at getting from here to there, it is a challenge because there are these gaps. Where are the resources in the community, and who has to go where and how? A mobility manager and mobility management pull those open-ended questions together. That coordination part is so unique and distinct in mobility management. Technology can tell us how to get there, but how can we can make the best use of what we have? It is very people-centric, so we need stakeholders to help us fill in some of those gaps. That might be moving stock, increasing service hours, or other things — brought together in a coordinated way through mobility management with the leadership of an RTCC.
Onan: Working with all of the different providers, such as Timber Trails and Tri-Cap and Arrowhead, bringing them all to the table together. Currently, we have a survey trying to find out where do people need to go that they’re not able to. We’re trying to fill some of these gaps.
Litchtig: It may not be great numbers of people that are served though mobility management, but we are serving the people that have the greatest need. When you look at a bell curve, people in the high center are getting their mobility and transportation needs met. What we’re looking at are the very skinny ends of the curve. People have very unique challenges to accessing transportation. It may be just one or two individuals. For example, we had a situation in another region where moving a transit stop and coordinating with the transportation provider of another RTCC allowed two individuals to be able to access their employment. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but, without that type of coordination, those two individuals would not be able to go to work. It’s a very specific way of making sure that the people with the greatest need are getting access to transportation.
Onan: Closing thoughts?
Litchtig: We have regional transportation coordinating councils in different parts of the state. But they don’t work in a silo, they work together. Karen has been a real leader in making sure that the RTCCs continue to work as a network. It’s a real opportunity to learn and exchange best practices. Karen’s leadership in volunteer driver issues has been well acknowledged among her peers. East Central is very fortunate to have mobility management and to have regional development council support.
